Clinical and Translational Research Services (CTRS) Core:
The CTRS Core is dedicated to assisting UW NORC Affiliate Investigators in all aspects of conduct of human studies of obesity, nutrition, and metabolism. Our faculty provide no-cost consultation and expertise for all phases of research including grant preparation, study design, study execution, and statistical analysis. Core services can be accessed at reduced cost for NORC Affiliate Investigators. Services include measurement of body composition by DXA and specialized MRI measures of hepatic fat or brain structure. General support for study implementation such as phlebotomy, physical examinations, and research study coordination is also available. Finally, a fully staffed nutrition kitchen for meal planning and preparation as well as a nationally-recognized nutrition assessment resource can be accessed through the UW NORC.
Contact CTRS Core Director Dr. Ellen Schur (ellschur@uw.edu) with questions or complete a request for services:
Services include:
Study Implementation
- Phlebotomy
- Sample processing
- IV placement
- Physical examination
- ASA-24 dietary recall set-up
- Research nursing
- Research study coordination
- Biostatistical analysis
- Handheld indirect calorimetry
- NEW: Fibroscan for hepatic fibrosis
Imaging
- Body composition or bone mineral content by DXA
- Hepatic fat by MRI
- Visceral and abdominal subcutaneous fat by MRI
- Quantitative T2 brain imaging
- NEW: Muscle fat (myosteatosis) by MRI
Nutrition and Physical Activity
- Menu design and nutrient analysis
- Dietary intervention counseling
- Meal preparation
- Meal transport (FH to UWMC, SLU, HMC locations)
- Data collection and management
- Exercise training
- Exercise testing
- Indirect calorimetry by metabolic cart
- Consultation about dietary assessment methods
- Food frequency questionnaires (online or paper)
- Food records (online or paper)
- Dietary recalls by phone
- Spanish language available for dietary assessment methods
Members of the NORC CTRS Core:
Ellen Schur, MD, MS
Core Director
Contact: ellschur@uw.edu
Johanna Lampe, PhD, RD
Associate Core Director
Contact: jlampe@fredhutch.org
Marian Neuhouser, PhD, RD
Assistant Core Director
Contact: mneuhous@fredhutch.org
Niranjan Balu, PhD
Assistant Core Director
Contact: ninja@uw.edu
Susan Melhorn, PhD
Research Scientist
Contact: smelhorn@uw.edu
Robyn Fahlstrom, MPH, RN
Nurse Manager
Contact: robynlf@uw.edu
Elaine Adams, RN, MA
Research Coordinator
Contact: jeadamsj@uw.edu
Ghada Abdalla
Research Coordinator
Contact: gabdalla@uw.edu
Mandeep Sekhon
Research Coordinator
Contact: msekhon@uw.edu