Participate in the 2014 ISDS Pre-Conference Trainings

Date: December 9, 2014
Location: Hyatt Regency at Penn's Landing, Philadelphia, PA
Registration Information

The ISDS Pre-Conference Trainings are community-generated, professional development trainings designed to address the professional needs of the biosurveillance workforce, and take place in coordination with the annual ISDS conference. This year, the four trainings (overview of each below) will take place on December 9th - the day prior to the two-day 2014 ISDS Conference. 

Track 1: Biosurveillance for Beginners

Description: This training will provide exposure to key topics central to biosurveillance and serve to orient those who are new to the field. The objective of Track 1 is to "bridge the knowledge gap" to enable participants to better understand and apply public health data for informed and meaningful decision-making and to communicate outcomes or results. It includes an overview of biosurveillance, as well as demonstrations of the integration of novel data sources (emergency department chief complaints, emergency medical services, school absenteeism, and poison control center calls) with syndromic surveillance systems and their application in daily biosurveillance practice. Track 1 is being developed based on feedback from participants who attended the 2013 ISDS Pre-Conference Workshops; therefore, it is sure to be a high quality training opportunity relevant to the practical needs of those who are new to biosurveillance. 

Track 2: Biosurveillance and Policy Issues for Experts

Description: This training will provide experienced biosurveillance professionals with a forum for learning about and discussing current topics and policies essential to biosurveillance, as well as an opportunity to collaborate with other experts in the field to develop practical, concrete products and tools. It will include panel discussions on natural disaster surveillance and the OneHealth initiative, as well as a plenary roundtable session on the "Meaningful Use"* of electronic health data. In addition, the track will feature breakout sessions to discuss current policy topics, such as ICD-10, data sharing, animal surveillance, and chronic disease surveillance. Ultimately, this training is intended to leverage the collective expertise of the group to advance participants' understanding and practice and to allow for a high-quality and seamless translation of the knowledge gained in the training within the participants' organizations. *Meaningful USe refers to the Medicare and Medicaid Electronic Health Records (EHRs) INcentive Programs, a major component of the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act within the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) legislation. LEARN MORE

Track 3: Introduction to R for Biosurveillance

Description: The public health workforce (public health practitioners, healthcare providers, and academicians in research settings) require data, as well as analysis and visualization of that data, to enable and provide informed decision-making, whether clinically-based or policy-based. Continued budgetary restrictions and funding cuts have somewhat hindered the ability to purchase commercial products and applications; therefore, public health has a strong need for exposure to and training with open-source products and tools for data collection, analysis, and visualization. R is a language and environment for statistical computing and graphics (http://www.r-project.org/). It provides a variety of statistical and graphical techniques and is extensible. As an open-source product, R is freely available, making it optimal for use in a variety of settings. This Training is a hands-on introduction to R for epidemiology, biosurveillance, and high-quality data visualizations. 

Track 4: Mapping and Biosurveillance: Using ArcGIS

Description: Advances in geographical information systems (GIS) and mapping technologies have created exciting new opportunities for public health professionals to collect, analyze, display, and share multiple types of data and information. Biosurveillance has benefited greatly from these tools and continues to be enhanced as more individuals lear the nuances of GIS. ArcGIS, the mapping software developed by ESRI, has become the industry standard and is used in most public health departments in the U.S. This session will provide an introduction and focused examples of how the ArcGIS platform can be used for biosurveillance. Topics covered include: introduction to ArcGIS Online; introduction to Esri Maps for Office and integration of Esri Maps for Office and ArcGIS Online; an introduction to Community Analyst/Business Analyst. There will be a didactic session for each topic, followed by a hands-on session to apply the skills learned. Typical geocoded tabular health data will be provided for the hands-on sessions.  

For more information, please visit the webpage.

Award for Outstanding Student Abstract - Now Accepting Applications!

Deadline to Apply: September 3, 2014

Description and Purpose of Award
The 'Award for Outstanding Student Abstract' opportunity was developed and is coordinated by the ISDS Research Committee. The purpose of the Award is to recognize the exemplary work being done by students in the field of biosurveillance.

