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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2010. Conducting Biosocial Surveys: Collecting, Storing, Accessing, and Protecting Biospecimens and Biodata. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12942.
×

CONDUCTING BIOSOCIAL SURVEYS

Collecting, Storing, Accessing, and Protecting Biospecimens and Biodata

Robert M. Hauser, Maxine Weinstein, Robert Pool, and Barney Cohen, Editors

Panel on Collecting, Storing, Accessing, and Protecting Biological Specimens and Biodata in Social Surveys

Committee on National Statistics

Committee on Population

Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education

NATIONAL RESEARCH COUNCIL
OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES

THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES PRESS

Washington, D.C.
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2010. Conducting Biosocial Surveys: Collecting, Storing, Accessing, and Protecting Biospecimens and Biodata. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12942.
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THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES PRESS
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NOTICE: The project that is the subject of this report was approved by the Governing Board of the National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the councils of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. The members of the committee responsible for the report were chosen for their special competences and with regard for appropriate balance.

This study was supported by Contract No. N01-OD-4-2139 between the National Academy of Sciences and the National Institutes of Health. Support for the work of the Committee on National Statistics is provided by a consortium of federal agencies through a grant from the National Science Foundation (award number SES-0453930). Any opinions, findings, conclusion, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the organization or agencies that provided support for the project.

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Suggested citation: National Research Council. (2010). Conducting Biosocial Surveys: Collecting, Storing, Accessing, and Protecting Biospecimens and Biodata. Robert M. Hauser, Maxine Weinstein, Robert Pool, and Barney Cohen, Eds. Panel on Collecting, Storing, Accessing, and Protecting Biological Specimens and Biodata in Social Surveys. Committee on National Statistics and Committee on Population, Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2010. Conducting Biosocial Surveys: Collecting, Storing, Accessing, and Protecting Biospecimens and Biodata. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12942.
×

THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES

Advisers to the Nation on Science, Engineering, and Medicine


The National Academy of Sciences is a private, nonprofit, self-perpetuating society of distinguished scholars engaged in scientific and engineering research, dedicated to the furtherance of science and technology and to their use for the general welfare. Upon the authority of the charter granted to it by the Congress in 1863, the Academy has a mandate that requires it to advise the federal government on scientific and technical matters. Dr. Ralph J. Cicerone is president of the National Academy of Sciences.


The National Academy of Engineering was established in 1964, under the charter of the National Academy of Sciences, as a parallel organization of outstanding engineers. It is autonomous in its administration and in the selection of its members, sharing with the National Academy of Sciences the responsibility for advising the federal government. The National Academy of Engineering also sponsors engineering programs aimed at meeting national needs, encourages education and research, and recognizes the superior achievements of engineers. Dr. Charles M. Vest is president of the National Academy of Engineering.


The Institute of Medicine was established in 1970 by the National Academy of Sciences to secure the services of eminent members of appropriate professions in the examination of policy matters pertaining to the health of the public. The Institute acts under the responsibility given to the National Academy of Sciences by its congressional charter to be an adviser to the federal government and, upon its own initiative, to identify issues of medical care, research, and education. Dr. Harvey V. Fineberg is president of the Institute of Medicine.


The National Research Council was organized by the National Academy of Sciences in 1916 to associate the broad community of science and technology with the Academy’s purposes of furthering knowledge and advising the federal government. Functioning in accordance with general policies determined by the Academy, the Council has become the principal operating agency of both the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering in providing services to the government, the public, and the scientific and engineering communities. The Council is administered jointly by both Academies and the Institute of Medicine. Dr. Ralph J. Cicerone and Dr. Charles M. Vest are chair and vice chair, respectively, of the National Research Council.


www.national-academies.org

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2010. Conducting Biosocial Surveys: Collecting, Storing, Accessing, and Protecting Biospecimens and Biodata. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12942.
×

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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2010. Conducting Biosocial Surveys: Collecting, Storing, Accessing, and Protecting Biospecimens and Biodata. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12942.
×

PANEL ON COLLECTING, STORING, ACCESSING, AND PROTECTING BIOLOGICAL SPECIMENS AND BIODATA IN SOCIAL SURVEYS

ROBERT M. HAUSER (Chair),

Department of Sociology, University of Wisconsin, Madison

GEORGE M. CHURCH,

Department of Genetics, Harvard University

GEORGE T. DUNCAN,

H. John Heinz III School of Public Policy and Management, Carnegie Mellon

HENRY T. GREELY,

Stanford Law School, Stanford University

MYRON P. GUTMANN,

Directorate for Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences, National Science Foundation

ROBERT J. LEVINE,

Interdisciplinary Center for Bioethics Institution for Social and Policy Studies, Yale University

