Gerontological Nursing Interventions Research Center (GNIRC) -
Research Methods Core

Director: Fredric Wolinsky, PhD

The design of the Research Methods Core is based on a "research support philosophy," which casts the statistician more as a co-investigator than as a detached consultant. Thus, although short-term consulting assistance will be available, the RMC's major thrust will be the establishment of long-term collaborations between nursing researchers and RSC consultants.

The Core brings together a team of statisticians who have extensive experience in developing and implementing funded studies, as well as in consulting and teaching. By virtue of their experience in all phases of the research process, the Statisticians are prepared to offer a more comprehensive array of support services than are usually provided by a statistical consulting unit. Assistance is available from the earliest stages of problem formulation through final interpretation and publication of results, and the RMC's assistance in grant proposal development will be especially important to junior researchers. These statisticians also serve as Data Managers for the other GNIRC Cores and associated projects. They are assisted by Graduate Research Assistants and a team of part-time Data Entry Clerks.

In addition to its research support services, the Core participates in the educational programs of the other Cores, serving as teachers/lectures in the Regional Training Core's courses, and preparing written instructional materials as needed. Finally, the statisticians and staff are involved in all phases of GNIRC evaluation efforts.