Two students are selected (see decision section below) and awarded:

• An oral presentation slot to disseminate their innovative work in one of the conference disciplines (see descriptions)
• Certificate of achievement
• Recognition on 2014 ISDS Conference materials, as well as at the Conference
• Waived Pre-Conference Training (December 9) and Conference (December 10-11) registration
• 3 nights at the Hyatt Regency at Penn's Landing

Eligibility Criteria
In order to be considered for an ISDS 'Award for Outstanding Student Abstract,' you must be:

• Enrolled in an undergraduate, graduate, or equivalent program in a surveillance-related field (e.g. epidemiology, informatics, statistics).
• An ISDS member (Student rate: $30 - if you are not currently a member, you may join here).

Application Process (Deadline September 3, 2014)
During the application process, applicants are asked to:

1. Submit an abstract for the 2014 ISDS Conference in any 'Discipline.'
2. Complete the online application, which will be reviewed by an 'Award Committee.'
1. Name, address, school, and program.
2. Proof of student standing – a scanned copy of your unofficial transcript and student ID (transcript will only be used to confirm eligibility and will NOT be a factored into the award decision).
3. Short statement about financial need, how information learned at the 2014 ISDS Conference will benefit you, and how this information will benefit your academic community (no more than 500 words).

Decisions
Award decisions are based on:

• Quality of abstract submitted
• Innovation of work described in the abstract
• Applicant's personal statement

Now Accepting Applications to Present during the 2014 ISDS Swap Meet - a Part of the 2014 ISDS Conference

Interested in presenting a system demonstration? Or are you an expert on a topic, tool, project, or opportunity of interest to the public health surveillance community? If so, apply to present at the 2014 ISDS Swap Meet! The Swap Meet is a session associated with ISDS's annual conference that provides an exciting opportunity for pre-conference and conference attendees to informally discuss particular topics or systems with system developers, system users, and experts. Past Swap Meet presentations include: ESSENCE, Data Quality Emporium, HealthMap, Applied Public Health Informatics Fellowship, Meaningful Use, among others.

The 2014 Swap Meet is scheduled for December 9th, 4:30 - 6:30pm EST (time subject to change) at the Hyatt Regency at Penn's Landing in Philadelphia, PA, USA. If you are interested in presenting, please complete this form by October 14, 2014 (11:59pm EDT) in order to apply for a table. Unfortunately, space is limited and we may not be able to accept all applications received. We will inform all applicants of the status of their application by October 17, 2014.

We are also currently accepting abstracts for presentation at the 2014 ISDS Conference, learn more here.

*NOTE: Commercial vendors are welcome to apply for a Swap Meet table; however, should your application be accepted, there will be a $200 fee to participate. We encourage commercial vendors to consider exhibiting at the 2014 ISDS Conference, as this provides more exposure and more opportunities to interact with ISDS Conference participants (learn more about sponsor/exhibitor opportunities).

Now Accepting Nominations for the 2014 Rick Heffernan Award for Public Health Practice

The Award

The ISDS Award Committee is soliciting nominations for the Rick Heffernan Award for "sustained and outstanding contributions to the knowledge and practice of biosurveillance." This annual award was established to honor Rick Heffernan, an early leader in the field of biosurveillance, and founding member and constant supporter of ISDS, who passed away in February 2013.