JOHN QUACKENBUSH,

Department of Biostatistics, Harvard University

JEROME P. REITER,

Department of Statistical Science, Duke University

ROBERT B. WALLACE,

Department of Epidemiology, University of Iowa

MAXINE WEINSTEIN,

Center for Population and Health, Georgetown University

BARNEY COHEN, Study Director

ROBERT POOL, Consultant

ULYANA VJUGINA DESIDERIO, Christine Mirzayan Fellow

JACQUELINE R. SOVDE, Program Associate

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2010. Conducting Biosocial Surveys: Collecting, Storing, Accessing, and Protecting Biospecimens and Biodata. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12942.
×

COMMITTEE ON NATIONAL STATISTICS

WILLIAM F. EDDY (Chair),

Department of Statistics, Carnegie Mellon University

KATHARINE G. ABRAHAM,

Department of Economics, University of Maryland, and Joint Program in Survey Methodology

ALICA CARRIQUIRY,

Department of Statistics, Iowa State University

WILLIAM DuMOUCHEL,

Phase Forward, Inc., Waltham, Massachusetts

JOHN HALTIWANGER,

Department of Economics, University of Maryland

V. JOSEPH HOTZ,

Department of Economics, Duke University

KAREN KAFADAR,

Department of Statistics, Indiana University

SALLIE KELLER,

George R. Brown School of Engineering, Rice University

LISA LYNCH,

Heller School for Social Policy and Management, Brandeis University

DOUGLAS MASSEY,

Department of Sociology, Princeton University

SALLY C. MORTON,

Statistics and Epidemiology, RTI International, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina

JOSEPH NEWHOUSE,

Division of Health Policy Research and Education, Harvard University

SAMUEL H. PRESTON,

Population Studies Center, University of Pennsylvania

HAL STERN,

Department of Statistics, University of California, Irvine

ROGER TOURANGEAU,

Joint Program in Survey Methodology, University of Maryland, and Survey Research Center, University of Michigan

ALAN ZASLAVSKY,

Department of Health Care Policy, Harvard Medical School

CONSTANCE F. CITRO, Director

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2010. Conducting Biosocial Surveys: Collecting, Storing, Accessing, and Protecting Biospecimens and Biodata. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12942.
×

COMMITTEE ON POPULATION

LINDA J. WAITE (Chair),

Department of Sociology, University of Chicago

CHRISTINE BACHRACH,

Social Science Research Institute, Duke University, and School of Behavioral and Social Sciences, University of Maryland

EILEEN M. CRIMMINS,

Department of Sociology, University of Southern California

PETER J. DONALDSON,

Population Council, New York, New York

BARBARA ENTWISLE,

Department of Sociology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

JOSHUA R. GOLDSTEIN,

Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany

CHARLES HIRSCHMAN,

Department of Sociology, University of Washington

BARTHÉLÉMY KUATE-DEFO,

Department of Demography, University of Montreal

WOLFGANG LUTZ,

World Population Program, International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis, Laxenburg, Austria

DUNCAN THOMAS,

Economics Department, Duke Global Health Institute, Duke University

BARBARA B. TORREY, Independent Consultant,

Washington, DC

MAXINE WEINSTEIN,

Center for Population and Health, Georgetown University

BARNEY COHEN, Director

Page viii Cite
Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2010. Conducting Biosocial Surveys: Collecting, Storing, Accessing, and Protecting Biospecimens and Biodata. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12942.
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2010. Conducting Biosocial Surveys: Collecting, Storing, Accessing, and Protecting Biospecimens and Biodata. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12942.
×

Acknowledgments

This report reflects the efforts of many people, each of whom has contributed their time and expertise. In November 2008, the committee organized a public workshop and benefited greatly from the assistance and insight of many colleagues including: John Abowd, Cornell University; Paul S. Appelbaum, Columbia University; Ellen Wright Clayton, Vanderbilt University; Jennifer Harris, The Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo; Kathie Mullan Harris, University of North Carolina; Murat Kantarcioglu, University of Texas; Alan F. Karr, National Institute of Statistical Sciences; Bartha M. Knoppers, University of Montreal; Barbara A. Koenig, Mayo College of Medicine; Karen J. Maschke, Hastings Center; Leslie Shaw, University of Pennsylvania; Kathi Shea, SeraCare, Inc.; Mary Fran Sowers, University of Michigan; Barbara Stanley, Columbia University; Holly Taylor, The Johns Hopkins University; Alan Westin, Columbia University (emeritus).

The project was undertaken at the request of the Division of Behavioral and Social Research at the National Institute on Aging (NIA) and funding from the NIA has made this report possible. Particular thanks go to Dr. Richard Suzman who was a catalyst for this report, both intellectually and financially, and we are grateful to him and the NIA for their support.

Several members of the staff of the National Academies made significant contributions to the report. The committee was established under the auspices of the Committee on National Statistics, directed by Connie Citro, who was instrumental in developing the study and provided guidance and support to the staff throughout the project. Particular thanks are due to Barney Cohen,

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2010. Conducting Biosocial Surveys: Collecting, Storing, Accessing, and Protecting Biospecimens and Biodata. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12942.
×

who served as the study director, Robert Pool for research and writing assistance, Ulyana Vjugina Desiderio for research assistance, and Jacqui Sovde for logistical support, Kirsten Sampson Snyder for help guiding the report through review, Rona Briere and Eugenia Grohman for skilful editing, and Yvonne Wise for managing the production process.

