The Virginia Advancing Cancer Control Equity Research Through Transformative Solutions (ACCERT) Center

RESEARCH METHODS, MEASURES, AND DATA MANAGEMENT (RMMDM) CORE: PROJECT SUMMARY Evaluations of interventions that target the numerous social drivers of health (SDOH) factors experienced by marginalized communities require multiple methods and lenses grounded in transdisciplinary team science. The Research Methods, Measures, and Data Management (RMMDM) Core for the Virginia Advancing Cancer

Control Equity Research Through Transformative Solutions (VA-ACCERT) Center consists of an interdisciplinary group of quantitative and qualitative researchers from the Virginia Commonwealth University and the Eastern Virginia Medical School experienced in community-engaged cancer research, with deep knowledge of multi-

level, multi-stakeholder data and analysis. These experts will provide both quantitative and qualitative design and analytical services to VA-ACCERT Center investigators, including but not exclusive to data management, best practices for community engagement, measure development, study or methods adaptation, guidance on

ethical considerations, and data sharing in support of the planning, completion, and dissemination of results for a signature SDOH Research Project, four Community Responsive Research Projects as well as future Consortium-wide pilots projects. The RMMDM Core, in collaboration with project leads, is ultimately responsible

for the quality, validity, and replicability of scientific results. Centralized services will ensure that necessary expertise is available across all projects and permit a cost-effective use of resources via shared use of software

and hardware infrastructure. It will also allow individual project activities to build on other efforts, synergistically and adaptively, and provide a central hub for investigators and community partners to access data related to the goal of this Center – to improve dissemination and implementation of health promotion and cancer prevention

services to individuals and families living in Virginia’s income-based housing communities. Finally, the RMMDM Core is committed to complementing its service mission with the provision of training for early-career investigators in quantitative and qualitative methods used in community-engaged projects focused on cancer

health equity. Both formal (seminars, short-courses) and informal (one-on-one consultation) approaches will be used to share best methodological practices.