Paul Kohn

UW-CTRI March Newsletter State of the Art Database Powers BREATHE UW-CTRI data guru Paul Kohn had six months to build the BREATHE study database. Fortunately, having built 30 previous databases for UW-CTRI, he had 60% of what he needed for BREATHE already on hand. “It would have been impossible to build the new database that fast without the templates we had from previous studies,” Kohn said, adding that between all the databases from previous UW-CTRI studies, he can pretty much pull anything off the proverbial shelf, adapt and implement. The BREATHE database has powerful aspects, such as built-in scheduling and call tables, that even robust systems like Epic lack. The BREATHE database handles the randomization of patients based on criteria set by UW-CTRI researchers, then schedules the patients based on that randomization. “It really does the dirty work,” Kohn said. He added that he hasn’t seen a system that handles factorial design, supports multiple treatment conditions, and enables data pulls like the BREATHE database. UW-CTRI staffer Paul Kohn has developed a robust fleet of databases for the Center, including the dynamic BREATHE study database. While it handles all this grunt work behind the scenes using SQL server technology, it also presents a user-friendly interface for users thanks to Access. Many developers stopped using Access a few years ago due to limits on the number of people who could use it at one time; but Kohn developed a way for 1,000 users to log in at once, and the BREATHE UW-CTRI March Newsletter study won’t have much more than 75 users. What’s more, Kohn and Nick Wiley, UWCTRI’s computer and networking expert, have created a slick system that clones the database from the shared network to the user’s computer, thereby avoiding the network bogging down. This allows BREATHE staff to operate efficiently. This is a screen shot of the “home” page for BREATHE staffers in the database. “One of the best things about Paul's databases, other than their amazing functionality, is his dedication to making sure that they are user friendly,” said Dr. Megan Piper, UW-CTRI associate director of research. “He focuses on making sure his databases are easy, almost intuitive to use. This improves study staff's ability to use the database correctly and ensures that we get the best quality data from our studies. His dedication is amazing and he is an essential component of our study team.” Kohn has been developing computer programs for 35 years, starting at age 15 with a computerized card game. Kohn also served in the Air Force as an IT expert, developing a system that tracked military cargo shipments. It went so well, they sent him to Air Force headquarters to develop programs. “It’s weird when you go in there and a guy in a white helmet has a white pistol, and he’s ready to use it.”