Rick was committed to his career as a dedicated public servant in the field of epidemiology. He was a strong, gentle, and exemplary leader who will be remembered as a trusted friend, a deeply valued colleague, and one who was always calm in a crisis. He graduated in 1992 from Columbia University, School of Public Health/School of International Affairs in New York, NY with a Master of Public Health and a Master of International Affairs. From 1992 to 1996 he worked for the New York City Department of Health, first as a Public Health Epidemiologist conducting HIV research and then as Assistant Director of the Bureau of Communicable Diseases. He set up the first Health Alert system to enable the NYC Department of Health to provide timely information to city healthcare providers on breaking public health emergencies. From 1996 to 2001 he was a Ph.D. candidate at Yale University, Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, completing all coursework and conducting research on drug resistant infections. During this time he spent a year studying the Ebola virus antibody in northeastern Gabon. In the wake of 9/11, Rick rejoined the NYC Department of Health and was critical to the Department's response to the World Trade Center and anthrax letter terrorist attacks. One of his major accomplishments was establishing one of the first electronic emergency department syndromic surveillance systems in the country. He also led the effort to develop the Communicable Disease Surveillance System, improving the city's capacity to track over 70 infectious diseases. After moving to Madison, WI in 2007 with his family, he continued his work helping to detect, prevent and manage threats to public health, taking the position of Chief Research Scientist Supervisor for the Wisconsin Division of Public Health, Communicable Disease Epidemiology Section. He was an author of numerous scientific journal articles, a board member of the International Society of Disease Surveillance, taught workshops on syndromic surveillance for the annual ISDS conference, and gave numerous presentations in his field of expertise. Since 2007 he served as Associate Faculty at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine & Public Health, and previously served as Adjunct Lecturer for graduate-level courses at Yale University, Division of Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases and at City University of New York, Hunter School of Health Sciences. Rick was also a talented musician and athlete. He was profoundly loved by many, who will miss his warmth and gentleness, his delightful sense of humor, and his big smile.

The award for 2014 will be presented at the ISDS Conference in Philadelphia, PA, December 10-11, 2014.

Nominations

Any current or former ISDS member may be nominated by a colleague (no self-nominations please). Nominations should be prepared containing the following:

1. A cover letter from the primary nominator up to one page in length, that describes the major contributions of the nominee to the practice of biosurveillance and her/his impact on the field.
2. A brief curriculum vitae or biographical sketch of the nominee (up to three pages).
3. Optional: Up to two letters, of a maximum of two pages in length each, supporting the nomination, from others familiar with the contributions of the nominee. These support letters should describe in specific terms how the nominee has made sustained and outstanding contributions to the knowledge and practice of biosurveillance. 

Nominations should be submitted through this online form. The deadline for submitting nominations for the 2014 Rick Heffernan Award is September 5, 2014 (11:59pm EDT).

If you have any questions or concerns, please e-mail syndromic@syndromic.org.

New Community of Practice for Leveraging Federal Financial Participation (FFP) for Medicaid HIT Activities

Dear Colleagues,

The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC), in collaboration with Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) is starting a new Community of Practice (CoP) focused on leveraging Federal financial participation (FFP), including the 90 percent FFP State administrative match (a.k.a. 90/10) for Medicaid Health Information Technology (HIT) activities.  The proposed participants in this CoP will include representatives from public health agencies (e.g., MU Coordinators, HIT Coordinators) and national public health associations.

The CoP will provide a collaborative forum for public health agencies to:

• Identify common barriers and challenges to obtaining FFP for public health related HIT activities
• Share successful models and approaches used to obtain FFP
• Establish best practices to identify  and coordinate intra-agency initiatives and projects that may qualify for funding
• Develop  guidance for HIT Implementation Advance Planning Documents (IAPD)
• Identify key aspects for successful communications and planning with State Medicaid agencies

The initial virtual meeting to launch this CoP is scheduled for Friday August 22, 2014.

Date: Friday August 22, 2014

Time: 2:00–3:00 pm ET / 1:00-2:00 pm CT / noon–1:00 pm MT / 11:00 am–noon PT

The plan is to establish a steering committee for this CoP, form workgroups as needed to focus on specific issues and tasks, and hold recurring meetings for all CoP members. Based on inputs gathered during this initial meeting, a schedule for future meetings will be finalized to allow participants to work collaboratively towards achieving the desired goals and creating value for public health agencies.  In addition, this CoP will work collaboratively or share regular updates with other groups or national public health associations already working or planning to work on this important subject.

If you are interested in joining this initiative, please follow the instruction below to register for this virtual meeting.  If you have any questions about this CoP or problems registering, please contact us at: meaningfuluse@cdc.gov.

Registration Instructions

GoToWebinar will now be used for the CoP virtual meeting.

