Centers & Programs

Many of Northwestern University's Biostatistics, Epidemiology and Research Design activities take place within the Biostatistics Collaboration Center (BCC). The BCC is a resource for investigators with biostatistical, epidemiological, programming and data management support needs.

Specific areas of BCC expertise include statistical genetics, clinical trial design and longitudinal, multilevel and survival analysis. The BCC consists of PhD faculty and master’s-level statisticians who are committed to and experienced in collaborating with clinical and translational investigators. Learn more about how NUCATS works with the BCC, or visit the BCC website for more information.

The Center for Clinical Research (CCR) works closely with clinical and translational scientists, trainees and staff to provide resources, services and guidance specific to the needs of each investigator and study.

CCR's experienced staff, commitment to improvement and novel use of digital tools has led to quicker study start-up, increased investigator and study coordinator satisfaction and improved financial outcomes. Explore our Clinical Research Infrastructure section to learn more about how the CCR can help support your work.

The Center for Community Health (CCH) catalyzes and supports meaningful engagement of communities, patients and stakeholders across the research spectrum. This work takes many forms but is steadily guided by the principles of collaboration, respect, equity, transparency and impact. Relationships are the foundation for our work, resulting in the rich exchange of expertise spanning science, culture, neighborhoods, environment, practice and policy. Research skills, pragmatic knowledge and lived experience combine to inform culturally and community-centered solutions for addressing real-world health and healthcare challenges.

Visit the CCH website to learn more about consultation support and ShARPS, the Alliance for Research in Chicagoland Communities (ARCC), the Northwestern Primary Care Practice-Based Research Program (NP3) and dissemination and implementation.

The Center for Education and Career Development (CECD) works to train the entire spectrum of the translational research workforce. The CECD has developed and implemented over 14 programs to train a highly skilled research workforce, including early career faculty, predoctoral & postdoctoral fellows, scholars, trainees, and clinical research professionals.

The center includes the Multidisciplinary Mentored Career Development Program (KL2), a Multidisciplinary Training Program (TL1), a graduate program, a robust Mentor Development Program, workshops, and seminars for early-career faculty at Northwestern, and training programs for clinical research coordinators and study site staff. Visit our Training section to learn more.

At the Center for Biomedical Informatics & Data Science (CBIDS), we are working to advance the applications of data science and informatics toward improved biomedical research and healthcare at NUCATS and our clinical partners. Our vision is to create an integrated healthcare and research environment in which all available data are optimally leveraged for knowledge discovery and improved health. CBIDS spans two institutes at Northwestern, NUCATS and the Institute for Artificial Intelligence in Medicine (I.AIM).

CBIDS has been a major driver of NUCATS’ model of sustainable innovation, seeking out research barriers that can be overcome with informatics tools, developing new software and data platforms, testing usability and impact and then deploying these novel tools to the NUCATS community and to other institutions across the country. Visit the Data Analytics & Informatics Resources section of this site for a full overview of the services and software we offer.

The Center for Translational Innovation (CTI) offers expertise in areas of technology commercialization and innovation. Whether it’s a new faculty looking to get their innovation to the bedside or a seasoned innovator looking to create a business, CTI can provide counsel, guidance and resources to propel this process to successful outcomes. CTI offers counsel relating to: pilot grant funding, mentorship programs, commercialization clinics and courses, intellectual property protection, business development and regulatory strategy.

The Innovation & New Ventures Office (INVO) partnered with NUCATS to create the CTI. INVO is a Northwestern office that focuses on identifying technologies with commercial potential, increasing the value of those technologies through intellectual property protection and helping in the development and movement towards commercialization through licensing, new ventures and partnering.

The Evaluation & Continuous Improvement Program (ECIP) aims to continuously improve the speed, quality and efficiency of the methods and processes of clinical and translational sciences through a novel, real-time, data-driven evaluation and continuous improvement process focused on the goal of enhancing research impact to improve human health.

Services offered by ECIP include:

• Dashboards and program evaluation data management
• Data collection, analysis, and visualization services on the individual, program, and macro levels
• Impact assessment services
• Assistance in setting baseline goals and operationalizing clear, consistent metrics
• Support for enhanced dissemination strategies
• Bibliometric and scientometric analyses and visualizations
• Other tools and resources to facilitate evaluation and continuous improvement activities

The Galter Health Sciences Library & Learning Center provides dedicated support services relevant to the NUCATS mission, including:  

• Enhanced literature searching and systematic review support
• Robust support for compliance of public access policies, including assistance with NIH Public Access Policy compliance, myNCBI reporting, research reporting guidelines and the new NIH biosketch format requirements
• The Metrics and Impact Core, which provides services and support for bibliometrics, visualizations, assessing a study’s impact and optimizing visibility and dissemination
• Two clinical librarians to provide a range of integrated support activities
• Licensed bioinformatics and biostatistics software and information resources with personalized data analysis support, data management consultations and online tutorials

Northwestern University Data & Analysis Coordinating Center (NUDACC) members are experts in all components of the study life cycle including: study planning and design, data collection tool development, data monitoring and curation, regulatory reporting, statistical methods for data analysis and preparation of results for dissemination of findings. The center streamlines the research process and translates study findings.

"Team Science" is the study and application of principles, techniques and strategies in order to form, develop, lead and manage groups of individuals who are part of a research project or team. Northwestern is acknowledged as an international leader in Team Science education and practice, establishing both conceptual and methodological strategies aimed at enhancing the processes and outcomes of team-based research. The Team Science Program offers the expertise and resources to help investigators and teams learn the fundamentals of team science and to support teams as they develop and mature.

Visit our Team Science Resources page for information on how to find collaborators, train in Team Science and more.

The NUCATS voucher (tier 1: $2,500) and pilot (tier 2: $10,000) programs are designed to accelerate research by providing rapid, targeted funding to address small but critical gaps in clinical and translational research work. Visit our Funding section to learn more.