Denise Warzel

As a science program analyst at the National Cancer Institute. Beginning in 2000, Denise envisioned a novel approach for semantically annotating data dictionary entries with standard terminology and later led the design and development of the NCI Cancer Data Standards Registry and Repository (caDSR) where NCI currently creates and maintains common data element standards, data models, and case report forms linked to standard terminology concepts. These resources are made available for use in designing data collection programs with common meaning and data validation rules, helping achieve the vision interoperable data across disparate research project. Her work was noticed in 2009 and she was invited to become the Convenor for ISO/JTC1/SC32/WG2 Data Management and Interchange, Metadata Standards helping to influence development of international standards for recording and registering data element standards. Denise is now focusing on expanding its services to address a broader spectrum of services around harmonization and transformation to support the NCI Cancer Research Data Commons and other data repository projects. She co-led a special NIH initiative beginning in 2020 around harmonizing and standardizing COVID common data elements across the NIH. The creation of semantic data resources are in line with her interests in leveraging machine readable descriptions of data to increase organizational understanding and usage of research data. Prior to joining NCI, Denise worked for the International Business Machines where her involvement in data mining in the retail industry led her to NCI to help build infrastructure to enable using cancer data in similar ways to improve patient outcomes.