Statistical Analysis. Cloudburst is under contract with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, to provide support to SAMHSA statistical projects (IDIQ Domain 2S). This work will include Sampling Designs and Statistical Methods; Acquisition, Development, and Collection of Data Bases; Analyses of Large Scale Data Bases; Analyses of Complex Quantitative Data; Development, Implementation, and Testing of Quality Tools; and Information Technology (IT) Statistical Projects.

 

Feasibility and Pilot Studies. In partnership with American Institutes for Research, Cloudburst will develop feasibility and pilot studies and develop tools to assist the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) to increase the fidelity of its successful program models. These studies will help to determine the efficacy of funded activities, and whether study results can be successfully replicated. The work will include sampling design, collecting qualitative and quantitative information, outcome reporting, and managing all logistical requirements.

 

Evaluation Studies. In partnership with American Institutes for Research, Cloudburst will develop evaluation studies to measure program performance, including project- or program-level analyses; experimental or non-experimental designs; process and outcome assessments; and literature reviews. Products will include data collection instruments, data collection plans and data analysis plans using both qualitative and quantitative methodologies, OMB clearance packages, outcome reporting, and managing all logistical requirements.

 

HIV/AIDS Evaluation and Research. In partnership with Constella Futures Group International, Cloudburst is working on Project SEARCH (Supporting Evaluation and Research to Combat HIV/AIDS), a USAID-funded project designed to carry out research and evaluation to improve the coverage, quality and effectiveness of HIV/AIDS prevention, care and treatment programs worldwide. In addition, the project focuses on strengthening local capacity in HIV/AIDS research and public health assessments. Additional Project SEARCH team partners include The Elisabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation and the University of Washington.

 

Sampling Design and Analytical Process for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. On behalf of HUD's Office of Government-Sponsored Entities to help determine that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac - two housing Government-Sponsored Entities - are meeting their statutory affordable housing goals, Cloudburst was responsible for developing a sampling design and performing analytical data processing for single- and multi-family loan data. Cloudburst designed a stratified sampling design and calculated robust statistics for a data integrity review on data reported to HUD by the GSEs on their 2005 loan acquisitions. Cloudburst also contributed to the writing of the research plan, the intermediate and final research reports, and provided briefings to the HUD personnel in charge of GSE performance review and oversight, including the Deputy Assistant Secretary. This work was conducted under contract to Horizon Consulting, Inc.

 

Health Research Outreach Program. For Health Education Enterprises, Cloudburst assisted in the development of an outreach program for researchers developing therapies for tinnitus. Surprisingly little advancement has occurred in the area of tinnitus, given its worldwide prevalence. The National Institute on Deafness and other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) and other organizations have identified tinnitus research as a particularly ripe area for coordination across disciplines (such as audiology, otolaryngology and neuropsychiatry). Cloudburst's work with the Tinnitus Research Initiative, a privately-funded research consortium, identified priority areas for networking, collaboration and research, and created a cohesive international community of researchers.

 

Subject Recruitment for National Institute on Aging Alzheimer's Study. Cloudburst was assigned to help recruit subjects for a landmark Alzheimer's study conducted jointly by the National Institute of Aging and the University of California at San Diego. The study conducted at 60 research sites around the country was designed to find certain biochemical "markers" in the blood and spinal fluid. It is hoped that these markers will help to diagnose Alzheimer's in an individual before more overt symptoms of memory loss are evident. Cloudburst produced a video that was distributed via satellite to broadcast and cable outlets nationwide to an audience aged 55 and older. The video profiled a woman participating in the study whose mother has Alzheimer's. Cloudburst also helped design a distribution and pitching plan, focusing on the sixty major media markets which are the sites of the study centers. To ensure very broad viewing, the video material will be distributed by satellite and over the Internet, with wire service notification of the feeds to more than one thousand media outlets around the country, and placed on the ABC and CBS network affiliate feeds.