National Institute on Aging 5P30AG044281-14

RC1 - The Data and Analysis Core (DAC)

The award supports the Data and Analysis Core (DAC) at University of California, San Francisco, providing expert statistical and methodological consultation and analytic support for research on function and disability in vulnerable older adults. It focuses on study design, measurement, and analysis of complex datasets including national health studies and Medicare data, aiming to advance aging research and address challenges such as race, ethnicity, and COVID-19 impacts.

Description

Research on function and disability in vulnerable older adults involves methodological and analytical challenges. Addressing these challenges often requires specialized expertise and approaches, including methods for working with data ranging from small, specialized datasets to complex national datasets; developing tailored approaches to analyzing longitudinal, repeated measures; managing complex and informative missing data mechanisms; addressing competing risks; and controlling for multilayered confounding in predictor-outcome relationships. It also requires a deep understanding of measurement, including the many ways in which disability and function can be measured and how these measures relate to underlying constructs of function and disability. The Data and Analysis Core (DAC) will build upon its history of success by serving as a hub of expertise and support in these areas and assisting the research design and analytic needs of OAIC-affiliated investigators. We will focus on two areas that have emerged as central pillars of our past successes. First, we aim to provide world-class statistical and methodologic consultation and direct analytic support to OAIC-affiliated investigators, with a major focus on study design, measurement, and the special analytic considerations that arise in quantitative studies of function and disability in vulnerable older adults. Second, we will provide expert consultation and direct support for secondary data analysis studies using high-value national datasets including the Health and Retirement Study (HRS), National Health and Aging Trends Study (NHATS), national Medicare data including the Minimum Data Set (MDS), and national VA data. In addition to continuing our established programs in these areas, we seek to innovate and grow to address the evolving landscape of aging research and the needs of investigators working in this field. Areas of growth include enhanced focus on thoughtfully addressing race, ethnicity, and other important socioeconomic features in study focus, design, and analyses; expanding opportunities to incorporate physical performance, biomarker, and genetic data into research using high-value datasets such as the Health and Retirement Study; expanding capacity for analysis of national Medicare data and of UCSF electronic health record data; and addressing important opportunities and analytic challenges that have arisen from the COVID pandemic.

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