Our Team
Co-Directors
Lois Biener, Ph.D., UMass Boston
Steven Joffe, MD, DF/HCC
Staff
Dragana Bolcic-Jankovic, MA, UMass Boston
Brian Clarridge, Ph.D., UMass Boston
Mary Ellen Colten, Ph.D., UMass Boston
Carol Cosenza, MSW, UMass Boston
Floyd J. Fowler, Ph.D., UMass Boston
Joshua Gagne, MA, DF/HCC
Patricia Gallagher, Ph.D., UMass Boston
Ruth Lederman, MPH, DF/HCC
Carol Lowenstein, MBA, DF/HCC
Yolanda Martins, Ph.D., DF/HCC
Anthony Roman, MA, UMass Boston
Ying Shi, Ph.D., MHS, UMass Boston
Qi Wang, MIS, DF/HCC
Philip S. Brenner, Ph.D., UMass Boston
Scott A. Mc Inerney, BA, UMass Boston
Lois Biener, Ph.D., UMass Boston
Lois Biener, PhD, Senior Research Fellow has been a study director at the Center for Survey Research since 1990. Much of her work has focused on evaluating statewide tobacco control interventions by means of population-based telephone surveys of teenagers and adults. She has been Principal Investigator of studies funded by the National Cancer Institute, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the American Legacy Foundation. She has expertise in research design and survey methodology. Having served on journal editorial boards and on NIH and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation grant review committees, Dr. Biener can also consult on grant and manuscript preparation.
Steven Joffe, MD, MPH, Associate Professor of Pediatrics at DFCI and a faculty member of the McGraw/Patterson Center for Population Sciences, has served as Faculty Director of the Survey and Data Management Core at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute since 2007. Dr. Joffe is a pediatric oncologist, medical ethicist, and health policy researcher whose work involves extensive use of survey methods. His research focuses on the ethical challenges of human subject research, particularly pediatric research ethics, cancer clinical trials, ethical aspects of research design, conflict of interest, and ethical issues in genomic research.
Dragana Bolcic-Jankovic, MA, UMass Boston
Dragana Bolcic-Jankovic, MA, is a Project Manager at CSR. Since joining the Center she has been involved in developing instruments, pre-survey evaluation of questions, managing data collection and analyzing data for a range of studies focused on medical and health services research, ethics research in medicine and science, particularly ethical issues surrounding genetics research, etc. Her research interests include survey research issues when collecting signed consent from research subjects, as well as challenges surrounding establishment surveys.
Brian Clarridge, Ph.D., UMass Boston
Brian Clarridge, PhD, a CSR Study Director, has expertise in designing research on sensitive health care issues such as the social context of medical errors end of life care, self-determined life closure, and bereavement. He has also been involved with research on ethical issues faced by research faculty, administrators in academic offices of sponsored research, IRB members, and research subjects in clinical trials.
Mary Ellen Colten, Ph.D., UMass Boston
Mary Ellen Colten, PhD, is the Director of CSR and served as the Chair of the UMass Boston Institutional Review Board for over a decade. She is an expert in regulations regarding the protection of human subjects as well as in the planning, budgeting, and implementation of survey research projects.
Carol Cosenza, MSW, UMass Boston
Carol Cosenza, MSW, a Project Manager at CSR, specializes in the design and evaluation of survey questions both in interviewer-administered and self-administered forms. She has particularlexpertise in the design, administration and interpretation of cognitive testing of survey instruments.
Floyd J. Fowler, Ph.D., UMass Boston
Floyd J. Fowler, PhD, co-founded the Center for Survey Research at UMass Boston in 1971 and served as Director for 14 years. Dr. Fowler is the author (or co-author) of four text books on survey methods. He has a particular interest in the design and evaluation of survey questions. Three main areas of his recent research are how best to measure the outcomes of medical treatments, how medical decisions are made, and other aspects of the patient experience.
Joshua Gagne, MA, is a cultural anthropologist with extensive experience in conducting and analyzing in-depth interviews and other forms of qualitative research with patients, physicians and other key-informants. He has extensive experience using standard qualitative coding systems to conduct line-by-line coding using NVivo data management software. Mr. Gagne manages qualitative research projects; develops qualitative research guides; facilitates focus groups and in-depth interviews; conducts cognitive interviewing; provides structural and thematic coding and thematic analysis of qualitative research; and trains interviewers and focus group facilitators.
