Projects

Organized by Project

Center for Online Research Studies

https://psychsurveys.wustl.edu

Challenge: Translate traditional paper surveys used for epidemiological research into fully automated Internet based versions accessible via web browser and or mobile phone.

Solution: Utilize commodity hardware, off the shelf open source software, and good architectural principles to create a HIPAA compliant and secure system for conducting research online.

• Supporting the environment for the necessary user-friendly web pages to serve as landing pages for participants
• Document participant consent
• Optimize content for search engines
• Create and develop ad campaigns targeting populations using banner ads, search engine marketing, and organic traffic sources.
• Promote the work of the principle investigator, boost his presence and name recognition on the Internet.
• Conduct survey research while guarding the authenticity of the data.
• Process participant payments while protecting against fraud.
• Write middleware for a private real-time analysis portal accessible via mobile device
• Full or de-identified data export to SPSS, R, SAS, or CSV

This site hosts the following studies:

• Internet Purchasers Tramadol Research Study Created online marketing campaigns to recruit participants who were currently using and/or buying Tramadol from the Internet. This project included a landing portal that instilled participant trust and participant managed consent. After agreeing to the consent the participant is taken to the Internet Purchasers Tramadol Survey where they are asked a series of questions about their use of Tramadol and if they have had any experience buying it online. At the completion of the survey the participant is asked to reveal EPHI that is separated from their survey answers so that the participant can receive compensation via a mailed gift card. We were able to recruit over 600 participants in less than 3 months and achieved over a 70% longitudinal follow-up rate. The PI and research assistant were also able to monitor key variables from the survey via a real-time online portal. One such variable monitored was adverse events that participants reported experienced when taking Tramadol with or without a prescription from a medical doctor. Fraud controls were established using signatures created from the TCIP and web application transaction.
• Tramadol Longitudinal Follow-up Initial recruitment for the Internet Purchasers Tramadol Research Study showed participants would be interested in participating in a follow up. We designed an application to track the last time a participant answered a survey and calculated the appropriate interval at which to send a series of reminders via email. This email contains a one time link to a survey with a user token and creates a session cookie to maintain the authenticity of the participant. Additional markers and controls are implemented to prevent fraud.
• Internet Version of the Global Appraisal of Individual Needs (GAIN) Created an online version of the GAIN survey for self administration from participants from their own Internet connection. The survey includes over 500 questions and has the ability to save and continue where the participant last left off.
• Internet Purchasers Viagra Research Study Created online marketing campaigns to recruit participants who were currently using and/or buying Viagra from the Internet. This project included a landing portal that instilled participant trust and participant managed consent. After agreeing to the consent the participant is taken to the Internet Purchasers Viagra Survey where they are asked a series of questions about their use of Tramadol and if they have had any experience buying it online. At the completion of the survey the participant is asked to reveal EPHI that is separated from their survey answers so that the participant can receive compensation via a mailed gift card. While we were able to recruit significant numbers of participants at first, given trademark issues with Pfizer and pharmacy checker ID issues at Google, the pilot was stopped.

Washington Universitiy in St. Louis Data Mining Database – Theodore Cicero/Alex Todorov, PhD

Manage process of rebuilding a MSSQL server to accommodate data mining queries for a 6 billion record database server. Manage file transfers, backups, and policy conformity with in-house IT staff.

Washington Universitiy in St. Louis GoldenHelix Analysis Server – Alex Todorov, PhD

Sanitized recycled server, installed Ubuntu Linux, recompiled kernel to support chipset, installed GoldenHelix software for gene sequencing and twins research.

Washington Universitiy in St. Louis Web Based Survey System Consulting – Alex Todorov, PhD

Consulted on developing survey systems from scratch. Consulted on fixing session security problems in custom software. Advised client to utilize LimeSurvey in a secure application environment.

OpenClinica System Evaluation on FreeBSD Unix

Implement a FreeBSD Unix based test environment for OpenClinica, a free, open source, commercially supported clinical trial software platform for Electronic Data Capture (EDC) clinical data management in clinical research. The software is web-based and designed to support all types of clinical studies in diverse research settings that fall under regulatory compliance. Its modular architecture and transparent, collaborative development model offer outstanding flexibility while supporting a robust, enterprise class, regulatory compliant, solution with full developer and vendor support. We are investigating a hosted and supported implementation for smaller providers wishing to utilize EDC without the in-house IT/IS infrastructure.

Massage Therapy Patient Database System

Collaboration with a team of two developers, three massage therapists, and two salons to implement a HIPAA compliant system for collecting and storing the protected health information of massage therapy patients. The goal of this system is to create and foster easier HIPAA compliance for often overlooked health care providers– massage therapists. The system is web accessible for secure messaging, scheduling, web based intake form self-assessments and periodic reassessments, appointment reminders, and courtesy phone based triage follow-ups. The system takes into account secure storage for data, role based access, digital signature logging, and data backup and disaster recovery. We intend for a side benefit to this system to allow for the providers to differentiate themselves from the competition by advertising their awareness of massage therapy patient’s privacy rights and the protections they take to store records electronically in a HIPAA compliant system as well as creating a trusted contact system to boost communication, referrals, and massage purchases.

Turnkey Patient Intakes, Depression Indexes, Patient Satisfaction Surveys – Web and Mobile Editions

Create turnkey secure and compliant surveys for medical practice employment, and research use. The following is a sampling: Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS), Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D), NIMH, HIPAA Assessment Audit, RADARS SKIP V006, United States Census 2010, Zung Self Rated Depression Scale, SF36 Depression, Health Self-Assessment, Goldenbergh Depression Survey, Customer Satisfaction Surveys, Job Satisfaction Surveys

GayResearch.com

Built a website for research targeting the LGBT community, a community that has traditionally been difficult to approach and infiltrate.

Washington University in St. Louis, rTMS Post Partup Depression Study – Keith Garcia, MD PHD

Worked with research coordinator on recruiting local participants. Provided research team with graphic designer, color process and brokered printing for study marketing materials. Coded online version of Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS).

St. Louis University, Prosopography Database Study — Edward Blumenthal, PhD

Develop database schema and provide database environment for the investigation of the common characteristics of a historical group, whose individual biographies may be largely untraceable, by means of a collective study of their lives, in multiple career-line analysis. Train client on utilizing database, backups, and assist with writing database queries for collecting and analysing statistically relevant quantities of biographical data about a well-defined group of exiled individuals in South America during the 1800’s.

FreeSwitch and FusionPBX based Phone Survey System

In conjunction with the FusionPBX developer I am supporting a system that will be used to generate automated phone calls/robocalls for patient and research participant reminders. Future phases of development plan for a touch tone survey response system, and or a spoken recording response system.

HumanResearch.com Website

Install and setup WordPress web application on FreeBSD and MySQL in a secure hosting environment. Write and organize content. Edit content contributions from other authors. Generate search engine optimization meta tags, cross reference content, place and track advertisements.

Electronic Ticketing Program Created a PCI-DSS PCI-DSS

compliant in house solution for selling event tickets via web and mobile device. This software is being used by event management companies and organizations in St. Louis and the midwest.