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Research Informatics Core (RIC)

The Research Informatics Core (RIC) was established in March 2010 with funding from the Health Center Research Advisory Council (HCRAC) to provide the research community with the resources (hardware, software, people) necessary to meet their needs. The Core recognizes that each researcher has specific and unique needs, requiring customized solutions that cannot be provided by a "one-size-fits-all" approach. The Core is therefore committed to providing innovative solutions that not only meet, but also exceed the expectations of our customers and delivered through first-class customer care.
Advisory Group

An advisory group has been created to provide guidance and prioritization of requests made to the Core. Group members include:

  • K. Abu-Hasaballah, Assistant Vice President for Research Informatics, Information Technology
  • D. Adams, Assistant Professor, Orthopaedic Surgery
  • D. Carroll, Director, Office of Research & Sponsored
  • J. Grady, Professor, Department of Community Medicine and Director of the Biostatistics Center
  • B. Graveley, Associate Professor, Department of Genetics & Developmental Biology
  • J. Hager, Director, Translational & Genomics Core
  • M. Maciejewski, Assistant Professor, Molecular, Microbial, & Structural Biology
  • R. Mains, Professor and Chair, Department of Neuroscience
  • I. Moraru, Associate Professor, Center for Cell Analysis & Modeling
  • H. Potts, Systems Coordinator, General Clinical Research Center
Services & Products
  • Databases and Web-based Survey Design and Support. We have implemented the Research Electronic Data Capture (REDCap) software application for secure, web-based electronic data capture (EDC) and storage of research data. Read all about REDCap and its capabilities >
  • Java & FileMaker Application Development. We provide programming services for creating scientific programs, scripts, and tools for data acquisition and analysis using Java and other open-sources platforms.  We also provide FileMaker programming for creating operational and business applications.
  • Secure File Transfer Protocol (sFTP). We have implemented a robust, commercial solution to meet the need of the Health Center community to exchange files securely within and out of the organization. The system supports file sizes up to 20 GB, which can be increased if necessary. Learn more and download the instruction manual >
  • Website Design. We work with our customers and the Office of Communication on designing websites using institutionally approved templates and standards.
  • Consultation. We provide consultative services relating to informatics and information systems. We collaborate with investigators on authoring data sharing plans, computer system configuration and pricing, and other aspects of a research grant proposal.
Staff

The Core is directed by Dr. K. Abu-Hasaballah and staffed by a technical analyst, a bioinformatician (computational geneticist) and Java programmer for writing data analysis algorithms and programs, a FileMaker Pro programmer for creating research management and business applications, and a research associate providing data management and website creation. We are currently working on an affordable charge-back model to allow our staff to serve as many of our researchers as possible. For more information on our services and rates, please contact the Core director. Below is a biographical narrative of our staff and their expertise.

Photo of Xintao Wei, Ph.D.Xintao Wei, Ph.D.
Application Developer II
Office of the CIO
Center for Cell Analysis & Modeling (CCAM)
Phone:
Fax: 860-679-4494
Email: wei@uchc.edu

Dr. Wei joined the Core in Fall 2010 with a joint appointment in the Center for Cell Analysis & Modeling. She holds a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Computer Science with concentration in Bioinformatics from Tufts University, and an undergraduate degree in Microbiology from Microbiology Sichuan University. She has a broad and in-depth knowledge in bioinformatics, computer science, statistics, and biology. She has experience designing novel bioinformatics approaches for cancer drug screening based on a patient's gene expression profile. She is also an expert programmer in Java, Perl, C++, C, JavaScript, and Python.

Dr. Wei is available to provide consultative services on a wide-range of bioinformatics and computational biology issues as well as writing custom scientific programs for genomic as well as other types of research data analysis. She can be contacted by telephone at 860-679-7933 or email.

Photo of Sophan IvSophan Iv
Technical Analyst III
Office of the CIO
Phone: 860-679-8989
Fax: 860-679-4494
Email: siv@uchc.edu

Mr. Iv has a versatile skill set and expertise in information technology, including: infrastructure (hardware and software configuration and support); computer networking and security technologies; server setup and administration; open source platforms; and troubleshooting and technical problem resolution. He maintains a number of servers hosting research applications and works directly with researchers and central information technology staff to troubleshoot and resolve technical difficulties.

Photo of Ken Bourell, M.S.Kenneth Bourell, M.S.
Research Associate II
Office of the CIO
Department of Immunology
Phone: 860-679-8482
Fax: 860-679-4494
Email: kbourell@up.uchc.edu

Mr. Bourell works jointly in the Core and the Department of Immunology. In the Core, he has designed a number of websites and is responsible for the data management and upkeep of a number of research applications. He's available to assist you designing your next cool website!

Photo of Phillip AbramPhillip Abram
Application Developer
Office of the CIO
Phone: 860-679-4465
Fax: 860-679-4494
Email: abram@uchc.edu

Mr. Abram provides consultative and programming services in the FileMaker Pro platform.