Cross-Disciplinary Consultancy to Enhance Predictions of Asthma Exacerbation Risk in Boston

Authors

  • Margaret Reid Boston Public Health Commission
  • Julia Gunn Boston Public Health Commission
  • Snehal Shah Boston Public Health Commission
  • Michael Donovan Boston Public Health Commission
  • Rosalind Eggo London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
  • Steven Babin Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory
  • Ivanka Stajner National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
  • Eric Rogers National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
  • Katherine B. Ensor Rice University
  • Loren Raun Faculty Fellow, Department of Statistics
  • Jonathan I. Levy Boston University School of Public Health
  • Ian Painter University of Washington
  • Wanda Phipatanakul Boston Children's Hospital
  • Fuyuen Yip US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
  • Anjali Nath Boston Public Health Commission
  • Laura Streichert International Society for Disease Surveillance
  • Catherine Tong International Society for Disease Surveillance
  • Howard Burkom Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5210/ojphi.v8i3.6902

Abstract

This paper continues an initiative conducted by the International Society for Disease Surveillance with funding from the Defense Threat Reduction Agency to connect near-term analytical needs of public health practice with technical expertise from the global research community.  The goal is to enhance investigation capabilities of day-to-day population health monitors. A prior paper described the formation of consultancies for requirements analysis and dialogue regarding costs and benefits of sustainable analytic tools.  Each funded consultancy targets a use case of near-term concern to practitioners.  The consultancy featured here focused on improving predictions of asthma exacerbation risk in demographic and geographic subdivisions of the city of Boston, Massachusetts, USA based on the combination of known risk factors for which evidence is routinely available.

A cross-disciplinary group of 28 stakeholders attended the consultancy on March 30-31, 2016 at the Boston Public Health Commission (BPHC).

Known asthma exacerbation risk factors are upper respiratory virus transmission, particularly in school-age children, harsh or extreme weather conditions, and poor air quality.  Meteorological subject matter experts described availability and usage of data sources representing these risk factors.  Modelers presented multiple analytic approaches including mechanistic models, machine learning approaches, simulation techniques, and hybrids.  Health department staff and local partners discussed surveillance operations, constraints, and operational system requirements.  Attendees valued the direct exchange of information among public health practitioners, system designers, and modelers.  Discussion finalized design of an 8-year de-identified dataset of Boston ED patient records for modeling partners who sign a standard data use agreement.

Author Biographies

Margaret Reid, Boston Public Health Commission

Division of Healthy Homes and Community Supports, Director

Julia Gunn, Boston Public Health Commission

Director, Communicable Disease Control

Snehal Shah, Boston Public Health Commission

Director, Office of Research and Evaluation

Michael Donovan, Boston Public Health Commission

Information Technology Project Manager, Department of Communicable Disease Control

Rosalind Eggo, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine

Research Fellow, Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology

Steven Babin, Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory

Senior Professional Staff

Ivanka Stajner, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

National Air Quality Forecast Capability Manager, National Weather Service

Eric Rogers, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Research Meteorologist, National Weather Service

Katherine B. Ensor, Rice University

Chair, Department of Statistics

Jonathan I. Levy, Boston University School of Public Health

Associate Chair, Department of Environmental Health

Ian Painter, University of Washington

Clinical Assistant Professor, Health Services

Wanda Phipatanakul, Boston Children's Hospital

Director, Asthma Clinical Research Center

Fuyuen Yip, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

 

Branch Chief, Environmental Public Health Tracking Program

 

Anjali Nath, Boston Public Health Commission

Director, Asthma Prevention and Control Program

Laura Streichert, International Society for Disease Surveillance

Executive Director

Catherine Tong, International Society for Disease Surveillance

Program Coordinator

Howard Burkom, Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory

Principal Professional Staff

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Published

2016-12-28

How to Cite

Reid, M., Gunn, J., Shah, S., Donovan, M., Eggo, R., Babin, S., … Burkom, H. (2016). Cross-Disciplinary Consultancy to Enhance Predictions of Asthma Exacerbation Risk in Boston. Online Journal of Public Health Informatics, 8(3). https://doi.org/10.5210/ojphi.v8i3.6902

Issue

Section

Original Articles