Synapse Certified User Community

July 18, 2014 by

The benefit of sharing data and knowledge to accelerate biomedical research are well understood. As a Synapse user you are already contributing data and insight and benefitting from the broad dissemination of these digital assets from other Synapse members. In order to better support your collaborative research efforts while continuing to safeguard the integrity and appropriateness of the content in Synapse we have updated our governance policies and data protection measures.

Starting on October 15th, 2014 users wishing to contribute content into Synapse must pass a short certification quiz to demonstrate their understanding of the Synapse data stewardship approach and handling of potentially sensitive information. Even though most researchers are aware of data protection principles, the Synapse user community will be able to recognize those “certified” users who have pass the quiz and trust that these users understand how to appropriately handle data and content within Synapse. A brief tutorial is available to guide users before taking the quiz.

Ultimately, we believe these changes will strengthen the community of Synapse users who lead the way in making digital research assets more accessible – whether through individual projects, large collaborations or DREAM challenges – for the benefit of all researchers and patients. The Synapse development team is committed to working with the community to further enable open and transparent communication of science on the web.

Useful links:

Synapse is provided as a service to the biomedical research community by Sage Bionetworks, a non profit organization in Seattle, WA.

Filed under Synapse Enabled Research, Synapse Features

About Brian Bot
I am a Principal Scientist working in Computational Oncology at Sage Bionetworks in Seattle, Washington and Community Manager for our technology platforms. Previously, I worked in the Department of Biomedical Statistics and Informatics at the Mayo Clinic for 7 years. This work included 7 years of dealing with cancer clinical trial data as part of the Mayo Clinic Cancer Center (MCCC). I have extensive experience in working with clinical and genomic data and have a passion for exploring innovative ways to make science more open and transparent. My current work involves both doing innovative research in computational oncology as well as serving as a bridge between biomedical researchers and technology development. At its heart, this work is driven to re-envision how scientists can ensure reproducibility of their research results and communicate complex science to one another and to the public at large. I have been an invited speaker at a number of national and international events to share my experiences living at the intersection of biomedical research and technology.

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