Proposal Design and Statistical Analysis

The Research Program encourages investigators to consult with the Senior Scientists during the initial design of the project and the preparation of the protocol.  They can assist investigators with statement of hypotheses or research questions, research design, sampling, enrollment criteria, statistical analysis and power calculations, all required elements of the proposal. This service is provided to all investigators by the Research Program as part of our mission of research excellence.  The Senior Scientists are also available for the statistical analysis of projects but this may require compensation; the Senior Scientist can explain further and refer you to our compensation policy.

Click below for the lecture series (4 parts):
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Introduction to NIH and Grant Writing

The Senior Scientists have been assigned to specific departments to provide continuity, familiarity of discipline, and partnership building.  Below is a guide to help you find the individual you should call based on your department.

DEPARTMENT/COMMITTEE	DIVISION	SENIOR SCIENTIST
Anesthesiology		Tara McLaughlin
Cardiology	Cath Lab	Jeff Mather
Cardiology	All other	David O'Sullivan
CEDHL		Jyoti Chhabra
Community Projects/ City of Hartford		Tara McLaughlin
Dentistry		David O'Sullivan
Emergency Medicine	Toxicology	David O'Sullivan
Emergency Medicine	All other	Ilene Staff
Endocrinology		David O'Sullivan
Hartford Medical Group		Ilene Staff
Integrative Medicine		Ilene Staff
IRB		David O'Sullivan
Medicine	Gastroenterology	David O'Sullivan
Medicine	All other	Ilene Staff
Neurology		Ilene Staff
Neurosurgery		Ilene Staff
Nursing		David O'Sullivan
Nutrition Services		Jyoti Chhabra
Ob/Gyn	Gynecologic Oncology (Breast)	Ilene Staff
Ob/Gyn	All other	David O'Sullivan
Opthamology		David O'Sullivan
Orthopedic Surgery		Ilene Staff
Outpatient Ambulatory Care (Brownstone Clinic)		Jyoti Chhabra
Pain Committee		Ilene Staff
Partnership for Breast Care		Ilene Staff
Pastoral/Palliative Care		Tara McLaughlin
Pathology and Lab Medicine		David O'Sullivan
Pharmacy		Ilene Staff/ David O'Sullivan
Psychiatry		Tara McLaughlin
Radiology		David O'Sullivan
Research Committee		Ilene Staff
Surgery	Transplant	David O'Sullivan
Surgery	All other	Ilene Staff
Urology		Ilene Staff

Please note: Some projects cross disciplines and the appropriate Senior Scientist may not be clear; if that is the case, call (860)545-0178 one of us and we will be happy to direct you.

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Tara McLaughlin has worked at Hartford Hospital since 2001 and is a Senior Scientist/Grant Writer with the Hartford Hospital Research Program. She obtained her Ph.D. in Biobehavioral Science from the University of Connecticut and a Masters in Psychiatric Epidemiology from Washington University School of Medicine. Much of her work at Hartford Hospital has been focused on community health assessment and program evaluation in the areas of public and environmental health. In addition, she obtained Certification as a Clinical Research Professional and has coordinated clinical trials for the Hartford Hospital Clinical Research Center. In her current role as a Grant Writer, she supports the medical staff of the hospital in pursuit of external funding for research.

Jyoti Chhabra received her Ph.D. in Nutrition from The Pennsylvania State University. Her doctoral research focused on Psychology of Eating Behavior in relation to Obesity. She is currently a Senior Scientist/Project Manager in the Research Program at Hartford Hospital. She is the Hartford Hospital lead investigator collaborating with The NIH Connecticut Center for Eliminating Health Disparities among Latinos (CEHDL). She is also the Co-PI for the longitudinal trial on peer counseling for people with type-2 diabetes.

Ilene Staff earned her Ph.D. in Social Psychology at Columbia University.  She has over thirty years of experience in applied research in health, social services, education, and government settings.  As a Senior Scientist in the Research Program at Hartford Hospital since 2000, she has worked primarily with the departments of Oncology, Surgery, Critical Care, Emergency Medicine, Urology And Orthopedics, collaborating with all on proposal design and analysis.  Manuscripts resulting from these collaborations have been published in several professional journals and presented at professional conferences.  Prior to working at Hartford Hospital, she was an Assistant Professor at the University of Connecticut Health Center, where she was a program evaluator in the Division of Child and Family Studies.  She has also had extensive experience in the area of child welfare, and published repeatedly on program evaluation in leading child welfare and educational journals.

David O’Sullivan is a senior scientist in the Department of Research Administration at Hartford Hospital. He is responsible for conducting or assisting with the design, methodology, analyses and writing of studies undertaken by physician researchers at the hospital.  David’s research has included various topics on medical and dental epidemiology, many of which have involved underserved populations and several of which have been done in the Hartford area. He has first-authored half a dozen peer-reviewed manuscripts and co-authored dozens of manuscripts and abstracts. He has presented more than a dozen papers at national and international conferences incorporating topics on medical and dental.