Participant Recruitment and Assessment

Core Services

Administrative Services

Neuroscience Services

Statistics and Methodology Services

Clinical Assessment and Phenotyping Services

Participant Recruitment and Assessment

- Psychological Assessment Services
- Research Registry and Recruitment
- Database Recruitment
- Community Liaison

User Satisfaction

Clinical Recruitment Services

Elisabeth Dykens, Ph.D., Core Director, 322-8945
Evon Batey Lee, Ph.D., Psychological. Assessment Coordinator, 322-4487
Lynnette Henderson, Ph.D., Research Registry and Recruitment Coordinator, 936-0448
Richard Urbano, Ph.D., Developmental Epidemiology and Faculty Database Analyst, 322-7418
Ruth Wolery, Ph.D., Research Liaison to Susan Gray School, 343-0824
Robert Crouch, Ph.D., Research Liaison to Metro Schools

Overview

Provides investigators with increased access to clinical research populations through ongoing and new relationships with community and state agencies, medical and psychiatric clinics and hospitals, local school systems, local and state community conferences and events, and written and web-based recruitment materials.

Provides investigators with access to databases for recruitment purposed, and easy access to large-scale, state-wide, linked administrative databases on demographics and health related variables (e.g., birth death, marriage, hospital discharge) for pilot testing and research purposes.

Psychological Assessment Services

Services:

  • Assistance in administering and scoring screenings and assessments.
  • Qualified student assistants, paid by the Core, are assigned and supervised to assure the best match with investigator needs.
  • Consultation on screening and assessment choices and on problems or issues that arise in assessing children and families or in providing feedback to families.

    • Direct Testing Services:

  • Assist in psychological testing for discrete, time-limited needs or when intensive testing efforts are needed.
  • Conduct direct testing for pilot data purposes or to demonstrate feasibility for grants.
  • Help train project staff or research assistants to administer specific tests.
  • Test consultation on psychological or behavioral measures needed by investigators, especially in planning phases of projects and grants, plan in-services or intensive assessment workshops that address topics of concern.
  • Provide updates and inservices on new tests and restandardizations.
  • Provide reliability checks and supervision of tests used for longitudinal research.
  • Assist investigators on research projects that examine assessment techniques.

    • Links:

    If the test you need is not included, it may be possible to arrange a loan through other resources; frequently used tests not in Center's collection can be recommended for purchase. To make arrangements to borrow a test or to locate a test, call or e-mail Lynette Dufton, Graduate Student Assistant.
    Evon Batey Lee, 322-4487

    Research Registry and Recruitment

    Services:

  • Consultation on recruitment resources and strategies.
  • To list, update, or omit a study in the Center's Web-based StudyFinder; or families can register in Research Families Partner to be emailed when an appropriate study open.
  • Contact with Vanderbilt and community clinics or organizations.
  • Training research staff in recruitment strategies.
  • Refer families to studies for Research Registry.

    • See list of upcoming community events where VKC research recruiting is scheduled

    Also see Communications Core for recruitment materials and communication services (e.g., news releases, newsletters, ads).
    Lynnette Henderson, Ph.D., 936-0448

    To list, update, or omit a study in the Center's Web-based StudyFinder, contact Lynnette Henderson, Ph.D., 936-0448.

    To reserve a parking space for a research participant, see procedures. For participants needing transportation, project staff can use the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center car; see policies and reservation form.
    Peggy Chatfield, 322-8146, for car and research parking spaces


    Developmental Epidemiology and Database Recruitment
    Uses patient or agency databases to assist with participant recruitment. Provides technical assistance to clinics and agencies that are developing patient registries and databases for research purposes. Uses large-scale administrative state databases to assist investigators in addressing novel research questions.
    Rick Urbano, 343-2540


    Community Liaison

  • Liaison with wide variety of Vanderbilt Kennedy Center clinics, Vanderbilt clinics, and community services, e.g., school systems, health clinics, disability and advocacy organizations.
  • Coordinates with recruitment service and registries to provide investigators with access to relevant populations.

    • Elise McMillan, VKC Community Partners and other community and state organizations, 343-2540
    Ruth Wolery, Susan Gray School , 343-0824
    Robert Crouch, Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools, 322-8150