Dear PPMI Participant,
I just wanted to take a brief moment to personally thank you for your
participation in the PPMI study. I’m sure you are already aware of this,
but important research such as this could not move forward without the
efforts of individuals like yourself. Unfortunately, it is not enough to just sign
up for the study at the beginning. As a statistician, I have had numerous
experiences where great ideas and studies have been derailed by a large
amount of missing data. Efforts like PPMI are much more successful when a
large number of individuals complete all of the study assessments.
Think of it this way: at the end of the study when we want to ask important
questions, it would be much more difficult to find the answers if there are
holes in the data.
For that reason, I want to stress the importance to you of remaining in the
study and participating in as many scheduled visits as possible during the
remaining years of PPMI. I fully understand that I cannot put myself in your
shoes. Each one of you has a different set of unique circumstances that led
to your participation in the study. The time that you are giving to participate
in this study is a valuable gift. I can assure you that, on behalf of the PPMI
investigators, we will work diligently to make sure that your gift is utilized to
the fullest.
Sincerely,
Christopher Coffey, PhD
Director, Statistical and Data Management Center, University of Iowa
Chair, PPMI Statistics Working Group
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