Overview
MIDAS (Medicine Informatics & Data Analytic Services) was developed to improve UW Department of Medicine faculty access to biostatistical and informatics expertise, create stable and professionally enriching careers for analysts, and enhance the quality and productivity of Department of Medicine research.
To achieve these goals, investigators are encouraged to engage MIDAS early and to budget appropriately for statistical support when ongoing collaboration is anticipated.
No Cost Consultation Services
MIDAS provides up to three hours of consultation at no cost for Department of Medicine investigators, with priority given to early career investigators and pre-award statistical support. Consultation services may include:
- Study design and analytic strategy discussions
- Power and sample size considerations
- Review of statistical analysis plans
- Interpretation of findings
Other no-cost statistical support will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
Grant Development
Grant development support is provided without charge, including analysis of preliminary data when staff availability permits. With limited exceptions, grants developed with MIDAS support should include MIDAS in the proposed budget.
Investigators are encouraged to contact MIDAS as early as possible (~6 weeks prior to submission) before internal submission deadlines.
Expectations for Funded Projects
When a project requires more than brief consultation, dedicated support from MIDAS personnel should be budgeted as a percent full-time equivalent (FTE) from proposed grant funds or other existing resources (including extramural grants, intramural grants, discretionary funds).
Appropriate effort depends on project complexity, study phase, and expected deliverables.
Typical Effort Guidelines
5% FTE (Advisory/Consultant Support)
- Statistical consultation and periodic review
- Input on study design and analytic approaches
- Occasional participation in team meetings
- Other study personnel will conduct most analyses
10% FTE (Limited Collaborative Support)
- Ongoing consultation throughout the project
- Routine statistical analyses and reporting
- Participation in manuscripts and presentations
- Suitable for projects with modest analytic demands
20% FTE (Standard Collaborative Support)
- Involvement from study design through dissemination
- Regular data management and quality review activities
- Regular participation in study meetings and publications
- Primary responsibility for statistical analysis and reporting
- Appropriate for most investigator-initiated clinical and translational research projects
25%+ FTE (Extensive Support)
- Complex study designs or advanced analytic methods
- Multi-site, or multi-modal data
- Significant data infrastructure, bioinformatics, or methodological development needs
- Close collaboration throughout the project lifecycle
These guidelines are intended as starting points for discussion. Levels of effort may vary over the course of a project and should be determined jointly by the investigator and MIDAS leadership.
Collaboration and Authorship
Authorship expectations should be discussed early in the project lifecycle.
Biostatisticians and bioinformaticians making substantial intellectual contributions (identifying appropriate statistical procedures, drafting figures, tables and text) are generally expected to co-author resulting scholarly products, consistent with disciplinary and journal guidelines.
In return, MIDAS’s staff commits to seeing scholarly products through to publication and recognizes that this doesn’t always occur during the funded lifespan of a project.
By budgeting appropriate support and engaging MIDAS early, investigators help ensure access to high-quality quantitative expertise, improve the competitiveness of grant applications, and contribute to a sustainable analytic infrastructure that benefits the entire Department of Medicine research community.