October Literature Review: Absolute Humidity and Influenza Transmission Dynamics

On Tuesday, October 26th, the Literature Review subcommittee is hosting its bi-monthly Literature Review, along with a special presentation by scientist Jeffery Shaman of the College of Oceanic and Atmospheric Sciences at Oregon State University.  The meeting will begin at 12:00 pm EST with a short summary of recent publications, followed by Shaman's presentation at 12:30 pm EST. 

 

Shaman will discuss his groundbreaking work investigating the role of absolute humidity on influenza transmission dynamics, including his recent paper "Absolute Humidity and the Seasonal Onset of Influenza in the Continental United States," published in PLoS Biology.  His recent work on this topic have fundamentally changed the way we understand influenza seasonality -- and they may well alter how we practice disease surveillance in the future.  Be sure not to miss this opportunity!

 

Register here

Call for Papers: International Conference on Animal Health Surveillance 2011

The International Society for Disease Surveillance would like to pass along an announcement sent to us by some of our members.  Earlier this year, it was announced that the first ever International Conference on Animal Health Surveillance would be happening in Lyon, France in May 2011.

The ICAHS is now accepting submissions for papers and has opened registration:

"The aim of the conference is to gather scientists and policy makers working in the area of animal health surveillance to exchange new ideas and better understand the challenges and opportunities that each group faces, and to develop solutions for future surveillance approaches under considerations of efficiency, cost-effectiveness and quality that fulfill the needs of both policy and science. We hereby invite submissions of papers for oral and poster presentations. Oral presentations will be 15 minutes plus discussion. Details on poster formats will be provided directly to the authors after acceptance of their submission.

Submissions are invited in the following themes:

1)  Value and evaluation of surveillance systems
2)  Design of surveillance for different objectives and populations (developing and developed countries)
3)  Data collection, transmission and management
4)  Dissemination of surveillance information
5)  Training in animal health surveillance
6)   Implementation of surveillance"

 Read the full Call for Paper Submissions

ISDS Workgroup Supports Meaningful Use of EHR Technology

This fall, as CMS certifies technologies for the Medicare and Medicaid electronic health record (EHR) Incentive Program, ISDS's Meaningful Use Workgroup is developing core EHR requirements for syndromic surveillance to support meaningful use by public health authorities.  

Convened in July, this eight member Workgroup of public health surveillance experts will document current syndromic surveillance business processes and data requirements.  The BioSense Program of the CDC Office of Surveillance, Epidemiology and Laboratory Services is providing funding to support these activities.

On September 27th, ISDS published the Workgroup's Preliminary Recommendation.  This document presents a snapshot of their work, including: A listing of syndromic surveillance business goals, objectives and processes; and a minimum data set commonly used in public health syndromic surveillance.

ISDS members and other community stakeholders will have an opportunity to contribute during an open commenting period scheduled for late-November to mid-December.   The Workgroup's Final Recommendation will be released in January 2011.

Learn more about Meaningful Use Workgroup, and find resources on the EHR Incentive Program on the project's page on syndromic.org.

ISDS Job Opening: Executive Director

The International Society for Disease Surveillance is currently accepting applications for an Executive Director position.

Summary:
The Executive Director of the International Society for Disease Surveillance (ISDS) functions as the Chief Executive Officer of the society and provides leadership and direction for ISDS in collaboration with the Board of Directors.  The Executive Director is responsible for overall strategic planning, setting annual goals and objectives, revenue generation, financial management, organizational development, implementation of policies set by the Board of Directors as well as administrative management of the Society. The Executive Director reports to the ISDS Board President and Executive Committee.
The Executive Director is responsible for identifying, developing and implementing policies and programs which support the ongoing work of the Society. The Society’s work is primarily organized through the activities of specific committees, including: Public Health Practice, Education and Training, Research, and Global Outreach.

View full job description

Call for Pre-Conference "Data Dashboards and Visualizations for Biosurveillance" Swap Meet Presenters

The 2010 ISDS Pre-Conference Workshop will be the second time the so-called "Swap Meet" will be held.  The idea of the "Swap Meet" is to create a setting where presenters and participants can interact, discuss, and share information in a less formal environment.   