Patricia Gallagher, Ph.D., UMass Boston
Patricia Gallagher, PhD is a study director at CSR. She has been a long time contributor to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality’s (AHRQ) Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers ad Systems project, serving as co-chair of the CAHPS Instrument Development Team. This work includes survey instrument development and the design of data collection protocols to gather information about the health experiences of diverse populations. Dr. Gallagher has particular expertise in multi-mode data collection, and surveying low income and Spanish-speaking populations.
Ruth Lederman, MPH, is trained in epidemiology and brings expertise to the core in data management and analysis. She has extensive experience utilizing strategies to maximize participation rates in data collection efforts across a range of community and clinical settings. Ms. Lederman supports project directors in sampling and locating research subjects, question design and evaluation and construction of data collection forms; oversees administration of interviews and questionnaires; trains survey assistants; develops and implements quality assurance protocols; develops study-specific training materials and administrative forms; coordinates data-capture activities, codebook development, and documentation of coding decisions.
Carol Lowenstein, MBA, is the Assistant Director of the DFCI Survey and Data Management Core. She came to this position having served as Associate Director of the Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center Rapid Case Identification Core, Department of Epidemiology, Harvard School of Public Health. Prior to that, she was Assistant Director for Registry Operations at the Massachusetts Cancer Registry within the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. Ms. Lowenstein is responsible for the administrative oversight of SSMC activities as well as for provision of medical record review and abstraction services.
Yolanda Martins, Ph.D., DF/HCC
Yolanda Martins, PhD, Senior Survey Methodologist, joined the Survey and Data Management Core at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in the fall of 2010. Dr. Martins provides scientific leadership for the Core’s activities. She serves as the principal methodological consultant for investigators seeking to make use of the Core’s resources.
Anthony Roman, MA, UMass Boston
Anthony Roman, MA, has been Senior Statistician at CSR since 1985. He oversees all sampling performed within the Center and consults to all areas relating to sampling, weighting of data, statistical analysis of complex surveys, and use of alternative modes of data collection. Mr. Roman has overseen projects such as the Massachusetts Youth Health Survey, alcohol use among college students; measuring the lack of health insurance in Massachusetts; and interactive voice technology (IVR) for gathering sensitive data.
Ying Shi, PhD, MHS, UMass Boston
Ling Shi, PhD, MHS, is an Assistant Professor and Statistician at College of Nursing and Health Sciences (CNHS), UMass Boston. Dr. Shi provides statistical consulting services on sampling method, sample size calculation, power estimation, and developing a data analysis plan. Dr. Shi has extensive experience on managing and maintaining large, complex datasets and conducting analysis on these datasets. Before joining UMass Boston, she was the research leader at Thomson Healthcare where she led complex data analysis for a retrospective study on the cost and potential savings of bariatric surgery.
Qi Wang, MIS, Database Designer and Administrator designs, builds, implements, and maintains software systems and database servers that allow project staffs to monitor and record process tracking outcomes, and manages the data collection process. She conducts the majority of her work using MySQL, which allows dynamic updating of subject status and flexible reporting via Web-enabled report tools and maintenance of complex data systems. Ms. Wang’s also develops standards and policies for maintaining systems and databases; provides programming assistance to support individual projects and enhance research management activities across projects; and verifies process tracking and data cleaning.
Philip S. Brenner, Ph.D., UMass Boston
Philip S. Brenner, PhD, is a Senior Research Fellow at CSR and Assistant Professor in the Department of Sociology at UMass Boston. He has a particular interest in time diary data collection, use of mobile devices in data collection, and nondirective measurement procedures. His current research focuses on measurement error, particularly in the overreporting of normative behaviors like physical exercise, voting, and religious behaviors.
Scott Mc Inerney, BA, UMass Boston
Scott A. Mc Inerney, BA, is the coordinator for the Survey and Statistical Methods Core (SSMC) and manages the notification of the UMass Boston, Dana Farber, and Harvard Cancer Center communities about upcoming monthly seminars. He also maintains our SSMC website, uploading past session materials and posting research updates. In addition to being the SSMC coordinator, he is an assistant study director at the Center for Survey Research at UMass Boston.