Today, there is a vast amount of high-quality data coming from cardiovascular medicine. Data comes from various sources, including genetic testing, imaging (like echocardiograms and electrocardiograms), clinical trials, pragmatic trials, electronic health records, and even wearable devices.
The abundant data offers excellent opportunities for researchers. However, the scale and variety of data make it difficult to understand and analyze the data effectively.
To help address this need, the section of cardiovascular medicine recently established the Cardiovascular Medicine Analytics Center (CMAC). The new center provides advanced statistical support focused on the specific needs of cardiovascular medicine research.
“Our center is unique because we have deep expertise in cutting-edge biostatistics methodologies as well as a great understanding of cardiovascular medicine and the data types that come with it,” said Guangyu Tong, PhD, assistant professor (cardiovascular medicine and biostatistics) and director of the Cardiovascular Medicine Analytics Center.
“Our goal is for this new center to provide professional, dedicated analytics support tailored to cardiovascular medicine research,” said Eric Velazquez, MD, Robert W. Berliner Professor of Medicine and chief of Yale Cardiovascular Medicine. "We hope this new center will increase the quality and quantity of scholarly publications and facilitate grant and contract applications to advance research to ultimately improve patients' lives."
The Cardiovascular Medicine Analytics Center offers extensive data analytics support for investigators throughout their research projects, from study design through publication.
In the early stages of research, dedicated biostatisticians can support grant applications and provide guidance on designing valid studies. They can support research by using advanced statistical models to comb through vast data sets to make sense of information. The CMAC biostatisticians can also provide statistics reviews and writing support for journal manuscripts and posters. In addition, CMAC offers data storage and can give access to immense data sources stored elsewhere.
“There is so much happening in data analytics, with new methodologies and technologies, including machine learning and artificial intelligence, ” said Tong. “This offers an incredible opportunity to develop new tools to help doctors predict cardiovascular events before they happen and better care for patients.”
CMAC works with investigators conducting traditional and pragmatic clinical trials – especially those focused on system-level improvement. CMAC will initially focus on providing support for faculty members within the section of cardiovascular medicine. They also support interdisciplinary research to bridge gaps and encourage collaboration.
Learn more about CMAC’s services and submit a request for data analytics support through the Cardiovascular Medicine Analytics Center webpage.
CMAC’s advisory board includes Eric Velazquez, MD; James Freeman, MD, MPH; Edward Miller, MD, PhD; Erica Spatz, MD; Allison Gaffey, PhD; Michael Nanna, MD, MHS; Nihar Desai, MD, MPH; Donna Spiegelman, ScD; Joshua Warren, PhD; Fan Li, PhD; Shuangge Steven Ma, PhD.