On 1 May 2021, Cristina Sánchez was appointed Head of the Data Management Center (DMC) by the EF CLIF Director. Sánchez is an economist by training, and holds a Master’s degree in Financial Accounting and Controlling. Sánchez brings 14 years of experience as Chief Operations Officer for a Clinical Research Organization, where she supported clinical studies for a range of pathologies. Sánchez worked as an external provider for EF CLIF from 2014 to 2018, and joined EF CLIF as Data Manager and Sample Manager in 2018.

Throughout the data lifecycle, from collection and preservation to analysis and dissemination, the DMC operates in accordance with the FAIR principles – making data findable, accessible, interoperable and reusable. EF CLIF data management and security policy is in compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation which guarantees data privacy for patients that participate in any EF CLIF study upon obtaining informed consent.

The DMC is based in the EF CLIF Headquarters in Barcelona, Spain, and serves as a resource for EF CLIF members and collaborators across centers, enabling access to relevant clinical and laboratory data and specimens. Moreover, the DMC provides support in the study design and work planning of research project proposals, as well as bioinformatics and statistical analysis expertise.