Register for this online event at: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/3340853247095506690

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar. The invitation will include a link to add the currently schedules meetings to your calendar.

If you have not used GoToWebinar before, you are advised to test your connectivity prior to the meeting by following the instructions provided below

GoToWebinar System Requirements and Connectivity Test Information

• View GoToWebinar System Requirements: http://support.citrixonline.com/s/G2W/Help/SystemRequirements

• Connectivity Test Information: https://support.citrixonline.com/en_US/gotomeeting/help_files/GTM140010?title=Test+Your+GoToMeeting+Connection

Sincerely,

Meaningful Use Communications

Office of Public Health Scientific Services (OPHSS)

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

meaningfuluse@cdc.gov

Seeking postdoc in data sciences and computational epidemiology

Job Req.: 303451

Position Title: Post Doctorate RA - Data Sciences and Analytics

Description : A 1+ years postdoctoral position is available in the Data Sciences and Analytics Group at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. We are looking for a strongly motivated person with excellent skills in social media analytics research. Themes of interest include the development, implementation, and resulting analyses related to social network analysis, human language technologies, machine learning, infectious disease epidemiology, and data collection and analysis.  The candidate should have a keen interest in multidisciplinary research and have a PhD (or expect to have one for the starting date) in physics, applied mathematics, computer science, epidemiology, quantitative biology or any close related discipline. Proven abilities to work independently and to quickly adapt to new scientific environments are essential for this position. Superb communication skills to successfully collaborate with the other members of the group, and a strong working knowledge of both oral and written English are required.

The selected candidate will join the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Richland, WA and will work in collaboration with Dr. Courtney Corley and research staff in the Computational and Statistical Analytics Division. The candidate will support several exciting projects whose objectives include the development of internet-based systems to support biological threat surveillance transforming analytic environments to dramatically enhance capabilities for infectious disease prevention, detection, investigation and response. Ongoing research efforts with the Department of Defense, Department of Homeland Security, and USAID draw on a variety of data sources incorporating vetted proprietary health data, high volume public social media, and environmental data. The combination of these diverse sources provides analysts with a full spectrum of information to understand the threat landscape. This research utilizes cloud-based storage and processing resources, to enable a suite of web services provide access to the data and analytic products generated from the analysis of the unstructured text, temporal, geospatial and multimedia data for the purposes of biosurveillance. Specific research tools under development include streaming analytics that integrate weather, social media, vector and disease information to forecast vector-borne disease outbreaks, machine learning methods to integrate health surveillance data with social media to accelerate timeliness of respiratory disease detection, and responding to disease post disaster through sophisticated social media analytics. .

Minimum Requirements :

·         Candidates must have received a PhD within the past five years from an accredited college or university.

·         All staff at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory must be able to demonstrate the legal right to work in the United States.

Minimum Qualifications :

·         Effective written and oral communication is required

·         Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to collaborate effectively on diverse teams are required.

·         Record of research accomplishments required, preferably peer-reviewed publications.

·         Proven ability to work independently and to quickly adapt to new scientific environments.

·         Preferred Education/Credential : Degree in physics, applied mathematics, computer science, epidemiology, quantitative biology, or closely related field.

Equal Employment Opportunity: Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) is an Affirmative Action / Equal Opportunity Employer and supports diversity in the workplace. All employment decisions are made without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, marital or family status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or genetic information.

All staff at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory must be able to demonstrate the legal right to work in the United States.

About Tri-Cities : http://www.visittri-cities.com/ The Tri-Cities started out with 3 main communities: Kennewick, Pasco, and Richland - but the phenomenal growth of neighboring West Richland has made the area more of a "Quad-City". Located just hours from Seattle, WA and Portland, OR, the area is embraced by the beauty of a desert landscape and connected by the Columbia, Snake, and Yakima rivers. The Tri-Cities offers a multitude of recreational, cultural, and historical activities and is a great place to visit and live. We're known for our premier golf courses, award-winning wineries, unique shopping, and abundant outdoor and water recreation. Click on the link above to learn more about the various communities. PNNL is located in Richland, WA.

