Clinical Research Oriented Workshop (CROW) Meeting: March 28, 2013

Present:  Abby Crocker, Kairn Kelley, Rodger Kessler, Charlie MacLean, Connie van Eeghen

1.                  Start Up: This was a relaxed, pre-presentation for organization and strategy planning.  No secrets were exposed in this session, so feel free to read on!

2.                  Presentation: Abby: Dissertation Defense Draft in HSRF 300

a.       The organization of this presentation follows, but is not limited to, the work done to produce three final articles that are the deliverables of Abby’s doctoral work:

                                                  i.      Introduction (population and epidemiology)

                                                ii.      Objectives

                                              iii.      What Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS) is and how to diagnose it.  This includes review of scoring tools, two of which are used most commonly, and the four approaches to assessing diagnostic tools:

1.      Biologic plausibility

2.      Technical feasibility

3.      Diagnostic accuracy

4.      Clinical impact

                                              iv.      Predictive models for NAS, with interesting findings related to mother’s exposure to methadone, infant head circumference, and APGAR (these last two variables are new findings to add to the literature)

                                                v.      Policy related to breastfeeding, barriers and effect on NAS, implications for policy

                                              vi.      Next steps and future directions

b.      The discussion developed into the identification of the underlying story line: how all these pieces help providers, researchers, and policy makers understand how to help babies and their mothers together.  Abby has identified:

                                                  i.      Why NAS is a serious problem that is hard to diagnose, which leads to why we need to be better at predicting its occurrence

                                                ii.      How the typical population of NAS infants and their mothers (high risk, post-birth issues, parenting issues) can be helped as part of a broader public health goal, including specific factors that policy can have impact on

c.       Presentation tips and techniques were reviewed for the benefit of the viewing audience.  Group consensus: Abby is ready for take-off and will have a great dissertation defense.

3.                  Next Workshop Meeting(s): Thursday, 2:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m., at Given Courtyard South Level 4. 

a.       April 4: Kairn: F31 Final (Ben & Amanda will be at Abby’s dissertation defense; probably Abby too)

b.      April 11: Amanda, Ben, Charlie, Connie and anyone else with a NAPCRG abstract underway (Abby?) the annual in Ottawa this November: bring your 300 word abstract draft to pass around and review with the group (deadline is six days later: April 17)

c.       April 18: (Ben, Rodger, Abby, & Charlie meet at a different time this day to discuss analytical plan for NHoAOU)

d.      April 25:

e.       May 2:

f.       May 9: Charlie: Exploration of analytical plan for Natural History of Acute Opiate Use (and perhaps more).  Everyone should first read the 2009 Boudreau article that Amanda found in her lit review, circulated on April 2. 

g.      Future agenda to consider:

                                                  i.      Christina Cruz, 3^rd year FM resident with questionnaire for mild serotonin withdrawal syndrome?

                                                ii.      Peter Callas or other faculty on multi-level modeling

                                              iii.      Charlie MacLean: demonstration of Tableau

                                              iv.      Journal article: Gomes, 2013, Opioid Dose and MVA in Canada (Charlie)

Recorder: Connie van Eeghen