This report has been reviewed in draft form by individuals chosen for their diverse perspectives and technical expertise, in accordance with procedures approved by the National Research Council’s (NRC’s) Report Review Committee. The purpose of this independent review is to provide candid and critical comments that assist the institution in making its report as sound as possible, and to ensure that the report meets institutional standards for objectivity, evidence, and responsiveness to the study charge. The review comments and draft manuscript remain confidential to protect the integrity of the deliberative process.

The committee wishes to thank that following individuals for their review of this report: Kathleen Mullan Harris, National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health), University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill; Meena Kumari, Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University College London; Nancy A. Mathiowetz, Public Opinion Quarterly, University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee; Thomas McDade, The Center on Social Disparities and Health, Institute for Policy Research, Northwestern University; Eleanor Singer, Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan; Richard L. Sprott, Office of the Executive Director, The Ellison Medical Foundation, Bethesda, Maryland; James W. Vaupel, Office of the Executive Director, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany; and Kenneth M. Weiss, Department of Anthropology, Pennsylvania State University.

Although the reviewers listed above have provided many constructive comments and suggestions, they were not asked to endorse the report’s conclusions or recommendations, nor did they see the final draft of the report before its release. The review of this report was overseen by Richard A. Kulka, Survey Research, Abt Associates Inc., Durham, North Carolina. Appointed by the NRC, he was responsible for making certain that an independent examination of this report was carried out in accordance with institutional procedures and that all review comments were carefully considered. Responsibility for the final content of this report rests entirely with the authoring committee and the institution.

I close by expressing my great appreciation to my fellow committee members. This report results from the exceptional efforts of the members of the committee, all of whom had many other responsibilities but who nonetheless generously gave much of their time and their expertise to the project.


Robert M. Hauser, Chair

Panel on Collecting, Storing, Accessing, and Protecting Biological Specimens and Biodata in Social Surveys

Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2010. Conducting Biosocial Surveys: Collecting, Storing, Accessing, and Protecting Biospecimens and Biodata. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12942.
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2010. Conducting Biosocial Surveys: Collecting, Storing, Accessing, and Protecting Biospecimens and Biodata. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12942.
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2010. Conducting Biosocial Surveys: Collecting, Storing, Accessing, and Protecting Biospecimens and Biodata. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12942.
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2010. Conducting Biosocial Surveys: Collecting, Storing, Accessing, and Protecting Biospecimens and Biodata. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12942.
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2010. Conducting Biosocial Surveys: Collecting, Storing, Accessing, and Protecting Biospecimens and Biodata. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12942.
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2010. Conducting Biosocial Surveys: Collecting, Storing, Accessing, and Protecting Biospecimens and Biodata. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12942.
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2010. Conducting Biosocial Surveys: Collecting, Storing, Accessing, and Protecting Biospecimens and Biodata. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12942.
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2010. Conducting Biosocial Surveys: Collecting, Storing, Accessing, and Protecting Biospecimens and Biodata. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12942.
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2010. Conducting Biosocial Surveys: Collecting, Storing, Accessing, and Protecting Biospecimens and Biodata. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12942.
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Suggested Citation:"Front Matter." National Research Council. 2010. Conducting Biosocial Surveys: Collecting, Storing, Accessing, and Protecting Biospecimens and Biodata. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12942.
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Recent years have seen a growing tendency for social scientists to collect biological specimens such as blood, urine, and saliva as part of large-scale household surveys. By combining biological and social data, scientists are opening up new fields of inquiry and are able for the first time to address many new questions and connections. But including biospecimens in social surveys also adds a great deal of complexity and cost to the investigator's task. Along with the usual concerns about informed consent, privacy issues, and the best ways to collect, store, and share data, researchers now face a variety of issues that are much less familiar or that appear in a new light.

In particular, collecting and storing human biological materials for use in social science research raises additional legal, ethical, and social issues, as well as practical issues related to the storage, retrieval, and sharing of data. For example, acquiring biological data and linking them to social science databases requires a more complex informed consent process, the development of a biorepository, the establishment of data sharing policies, and the creation of a process for deciding how the data are going to be shared and used for secondary analysis--all of which add cost to a survey and require additional time and attention from the investigators. These issues also are likely to be unfamiliar to social scientists who have not worked with biological specimens in the past. Adding to the attraction of collecting biospecimens but also to the complexity of sharing and protecting the data is the fact that this is an era of incredibly rapid gains in our understanding of complex biological and physiological phenomena. Thus the tradeoffs between the risks and opportunities of expanding access to research data are constantly changing.

Conducting Biosocial Surveys offers findings and recommendations concerning the best approaches to the collection, storage, use, and sharing of biospecimens gathered in social science surveys and the digital representations of biological data derived therefrom. It is aimed at researchers interested in carrying out such surveys, their institutions, and their funding agencies.

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