This year the pre-conference workshop committee would like to include a "Swap Meet" table on the topic of "Data Dashboards and Visualizations for Biosurveillance."  We are asking for interested individuals/groups to share these data dashboards and visualizations in a poster format, handouts, or laptop demo.  We also strongly encourage the sharing of code, if possible.   

Depending on the response to this request we will be sure to have one or two poster boards available, as well as table(s) where laptops could be set up.  For the most up to date information on the pre-conference workshop, please check the agenda posted on syndromic.org.  If you have any questions please contact Aaron Kite-Powell.  We are looking forward to seeing you at the conference!

Syndromic Surveillance Experts Will Recommend Standards for Stage 1 Meaningful Use

Brighton, Massachusetts –  The International Society for Disease Surveillance (ISDS), with the support of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s BioSense Program has convened a Meaningful Use Workgroup to define current syndromic surveillance business standards and data requirements that best support Stage 1 meaningful use of electronic health record (EHR) technology by public health departments.

In this first project phase, the Workgroup will develop a provisional business process model (BPM), to inform minimum data specifications for syndrome-based public health surveillance.  

An interim Stage 1 Meaningful Use recommendation for EHR vendors on syndromic surveillance data specifications will be released in October and will be ready for public comment starting in November. 

A final Stage 1 Meaningful Use recommendation for syndromic surveillance will incorporate public comments and be released in January, 2011.

ISDS is coordinating this initiative with the Joint Public Health Informatics Taskforce (JPHIT). HLN Consulting, LLC (San Diego, CA), will provide analytic support to the workgroup.

ISDS’s Meaningful Use workgroup consists of seven expert syndromic surveillance practitioners from state and local public health authorities in Florida, Washington, Virginia, Indiana, Georgia, New York, and Boston, MA.

The International Society for Disease Surveillance works to improve population health by advancing the science and practice of surveillance to support timely and effective prevention and response. We facilitate interdisciplinary collaboration, and promote and conduct research, education, and advocacy.

Contact:

Charles Ishikawa, M.S.P.H.

CDC BioSense Redesign Collaboration Site Launch

The following is an announcement from our colleagues at CDC, who recently announced the launch of the new BioSense Collaboration Site: 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) Division of Healthcare Information, Public Health Surveillance Program Office, Office of Surveillance, Epidemiology, and Laboratory Services is pleased to announce the launch of the BioSense Redesign Collaboration Site on Wednesday, September 1, 2010.

The collaboration site is the centerpiece of the BioSense Redesign process and features a variety of informative and interactive elements, including a resource library and community forum.  The site also fosters and encourages a transparent community for information exchange among key stakeholders, interested users, and the BioSense Redesign team.  Designed to provide BioSense users and stakeholders with an efficient means of information sharing, the collaboration portal also provides users with the opportunity to

•   follow the project as it progresses,

•   provide input,

•   communicate and exchange ideas with one another, and

•   correspond with the BioSense Redesign team.

The comprehensive and collaborative approach of the BioSense Redesign will ensure the program meets the needs of the diverse users, spurs innovative practices to enhance public health surveillance, and becomes a valuable tool for promoting and protecting the health of our nation.

Please take a moment to visit the site at https://sites.google.com/site/biosenseredesign, and let us know what you think of the site and how we can make it more useful.  Users can provide anonymous comments on the community forum, or send comments to Biosense.redesign2010@gmail.com.

Sincerely,

Taha A. Kass-Hout, MD, MS Deputy Director (Acting) for Information Science and BioSense Program Manager Division of Healthcare Information Public Health Surveillance Program Office Office of Surveillance, Epidemiology, & Laboratory Services Centers for Disease Control & Prevention

Sam Groseclose, DVM, MPH, DACVPM (Epi) Director (Acting) Division of Healthcare Information Public Health Surveillance Program Office Office of Surveillance, Epidemiology, & Laboratory Services Centers for Disease Control & Prevention