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Approaches to protocol standardization and data harmonization in the ECHO-wide cohort study
Jacobson, L. P., Parker, C. B., Cella, D., Mroczek, D. K., Lester, B. M., & Program Collaborators for Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (2024). Approaches to protocol standardization and data harmonization in the ECHO-wide cohort study. Pediatric Research, 95(7), 1694-1695. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41390-024-03039-0
The United States (U.S.) National Institutes of Health-funded Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO)-wide Cohort was established to conduct high impact, transdisciplinary science to improve child health and development. The cohort is a collaborative research design in which both extant and new data are contributed by over 57,000 children across 69 cohorts. In this review article, we focus on two key challenging issues in the ECHO-wide Cohort: data collection standardization and data harmonization. Data standardization using a Common Data Model and derived analytical variables based on a team science approach should facilitate timely analyses and reduce errors due to data misuse. However, given the complexity of collaborative research designs, such as the ECHO-wide Cohort, dedicated time is needed for harmonization and derivation of analytic variables. These activities need to be done methodically and with transparency to enhance research reproducibility.