The primary goal of the Study Design and Statistical Methodology Research Core is to investigate design and statistical analysis issues related to epidemiologic studies in the general area of environmental health and genetic epidemiology. Specifically, its objectives are:

The Study Design Research Core has long had an active program of methodological research, as described in the following sections. The primary areas of interest have been in the development of statistical methods for design and analysis issues in cancer epidemiology, genetic epidemiology, respiratory epidemiology, and exposure assessment. Applications have been in a variety of epidemiologic studies, including ionizing radiation, occupational exposures, electromagnetic fields, toxic waste dumps, pesticides, and air pollution.

This research core interacts closely with the Biostatistics Facility Core, the primary difference being that the research core is aimed at methodologic research, as opposed to providing statistics assistance for planned and ongoing studies. The research core also interacts closely with epidemiologic investigators in each of the other research cores as the motivating force behind much of our research.