Listed below are the general steps to follow to begin your research project:

• From the Sponsors and Investigators page, identify an MDAC sponsoring agency that would most identify with your research interests.
• Contact the principal investigator of the MDAC sponsoring agency and obtain their support.
• Download, complete and submit the research proposal to the said Principal Investigator.
• The Principal Investigator submits the research proposal for review and final approval by the MDAC Steering Committee.  There is a maximum of two weeks for their review.
• Committee approved projects are assigned to an MDAC statistician within the U.S. Census Bureau. The assigned statistician works directly with the researcher through RODAS and as the interface to the MDAC database. 

[ATTENTION:  This research proposal form is NOT for use in the FSRDC application process. To use the MDAC database in the FSRDCs, you must use the application and research proposal forms in the FSRDC system. For additional guidance on submitting an application through the FSRDCs, please visit https://www.census.gov/about/adrm/fsrdc/about.html]

1. Do neighborhood characteristics, such as population density, median income, percent minority population, and education level better explain mortality disparities than person-level socio-economic status (SES) variables alone? Is the excess mortality experienced by those with low SES explained in part by characteristics of the neighborhood in which the person lives? Are these associations further explained by race/ethnicity?
2. Based on a Medicaid defined cohort of sickle cell patients, what area and person-level SES characteristics are associated with survival?
3. Do individuals with non-traditional sleep patterns, as measured by work schedules with late afternoon or night starting work time, suffer a greater burden of all-cause or cardiovascular disease mortality compared to those with traditional work schedules? Are these associations impacted by neighborhood characteristics?
4. Does a ‘heart friendly’ environment (defined by access to health care facilities, local parks, lower traffic exposure, and lower density of fast food establishments) provide a reduced risk of cardiovascular death?
5. What are the relative contributions of demographics and SES (education, income, race/ethnicity), the home environment, and the neighborhood to mortality disparities within age groups?