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The University of Iowa College of Public Health
Preventive Intervention Center
   
 

Preventive Intervention Center

Mission

The Preventive Intervention Center is an academic resource to facilitate studies that evaluate the effectiveness of new modalities designed to prevent occurrence and progression of disease.

Goals of the Center

  1. Maintain a core methodologic unit for design and conduct of intervention studies.
  2. Develop new methods for testing and evaluating prevention strategies.
  3. Educate students and practitioners in the evaluation and use of preventive intervention methods and programs.
  4. Collaborate with practitioners, scientists and government officials in evaluating new prevention methods.
  5. Evaluate prevention methodology, screening tests, and interventions in populations.

History

The Preventive Intervention Center was established in 1992 to evaluate population-based prevention strategies including new screening methods and preventive interventions. The Center has participated in NIH sponsored and pharmaceutical company sponsored research of Phase II-IV studies. A major focus has been women’s health research including the NIH Women’s Health Initiative where the Center was one of the leading recruiting centers. The investigators include members of the College of Medicine, College of Public Health, College of Dentistry, College of Liberal Arts faculty as well as physicians in Davenport and Des Moines.

Organization

The Iowa Preventive Intervention Center is hosted by the Department of Epidemiology in the University of Iowa College of Public Health. The Center reports to the Vice President for Research and the Dean of the College of Public Health. A Steering Committee oversees and establishes priorities for the activities of the Center. Co-Directors direct and facilitate the Center’s studies in conjunction with the principal investigators of individual projects. A Center Coordinator coordinates and supervises activities of Center components to execute research protocols. Individual components have coordinators responsible for their program’s function in research protocols. Researchers from all University of Iowa colleges are encouraged to develop methods and protocols for evaluation.

Components

The Preventive Intervention Center includes the following activities: administration, epidemiology, biostatistics, behavioral medicine, nutrition, data management, recruiting, screening and evaluation, follow-up evaluation, compliance and protocol adherence, quality control and regulatory adherence.

Capabilities

  • Clinical trial design
  • Protocol development
  • Biostatistical analysis
  • Population-based recruitment
  • Good clinical practice
  • Data collection and data management
  • Safety monitoring
  • Report and publication preparation

Current Studies

  • Women’s Health Initiative
  • Hormone Estrogen Replacement Study
  • Fracture Intervention Study – Long Term Extension
  • Bone Development in Children

Areas of Interest

  • Chemoprevention
  • Contraceptives
  • Hormone replacement
  • Nutrition
  • Physical exercise
  • Vaccines
  • Screening

Diseases of Focus for Prevention

  • Arthritis
  • Cancer
  • Diabetes
  • Heart Disease/Stroke
  • Hypertension
  • Lipid Disorders
  • Osteoporosis
  • Urologic Disorders

Facilities

Administrative Offices and Clinic of the Preventive Intervention Center

The Preventive Intervention Center has facilities similar to a medical clinic. Parking, easy access, and clinical appearance are important to encourage and maintain participation in the studies. Regional clinics in cooperation with local physicians and health care providers will be established as the need arises. A satellite clinic in the Quad Cities is operational. A future site in Des Moines is being planned.

Medical Education Building

At the current time the clinic in Iowa City is located on the University of Iowa Campus near the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics (UIHC) in the Medical Education Building in space provided for the Preventive Intervention Center. The clinic’s purpose is for screening, evaluation, randomization and follow-up of subjects in prevention trials. The close proximity to UIHC provides for convenient scheduling of ancillary diagnostic tests. The clinic is also across the street from the faculty and staff offices of the Department of Epidemiology. Approximately 5000 square feet are provided for clinic examination rooms and waiting room, clinical staff offices, recruiting staff offices, data management offices and administrative and clerical offices. These are available for screening, randomization and follow-up in the Medical Education Building. In the spring of 2001 the Center will move to the second floor of the UIHC General Hospital Building.

The Clinical Research Center

The Clinical Research Center has had continuous NIH support since 1961. The unit occupies three floors in the Medical Research Facility adjacent to the General Hospital. The second floor is an outpatient area consisting of a nursing station, dayroom and metabolic kitchen. The unit is staffed by research nurses and dietitians. There are currently over 100 active protocols, representing the activities of more than 180 investigators from 20 departments throughout the Colleges of Medicine and Pharmacy.

A core laboratory devoted to radioimmunoassay, a high performance liquid chromatography and gas chromatography/mass spectroscopy is on the first floor. The Clinical Research Center also provides a computer based data management and analysis system and a full-time System Manager with a background in computer programming. A biostatistician is available each afternoon for statistical consultation.

A partnership with the Clinical Research Center located at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics has been established. However, the number of subject visits will exceed the capacity of the CRC. We have placed the Hologic 2000 bone densitometry machine in the CRC for convenience and availability for other studies. The CRC also has a Hologic 4500 for research studies available.

Satellite Clinics

The Quad Cities clinic is located in the Professional Arts Building, Davenport, Iowa. There is ample free parking and the site is recognizable to many of the region’s citizens. There is approximately 2500 square feet in use. In Des Moines the clinic is located at Iowa Methodist Medical Center in conjunction with the Internal Medicine Residency Program. The clinic is centrally located and there is nearby parking.

Information about the Center:
neal-kohatsu@uiowa.edu or (319) 384-5050—Preventive Intervention Center Main Office

  
The University of Iowa