2014 ISDS Conference Plenary Speakers Announced

The 2014 ISDS Scientific Program Committee is proud to announce the opening and closing keynote speakers for the 2014 ISDS Conference taking place December 10-11, with Pre-Conference Trainings on December 9th, in Philadelphia, PA, USA.

Opening Keynote
Ziad Memish, MD, FRCPC, FACP, FIDSA, Senior Consultant Adult Infectious Diseases, King Fahad Medical City

In a June 2014 profile published in The Lancet, Dr. Memish is referred to as the 'father of mass gatherings medicine.' His talk at the 2014 ISDS Conference will focus on his public health experience during his time at the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, including population health surveillance during the Hajj and epidemiological work related to the Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) outbreak.

Dr. Ziad Memish is a senior Consultant Adult Infectious Diseases at King Fahad Medical City, Professor at the College of Medicine, Alfaisal University and Adjunct Professor in the Hubert Department of Public Health, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University.

Positions held include Executive Director Infection Prevention & Control Saudi National Guard Health Affairs, Director Gulf Cooperation Council States and WHO Collaborating Center for Infection Control, and Deputy Minister of Health for Public Health.

He has served as a member of several international committees with WHO and ISID, and of numerous regional organizations. He established the National Infectious Diseases training program at the Saudi Council for Health Specialities.

In November 2007, he was awarded "The King Abdulaziz Medal from the First Degree" - the highest award on a National level in Saudi Arabia for achievements in the field of infectious diseases and infection control.

Closing Keynote
Linda Rae Murray, MD, MPH, Chief Medical Officer, Cook County Department of Public Health 

Dr. Murray will be speaking about the fundamental role of social justice in public health, and how practitioners and researchers involved in public health surveillance can incorporate the determinants of health into their work, particularly given some of the current and anticipated challenges facing public health, including economic downturns, emerging infectious diseases, healthcare accessibility, and politics.

Dr. Murray has spent her career serving the medically underserved. She has worked in a variety of settings including practicing Occupational Medicine at a Workers Clinic in Canada, Residency Director for Occupational Medicine at Meharry Medical College, and Bureau Chief for the Chicago Department of Health under Mayor Harold Washington. Dr. Murray served as Medical Director of the federally funded health center, Winfield Moody, serving Cabrini Green Public Housing Project in Chicago. Dr. Murray has been an active member of a wide range of local and national organizations including serving as a member of the Board of Scientific Counselors for the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), and the Board of Scientific Counselors for the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and the Board of Directors of Trinity Health (a large Catholic Health system). She serves on the National Advisory Committee on Occupational Safety & Health (NACOSH). 

In 1997, Dr. Murray returned to the Cook County Health System where she served as Chief Medical Officer -Primary Care for the twenty-three primary care and community health centers comprising the Ambulatory & Community Health Network of the Cook County Bureau of Health Services. The Cook County Bureau of Health is one of the nation's largest public system of medical care and operates three hospitals, the public health department for suburban Cook County, health services a County Jail and the network of health centers (ACHN) operated by the County. Today she serves as the Chief Medical Officer for the Cook County Department of Public Health of the Cook County Health & Hospital System, the state certified public health agency for suburban Cook County. She practices as a general internist at Woodlawn Health Center, is an attending physician in the Division of Occupational and Environmental Medicine at Cook County Hospital and an adjunct Assistant Professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago School of Public Health (Occupational & Environmental Health and the Health Policy & Administration Departments). She plays a leadership role in many organizations including NACCHO's (National Association of City & County Health Officers) Health Equity & Social Justice Team, the national executive board of American Public Health Association and serves on the board of the Chicago based Health and Medicine Policy Research Group. She remains passionate about increasing the number of Black and Latino health professionals and serves as the co-chair for the Urban Health Program Community Advisory Committee at the University of Illinois.

In November 2010, Dr. Murray became President of the American Public Health Association. She has been a voice for social justice and health care as a basic human right for over forty years. 

Learn more about the 2014 ISDS Conference.