Data Informatics Clinic

Alfred Cecchetti, PhD, MSc, MSc IS
Director, Division of Clinical Informatics
Clinical Informatics Data Architect
ceccheti@marshall.edu

The Informatics Clinic led by Alfred Cecchetti, Ph.D., MSc, MSc IS from the Department of Clinical and Translational Sciences (DCTS) provides de-identifiable data informatics services to JCESOM faculty. Services include project Informatics consultation, finding data within the EHR, EHR coding consultation, data group identification, de-identified data extraction, unstructured data extraction, initial data visualization, and honest broker services.

Biostatistics and Research Design Clinic

Rajan Lamichhane, PhD
Assistant Professor, Biostatistician
lamichhaner@marshall.edu

The Biostatistics and Research Design's (BRD) key function is to provide support in the areas of biostatistics and research design to the Appalachian Clinical and Translational Science Institute (ACTSI) researchers. Services include consultations on study design for clinical trials, community-based participatory research, population-based (epidemiologic) studies, and quantitative data analysis. These services are provided to support pilot studies, grant submissions, and publications. In addition, BRD members review protocols; the optimal time to seek input on a protocol is before it is submitted to the ACTSI for a formal review.

Institutional Review Board (IRB) Clinic

MaryBeth Cordle, MS
Quality Officer  
cordlem@marshall.edu

The Institutional Review Board Clinic (IRB Clinic) is a hands-on session with one of our core researchers in the Appalachian Clinical and Translational Science Institute (ACTSI) and who is also a member of the IRB at Marshall University. During a clinic session, which usually lasts 15-30 minutes, any assistance needed in terms of IRB processes and documentation for IRB submissions will be reviewed with the study investigators or their assigned support staff. These sessions can provide basic instruction to help you prepare your submission documents as well as provide guidance for dealing with potential issues for your project in terms of IRB review and approval. When scheduling an appointment, the study investigator should provide an estimate of the amount of time needed in the clinic to complete their request. Bring your project plan, outline, and, if available, any documentation already completed for your IRB submission so what you will need in terms of complete documentation can be reviewed and/or addressed.

Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) Clinic

Monica Valentovic, PhD
Professor & Research Cluster Coordinator  
valentov@marshall.edu

Federal regulations require an institution that uses animals for research or teaching to have an active and functioning Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC). All institutions that apply for federally funded research grants using animals must have an IACUC. The IACUC has oversight over the review and approval of all animal use as well as oversight of the animal facilities. Marshall University is fully accredited by the Association for Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care International (AAALAC). The IACUC complies with federal regulations of the Office of Laboratory and Animal Welfare (OLAW, PHS policy, USDA) and the Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals. The IACUC meets monthly to review new protocols and more information can be found at this link http://musom.marshall.edu/arf/. The IACUC clinic is to assist investigators in preparation of their IACUC protocols including experimental design, treatments and literature searches for alternatives to animal use.

Scholarship Development Clinic 

Usha Murughiyan, MBBS
Scholarship Director
murughiyan@marshall.com

I am the Scholarship Director for the Joan C Edwards School of Medicine (JCESOM) and the Appalachian Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute (ACTSI) at Marshall University. In my capacity as the Scholarship Director at JCESOM, I am in charge of scholarship development for junior faculty clinical and basic science, clinical fellows, and basic science post-doctoral fellows, medical and graduate students. We have established Scholarship Development clinics which are offered on an individual or team basis as needed. I provide assistance for development of abstracts and manuscripts. I also identify preliminary work at JCESOM that has potential for peer reviewed publication to promote scholarship by students, residents, and faculty. Additionally, I work with the ACTSI team to identify appropriate funding opportunities, grant development, and submission and evaluation of peer reviews.