Cizik Nursing Research Institute Informatics Core (NRIC) integrates informatics into nursing research to enhance the quality, efficiency, and impact of health care outcomes. It makes advanced informatics tools and methodologies easily accessible, houses and manages novel data warehouses on social and behavioral health, and fosters collaborations among UTHealth Houston faculty, students, and staff engaged in nursing research.
Department Directory
Brad Cannell, PhD
Research Informatics Director
Goals
- Establish and enhance informatics infrastructure to support research activities: To build and continuously upgrade a robust informatics infrastructure that supports the collection, storage, and analysis of social, behavioral, environmental, and other public data sources, facilitating cutting-edge nursing research.
- Foster multidisciplinary collaborations: To act as a catalyst for multidisciplinary research by bridging the gap between nursing researchers and technology, enhancing the scope and impact of studies.
- Empower researchers with informatics tools and training: To provide comprehensive training and access to advanced informatics tools, enabling researchers to conduct sophisticated analyses, identify collaborators, and translate findings into actionable insights that support the practice of nursing.
- Streamline research processes: To simplify and expedite research workflows through standardized protocols, data use agreements, and access to diverse data sources, allowing researchers to focus on innovation and discovery.
Activities
- Develop a state-of-the-art data management infrastructure that includes a robust data warehouse from multiple novel sources reflecting social, behavioral, and environmental health consistent with nursing’s foci. This infrastructure ensures that researchers have access to the most cutting-edge tools, expert collaborators, and most relevant data for their studies.
- Engage in strategic negotiations and collaborations with key data providers, such as community service providers and state agencies, to secure access to data critical to understanding the socioecological contexts of health. Access to these diverse data sources enables researchers to conduct comprehensive and impactful studies and respond to NIH priorities.
- Establish a streamlined process for research approval that includes the development of an umbrella IRB protocol and standardized data use agreements for the novel data warehouses facilitate quicker start times for research projects. By consulting with legal, compliance departments, and institutional leadership, the core ensures these protocols and agreements meet all regulatory requirements.
- Implement a multifaceted training program that covers basic to advanced analytics, including the use of Epic Cosmos, Large Language Models, and other informatics tools (such as remote monitoring, wearables).
