Program 
Abstract
Slim-Prim: A biomedical informatics database bridging basic and clinical science
 
Ian Brooks, PhD
Project Manager, Biomedical Informatics
Clinical & Translational Science Institute University of Tennessee Health Science Center
 
With the current national emphasis on translational research, data-information exchange systems that can bridge the basic and clinical sciences are vital. To meet this challenge the Biomedical Informatics Unit of the UT-CTSI has developed ‘Slim-Prim’, an integrated data system (IDS) for collecting, processing, archiving, and distributing basic and clinical research data. Slim-Prim is accessed via user-friendly web-based applications, thus increasing data accessibility and eliminating the security risks inherent with office or laboratory servers. Slim-Prim is a system that serves as a scientific laboratory and clinical trial data management interface and archival data repository for institutional research projects. Importantly, multiple levels of controlled access allow HIPAA-compliant sharing of de-identified information to facilitate data sharing and analysis across research domains, thus Slim-Prim encourages collaboration between researchers and clinicians, an essential factor in the development of translational research. Slim-Prim is an example of utilizing an IDS to improve organizational efficiency and to bridge the gap between laboratory discovery and clinical research to practice.

 
Biosketch
Ian Brooks, PhD

Ian Brooks received his BSc in Animal Physiology from The University of Leicester, UK in 1997 and a PhD in molecular genetics and neuroscience from Penn State University in 2003. Dr. Brooks has undertaken postdoctoral stints at Georgetown University, and The University of Tennessee Health Science Center in Memphis, TN, where he has been since 2005. Recently, Dr. Brooks joined the UT-CTSI as a Research Administration Fellow and serves as the Project Manager of the Biomedical Informatics Unit.