New Grant Opportunity for Public Health Systems Research, Deadline 12/05/2011

Cal PREPARE is pleased to announce the availability of funds to fund one New Investigator Award and two-three Pilot Project Awards for Public Health Systems & Services Research. The purpose of the awards program is to establish a resource for new investigators, established investigators and doctoral students to embark on a new area of research. The program provides an opportunity to build capacity, develop competency, and collaboration in different public health networks. (Awardees will have the ability to incorporate specialties, disciplines, and research techniques outside of traditional methods to public health systems research.) 

Our mission is “to conduct all-hazards research, training, and services that (1) improves the biosurveillance capabilities of public health systems; and (2) improves the capability of public health and local communities to prevent, protect against, respond to, and recover from public health emergencies.” Within biosurveillance, we will focus on early warning, detection, and monitoring; causal investigations and inference; information and data management, tactical and targeted communications; and situational awareness and decision support.


To implement our mission, we are conducting public health systems research projects in the following areas:
Project 1: :All-hazards communication to improve the resilience of vulnerable populations;Project 2: Early warning, investigation, surveillance: Epidemiology networks in action (EpiNet);Project 3: Closing the chemical, radiological, nuclear gaps in public health all-hazards preparedness; and 
Project 4:Cal PREPARE Exercise Laboratory (EXLAB): Systems research using state wide operations-based exercises. 

For more information on deadlines and eligibility, visit: http://www.idready.org/2011calpreparefoa.htm. 

Evaluating surveillance and public health interventions in a SnAP

Join CDC & Dr. Buckeridge following the ISDS Meeting - Registration information enclosed

 

** SAVE THE DATE **

Frontiers of Public Health Informatics presents:

“Evaluating surveillance and public health interventions in a SnAP”

Speaker

David L. Buckeridge, MD PhD FRCPC

Date/Time

December 9, 2011

11:00-12:00 EST

Location

CDC Roybal Campus

Distance Learning Auditorium

 

Register via this link: 

http://www.instantpresenter.com/AccountManager/RegEv.aspx?PIID=EA50D6838849

 

There is an increasing demand to measure the impact of surveillance enhancements and public health interventions on outcomes. Direct measurement is difficult and can be performed only after surveillance systems are changed or interventions are implemented. The Simulation Analysis Platform (SnAP) was developed to measure the effect of public health innovations on outcomes. SnAP models uncertainty explicitly to allow researchers and decision-makers to estimate how surveillance enhancements and interventions are likely to affect health and economic outcomes.

 

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David Buckeridge is an Associate Professor of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at McGill University in Montreal where he holds a Canada Research Chair in Public Health Informatics and directs the Surveillance Lab. He is also a Medical Consultant to the Montreal Public Health Department and the President of the International Society for Disease Surveillance. His research focuses on the informatics of public health surveillance and disease control. Dr Buckeridge has consulted on surveillance to groups such as the Institute of Medicine, the US and Chinese Centers for Disease Control, and the World Health Organization. He has a M.D. from Queen's University, a M.Sc. in Epidemiology from the University of Toronto, and a Ph.D. in Biomedical informatics from Stanford University. Dr Buckeridge is also a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada with specialty training in Public Health and Preventive Medicine.

 

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The Frontiers of Public Health Informatics Seminar is a platform for continued learning about public health informatics science. Join your colleagues to listen to renowned scientists who have demonstrated research and applications of informatics science to improve public health.

 

Register above for Webinar and Teleconference Information / Available CDC-wide on IPTV

 

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Public Health Informatics and Technology Program Office

Office of Surveillance, Epidemiology, and Laboratory Services

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

 

Point of Contact:    Rick Jones - rjonesII@cdc.gov

EXTENDED DEADLINE: Call for Potential Uses of Public Health Syndromic Surveillance Data

Thank you to everyone who has participated so far in this call for potential uses! We will continue to accept responses to the Call for Potential Uses of Public Health Syndromic Surveillance Data until Monday, December 12, 2011. 

Syndromic Surveillance for Meaningful Use: Inpatient and Ambulatory Clinical Care Data

Call for Potential Uses of Public Health Syndromic Surveillance Data:
ISDS is seeking input from U.S. and international surveillance professionals to determine the primary public health purposes of public health syndromic surveillance (PHSS) and the data elements needed from inpatient and ambulatory clinical care settings. 

Submit your potential uses on-line here. 

All responses must be submitted using the online submission process by Monday, December 12, 2011 at 9pm EST.


Vist the Call for Potential Uses webpage and Meaningful Use webpage for more information. 


Questions: Contact Charlie Ishikawa, MSPH at (617) 779-0886, or via email at meaningfuluse@syndromic.org for more information. 

EpiDig: Using Gaming Tools to Train Disease Surveillance Professionals

The ISDS staff previewed the Epidemiological Disease Investigation Game (EpiDig) today with some of the development team from the MIT Lincoln Laboratory. This was an exciting sneak peak at the game that will be presented and played at the Pre-Conference Workshop at the 10th Annual ISDS Conference on December 6th, 2011. 


