# Interdisciplinary Research Methods Core

> **NIH NIH P30** · YALE UNIVERSITY · 2020 · $250,389

## Abstract

INTERDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH METHODS CORE
Abstract
The Interdisciplinary Research Methods (IRM) Core provides cutting-edge analytical and research design
support to HIV researchers at CIRA and within the New England HIV Implementation Science Network. HIV
research requires complex and innovative research designs and methods. The increasing focus on
Implementation Science (IS), the integration of behavioral and biomedical approaches, and the study of HIV
comorbidities such as substance use and mental health, presents challenges to the design and implementation
of HIV research. Developing and applying statistical methods to address these complexities and to support
CIRA's emphasis on IS is the focus of the IRM Core. Given CIRA's emphasis on research in small urban
areas, methods of relevance to these settings will be incorporated in the IRM repertoire. Such areas pose
statistical problems that challenge standard approaches to data analysis such as smaller sample sizes, high
rates of missing data, geographic clustering of data and smaller social network sizes. The Core has developed
methods to address these statistical problems such as the development of a strong geographical information
systems (GIS) capacity, application of Bayesian techniques for missing data estimation, strong capacity in
respondent driven sampling (RDS) for recruitment of highly stigmatized and hard to reach populations,
expertise in innovative IS designs (e.g., SMART designs, stepped wedge), mixed method techniques,
mathematical modeling and cost benefit analyses, and machine learning techniques to model causality. The
IRM Core will provide consultation on, and training on IS and other research methods. The Core will provide
in-depth and practical training on central concepts associated with HIV implementation research, with
sessions on methods that have relevance to community-based research and IS, such as research on social
networks, geospatial information studies, dissemination, stepped care, and adaptive treatment designs. The
Core will also play an active role in assessing and analyzing the work of the New England HIV Implementation
Science Network that was established by CIRA and others in 2014. The Core comprises three areas of
expertise that are essential to IS, including: Quantitative Methods and Biostatistics; Qualitative Methods and
Ethnography; and Operations Research and Mathematical Modeling. Dr. Trace Kershaw, Core Director,
Professor and Chair of Social Behavioral Sciences Department at Yale School of Public Health, brings over 20
years of experience conducting HIV behavioral and intervention studies. Dr. Russell Barbour, Associate
Director, is a statistician trained in ecological studies with expertise in multivariate and longitudinal statistics,
spatial statistics, graph theory based network analysis, and advanced sampling techniques. He will provide
data analysis, consultation services, and software training, and oversee Core evaluation and monitoring.
Other c...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9886267
- **Project number:** 5P30MH062294-18
- **Recipient organization:** YALE UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Paul D Cleary
- **Activity code:** P30 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $250,389
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** — → —

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9886267

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9886267, Interdisciplinary Research Methods Core (5P30MH062294-18). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9886267. Licensed CC0.

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