Data Science Core

PROJECT SUMMARY – Data Science Shared Resource The mission of the Data Science Shared Resource (DSC) of the USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center (NCCC) is to provide integrated state-of-the-art biostatistics and clinical research informatics support for cancer research spanning basic and translational science to clinical studies, and cancer etiology to cancer control. DSC members work with investigators on the design, conduct, analysis, and reporting of cancer research, and play a key role in clinical trials protocol review and study monitoring in the NCCC. As such, the DSC serves as a key foundational element in the Data Science component of the Strategic Plan, enabling infrastructure and data platforms for all NCCC Research Programs. NCCC recruited Ming Li PhD as DSC Director and David Birtwell MSE as Co-Director with oversight of DSC by NCCC Administration. A major development in this grant period, DSC now expands beyond traditional biostatistics services to include clinical research informatics services to integrate data from electronic health records to -omics platforms for analysis. DSC applies advanced and novel statistical methods to these data, including artificial intelligence/machine learning for discovery of underlying risk factors, prediction of population level risk, and clinical decision algorithms and tools. During the current grant period (2015-2020), 88 NCCC members representing all five programs utilized the DSC, resulting directly in 278 publications and 13 funded cancer-related P and U grants. The anticipated annual budget of DSC in the first year of the next grant cycle is $1,548,658, yet the CCSG request is $379,255. Accordingly, DSC leverages extensive institutional and recharge support and seeks only 24% from CCSG funds.