EpiDig is a public health game developed by the MIT Lincoln Laboratory in collaboration with the Boston Public Health Commission in which players become public health investigators attempting to solve a public health crisis. Those who attend Track 2: Using Gaming Tools to Train Disease Surveillance Professionals and Investigate Next-Generation Capabilities at the Pre-Conference will learn  how game-based tools can be used for training and technology evaluation and have an opportunity to play EpiDig themselves. 


Space is limited for this fun and engaging workshop, so register today!


For more information on the Pre-Conference Workshop tracks, visit the Pre-Confernce webpage. 

BioSense 2.0 Rollout

The following is a brief message from the BioSense 2.0 redesign team: 


BioSense 2.0 is open for business! For more info on how to join, please e-mail info@biosen.se. Click here for ongoing BioSense 2.0 developments and news updates. Twenty-first century surveillance is here!

Position announcement: Director, Division of Informatics Solutions and Operation, CDC

The following is a message from Jim Buehler, MD, Director of the Public Health Surveillance & Informatics Program Office (proposed) within the Office of Surveillance, Epidemiology, and Laboratory Services at the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention. 

Dear Colleagues,

I would like to draw your attention to the posting for the position of Director, Division of Informatics Solutions and Operations (DISO) within the Office of Surveillance, Epidemiology, & Laboratory Services (OSELS) at CDC. The URL for the posting is: http://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/PrintPreview/300993300. Please share this message with colleagues who might be interested.

While the announcement lists the Division as being in the Public Health Informatics and Technology Operations (PHITPO), the Division will soon become part of the new Public Health Surveillance and Informatics Program Office, which will arise from the merger of PHITPO and the OSELS Public Health Surveillance Program Office (PHSPO). The merger acknowledges the critical relationship between surveillance and informatics while emphasizing that the role of public health informatics extends well beyond surveillance. The mission of this new office will be to advance the science and practice of public health surveillance and informatics.  We will do that by:


 *   Managing several large national surveillance programs, including the National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System, BioSense, and the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System;
 *   Providing leadership and services that support the surveillance and informatics infrastructures for public health at local/state and national levels; and
 *   Serving as a “home” at CDC for addressing cross-cutting issues in surveillance, including biosurveillance as part of emergency preparedness, and informatics practice.

As a Program Office, we will have a unique vantage at the crossroads between CDC and its constituents in local, state, and territorial health departments, other federal agencies, and partner organizations in addressing the spectrum of issues that affect public health surveillance and informatics practice.  While our primary focus is on domestic issues, we will also have a role on the global stage.

A critical function of our new office will be to continue and strengthen the leadership role that PHITPO, as well as PHSPO, has played in advancing the Meaningful Use of electronic health records for both healthcare and population health objectives.

The Division of Informatics Solutions and Operations is responsible for providing informatics and information technology services that support not only the surveillance systems within the Program Office but also infrastructures that support surveillance and other program services across CDC and in state and local health departments.  We are seeking candidates who can provide scientific leadership in the field of informatics, lead and manage an interdisciplinary team of federal employees and contract staff in the federal government environment, oversee the management of large and complex information technology contracts, and embody OSELS’ commitment to service on behalf of CDC’s mission.

For additional information about the position, contact information is provided in the position announcement. Thanks very much for your interest and support.

Jim


James W. Buehler, MD
Director, Public Health Surveillance & Informatics Program Office (proposed)
Office of Surveillance, Epidemiology, & Laboratory Services
Centers for Disease Control & Prevention

BioSense 2.0--21st Century Surveillance is Days Away

The following is an important message from the BioSense 2.0 Team:

In just a few days, BioSense 2.0 will be open for business! The new environment is the result of your feedback on design features, specifications, and data needs…and one thing is for sure… we’ve heard you loud and clear during our requirements gathering activities.  The newly designed and developed BioSense 2.0 has many features suggested by users. We also know that our users need technical assistance (TA) that is robust and efficient.  We’ve not only heard you, but we’ve built a comprehensive technical assistance framework for easy TA access and navigation. 

The TA framework features a web-based tool to track and manage TA requests ensuring that all requests are resolved in a timely manner. Technical assistance questions and requests can be submitted through a variety of channels, including info@biosen.se. Since the rollout is just days away, we’re finalizing TA tools and resources to assist with the launch and any on-boarding needs (including DUA completion and data sharing links) users may have. As the system matures, we anticipate that TA needs will shift to a more traditional form of direct support for users and creative uses of the system (i.e., Challenge Grants).

For additional information, please take a moment to view our new FAQs or simply visit the BioSense Redesign Collaboration Site where you can contribute to Requirements Gathering Posts; sign up to be an editor for the coverage map, read our most recent community forum posts, or subscribe to our RSS feed for updates. Please send comments to info@biosen.se.

