The Sister Study

Client: Social and Scientific Systems, INC.

Social and Scientific Systems is an employee-owned company that significantly contributes to improving public health around the world by providing support services to those who educate the effects of devastating diseases such as HIV/AIDS. They are committed to high quality, ethical studies that are delivered on time and at good value.
Program: Sister Study
Headway is currently hiring to staff for The Sister Study, a research project conducted by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences to find causes of breast cancer. It studies women who share the same environment, genes, and experiences to better identify risk factors that may help with finding ways to prevent breast cancer. Participants complete annual health updates and detailed questionnaires that help focus on the cause of breast cancer and other factors that influence women’s health.

Participants come from different backgrounds all over the nation as well as Puerto Rico. North Carolina, where we’re headquartered, is amongst the top 10 states with the highest participant rate in the U.S.

Breast Cancer will affect 1 in 8 women in the US over their lifetimes. These women are our mothers, daughters, sisters, and friends.  Participation in the study gives valuable information about the different reasons women get breast cancer and will help teach us ways to prevent it and care for health afterwards. It is important that women from all backgrounds participate so that no particular type of women are excluded from results.

Breast Cancer is the most common type of Cancer estimated for new cases in 2015 with over 230,000 cases for women and 2,300+ for men.

The results are reported in papers that will be published in scientific magazines that are read by professionals in the field. Results will also be available in the press, government, and other organizations that provide information in regards to causes and preventative measures for various diseases.

Sources:

https://www.s-3.com/
http://www.sisterstudy.niehs.nih.gov/English/faqs-scl.htm
http://www.cancer.org/research/cancerfactsstatistics/cancerfactsfigures2015/
http://www.cancer.gov/types/common-cancers

Residential Energy Consumption Survey (RECS)

Client: RTI International

“RTI International is one of the world’s leading research institutes, dedicated to improving the human condition by turning knowledge into practice.”

They provide research and technical services to governments and businesses in 75 countries in the following areas:

• Health and pharmacy
• Education and training
• Surveys and statistics
• Advanced technology
• International development
• Economic and social policy
• Energy and the environment
• Laboratory testing
• Chemical analysis

In survey research, RTI is responsible for collecting large amounts of data while controlling cost and maintaining quality. Headway is currently staffing for RECS, a survey which they will use to study and estimate energy costs and usage for heating, cooling, electricity, and other energy uses. The analysis is administrated by The U.S Energy Information Administration. The information received is needed to meet future energy demand and improve efficiency and building design. –RTI.org

Sources:

http://www.eia.gov/consumption/residential/about.cfm
http://energy.gov/energysaver/tips-your-homes-energy-use

National Survey on Drug use and Health (NSDUH)

Client: RTI International

The National Survey on Drug Use and Health provides national and state- level data on the use of tobacco, alcohol, illicit dru
gs (including non-medical use of prescription drugs) and mental health in the United States. It is the primary source of information on the use of these drugs and abuse in the

U.S. NSDUH is sponsored by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).

SAMHSA is an agency within the US Department of Health and Human Services that leads public health efforts to advance the behavior health of America. RTI has held the project with them since 1988 and will continue through 2017.

The survey interviews approximately 70,000 random individuals 12 and older. Once a household is chosen for the study, it cannot be substituted for another household in order to ensure the population included is diverse enough. Many government agencies, private organizations, researchers use NSDUH data for decisions like estimating the need for treatment facilities, prevention programs, and/or drug control strategies.

All responses are 100% confidential, associated with only a code and not a person. The answers are protected under a federal law that requires them to be used for statistical purposes only.

Sources:

https://nsduhweb.rti.org/respweb/homepage.cfm
http://www.samhsa.gov/about-us
https://nsduhweb.rti.org/respweb/project_description.html
https://www.drugabuse.gov/related-topics/trends-statistics
http://headwayinresearch.com/studies/#nsduh

Early Head Start

Client: RAND Corporation

The RAND Corporation is a [nonprofit] research organization that develops solutions to public policy challenges which help make communities throughout the world safer, healthier and more prosperous.

RAND holds its reputation for excellence with focus in the following areas:

• Research and Analysis
• Quality and Objectivity
• Critical Challenges
• Accessibility

Project: Early Head Start

Head Start is a federally funded preschool program designed to meet the essential needs of three to four year old children and their families. The project was initiated by Lyndon B. Johnson in 1965. Its overall purpose is to help low-income children be better prepared for school.

Early Head Start serves to help infants and toddlers under the age of 3 and low-income pregnant women. It is also federally funded and designed to help families in the same way.

The goals of Early Head Start include safe and enrich development of infants and toddlers, parental support, community mobilization with necessary resources, and a highly trained, quality staff.

Sources:

http://www.rand.org/about.html
http://ncchildcare.dhhs.state.nc.us/general/mb_headstart.asp
http://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/hslc/tta-system/ehsnrc/about-ehs#about
http://headwayinresearch.com/studies/#heads