Extended Deadline: Call for Nominations to Meaningful Use Workgroup

Syndromic Surveillance for Meaningful Use: Inpatient and Ambulatory Clinical Care Data

Call for Nominations to Meaningful Use Workgroup:
Due to requests for an extended deadline, nominations to the Meaningful Use Workgroup will be accepted until Wednesday, November 16, 2011. 


ISDS is seeking nominations for members of a new 10-person Meaningful Use Workgroup with various stakeholder perspectives and expertise in public health practice and medical informatics. This workgroup will guide the development of ISDS recommendations to support public health authorities in using Meaningful Use certified hospital inpatient and ambulatory EHR data for timely and effective public health prevention and response. 


For more information about the workgroup and the nomination process, visit the workgroup webpage.

New extended deadline:

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Call for Potential Uses of Public Health Syndromic Surveillance Data:

ISDS is seeking input from U.S. and international surveillance professionals to determine the primary public health purposes of public health syndromic surveillance (PHSS) and the data elements needed from inpatient and ambulatory clinical care settings. 

Submit your potential uses on-line here.

All responses must be submitted using the online submission process by Friday, November 18, 2011 at 9pm EST. 

Visit the Call for Potential Uses webpage for more information.

Questions: Contact Charlie Ishikawa, MSPH at (617) 779-0880, or via email at meaningfuluse@syndromic.org for more information. 

Public Health Reporting Initiative

The following is a message from John Stinn regarding the ONC Standards and Interoperability (S&I) Framework Public Health Reporting Initiative. Find a summary of the background of this project here. You may also find guidelines on how to submit a candidate user story for the public health reporting initiative here.

Public Health Reporting Initiative Participants -

How might reporting to public health agencies be performed efficiently from electronic health records (EHRs)—whether for newborn screening, infectious diseases or medical device adverse events? Can reporting requirements be made more consistent across public health programs and jurisdictions? Would this yield faster, more complete and more reusable information at lower costs to both report senders and receivers? These are some of the questions that the Public Health Reporting Initiative seeks to answer. Organized under the Standards and Interoperability Framework of the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT, the goal is to standardize and simplify how healthcare providers electronically submit mandated reports to health departments.

In 2012 the initiative will collect all User Stories (public health reporting scenarios from different public health programs) and seek to harmonize the data elements, standards, and reporting mechanisms. We will prioritize for the most standards ready User Stories into a single standards-based implementation guide in 2012, which can be iteratively expanded over the following years.  This could then be tested, and considered for national implementation, if successful.

Between now and November 18, we invite you to submit one or more User Stories you’d like considered, using  the guidelines found here, for group consideration.  We seek User Stories that focus on the initial report from a healthcare provider EHR to a local, state or federal public health agency.  Initiative participants will review your User Story for inclusion into the first such Implementation Guide. Anyone may submit a User Story, and anyone may participate in the process that follows by participating in the Wiki discussions.

Examples of the types of User Stories to be considered include:

·         birth registration (birth certificate),

·         newborn hearing screening (hearing screening test results report),

·         reporting a healthcare-acquired infection

·         reporting a drug or vaccine adverse effect

·         newborn metabolic screening (newborn screening laboratory test results reports),

·         an initial infectious disease report (including non-laboratory information)

·         an immunization (immunization administration report)

·         a cancer or other chronic disease registry report  

Your submission must be received by 11/18/2011.  If you’d like to submit a user story, simply submit the story to John Stinn (jstinn@cdc.gov) or Lindsay Oweida (loweida@cdc.gov), and we will post to the Public Health Reporting wiki. 

Thank you,

John Stinn

Public Health Reporting Initiative Support Lead

Call for Potential Uses of Public Health Syndromic Surveillance Data

The new Syndromic Surveillance Meaningful Use: Inpatient and Ambulatory Care Data project seeks to expand ISDS's previous Meaningful Use recommendation through a community consensus-driven process. ISDS is currently seeking input from surveillance professionals to determine primary purposes of public health syndromic surveillance (PHSS) and the data elements needed from inpatient and ambulatory clinical care setting. 


By filling out a brief questionnaire about the potential uses of public health syndromic surveillance data, you can contribute to the development of this important new Meaningful Use recommendation. 

Please take a few moments to fill out Potential Uses of Public Health Syndromic Surveillance Data questionnaire (link).

Your input is greatly appreciated and will be essential to the development of a consensus-driven recommendation. 


Please submit your responses no later than Friday, November 18, 2011.


If you would like to hear an introduction to this project, attend our webinar on Tuesday, November 8, 2011 at 12:30p-1:30p ET. Charlie Ishiskawa, MSPH will be giving an introduction to this new project and leading discussion on the Call for Potential Uses of Public Health Syndromic Surveillance Data. Register Now!




Visit the Project Overview, Project Details and Call for Potential Uses of PHSS pages for more information regarding this project. If you have any questions about this project or the call for potential uses, please contact Charlie Ishikawa, MSPH at meaningfuluse@syndromic.org or (617) 779-0886.


Thank you!