Clinical Research Oriented Workshop (CROW) Meeting: Sep 17, 2010

Present: Abby Crocker, Kairn Kelley, Amanda Kennedy, Ben Littenberg, Connie van Eeghen

1. Round Table: No updates noted

2. Abby’s Topic

a. Considering two separate populations: pregnant women prescribed opiates for either substance abuse treatment or pain management; receiving different interventions at FAHC and Dartmouth (methadone and buprenorphine respectively) and the effect on their babies
i. What outcomes are relevant; what other variables are important, e.g. provider/patient relationship regarding the mother; when care began…
ii. Limit the study to outcomes at birth up to discharge (not later in the baby’s life);
1. Consider studying the treatment effects on the baby; a large study on the mothers is wrapping up
2. Consider covariates of the mother’s treatment, that may be different than the baby’s treatment (methadone (treated as outpatient) or morphine)
b. Data: retrospective since 2003; methodology will be based on chart reviews; what and how to measure
i. Examples: time on treatment, serious adverse events, time to wean – which are process measures
ii. Outcome examples: mortality, well child markers (growth), 18 month developmental outcomes (50% of population lost to follow up), pre-natal data, APGAR scores, birth weight, gestational age at birth, head circumference
iii. Following birth: length of stay, neonatal abstinence syndrome score (a semi-continuous measure), adverse events (e.g. seizures)…
iv. Any research requiring consent for access to records can be started now for future use, but not for this study
c. Analysis: the birth related variables related to the abstinence syndrome score, according to what they were given at birth, controlled for what the mother was given for her addiction
d. Develop for the future: possible collaborators, future topics

3. Next Workshop Meeting(s): Friday, 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m., at Given Courtyard Level 4
a. Sept 24: Kairn’s research topic
b. Oct 1: Rodger’s article on Behavior’s Influence on Medical Conditions (or mixed methods)?
c. Oct 8: Connie’s update on qualitative analysis
d. Future agenda to consider:
i. Rodger: Mixed methods article
ii. Rodger: Unpublished article on the influence of behavior on medical conditions and function-and behavioral interventions with medical issues
iii. Future: Review of different types of journal articles (lit review, case study, original article, letter to editor…), when each is appropriate, tips on planning/writing (Abby)
iv. Future: Informed consent QI: Connie to follow up with Nancy Stalnaker, Alan Rubin will follow up with Alan Wortheimer or Rob McCauly
v. Kairn will ask a librarian to join us for selected issues

4. Fellows document – to be reviewed in the future. We trialed Wednesday meeting times, which started May 5, 2010 and continued until August 25, 2010. We returned to Friday meetings on Sept 3, 2010

Recorder: Connie van Eeghen

No Noon Seminar Friday September 24

There will be no Noon Seminar Friday September 24
Instead, there will be a CTS faculty meeting. The agenda will include:
Update on the Center and the grant
Update on Danbury
Update on admissions
Discussion of possible new academic programs in CTS
Other business as always. Please let me know if you have an item.

Thanks

Ben

Fwd: Lunch, Other with Health & Urban Design & Transportation Expert

-
From: Richard Watts <rwatts@uvm.edu>
Date: Mon, Sep 20, 2010 at 12:10 PM
Subject: Lunch, Other with Health & Urban Design & Transportation Expert

Hi All:

Anne Vernez Moudon will be on campus October 6. She is an expert
researcher in the area at the intersection of transportation and health
and urban design  and directs the Urban Form  lab at the University of
Washington.  There are two talks that day, a round-table at the TRC at
11:00 and a Burack Lecture at Waterman 413A at 4:00, titled:

*/Physical Activity and Travel: How Land Use and Transportation Can
Contribute to Better Health /*

There are spaces for lunch (12:30 Waterman) and time for a possible
short meeting in the early afternoon. Please let me know if interested
in attending one of these events or in joining us for lunch that day --
let me know soon as space is limited. Feel free to pass on to other
faculty you know would be interested, and please announce in your
classes, if appropriate.

Thanks, Richard

Following is a link to her web page and a short bio.
http://sph.washington.edu/faculty/fac_bio.asp?url_ID=Vernez-Moudon_Anne

About Anne Vernez Moudon, Ph.D.

Dr. Moudon directs the Urban Form Lab at the University of Washington
specializing in the spatial analysis of the built environment using
micro-scale data in Geographic Information Systems. The research
addresses such topics as land monitoring, neighborhood and street
design, non-motorized transportation, physical activity, and access to
food environments. The work has been supported by the U.S. and
Washington State Departments of Transportation, the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the National
Institutes of Health, and local agencies.

Dr. Moudon has published many articles in urban design, transportation,
and public health journals. Her books include /Built for Change:
Neighborhood Architecture in San Francisco/ (MIT Press 1986), /Public
Streets for Public Use/ (Columbia University Press 1991), and
/Monitoring Land Supply with Geographic Information Systems/ (with M.
Hubner, John Wiley & Sons, 2000).

Graduate Student Research Day

Graduate Student Research Day and Graduate Alumni Award Ceremony 
Thursday, October 14, 2010

Graduate students in the College of Medicine and associated graduate programs (CMB, NGP, CTS) are invited to present their work at the Graduate Student Research Day on Thursday, October 14.

There will be a lunch and poster session from 12:00-2:00, followed by oral presentations until 4 pm, and then an Awards Reception and Ceremony from 4:30 - 6:00 pm in conjunction with the presentation of the Graduate Alumni Award to Dr. Brooke Mossman of the Department of Pathology.

Entry form should be submitted electronically to cberger@uvm.edu by Sept. 22, 2010.

Oral Presentation Prizes
1st place $200
2nd place $100
3rd place $50

Poster Prizes
1st place $150
2nd place $75
3rd place $25

Clinical Research Oriented Workshop (CROW) Meeting: Sep 10, 2010

Present: Ben Littenberg, Charlie MacLean, Connie van Eeghen

1. Round Table: Next week starts our Thursday lunch meetings, informal sessions with no agenda

2. Connie’s Qualitative Analysis

a. Connie reviewed her goal to assess qualitative data according to the dependent variables of her study. The interviews and survey questions that resulted in these data were broad, open ended questions asking about the way quality improvement processes occur in the provider office practice participating in the study. Several researchers had reviewed the data and given Connie back examples of the themes they had found in the data.
b. The themes identified by the researchers did not result in evidence related to the study question, which asks if a particular form of office systems analysis (AA3) can improve the process of quality improvement in small health care settings with limited resources. The quantitative portion of the data collected asks these questions in pre- and post-project surveys. The qualitative data were collected to generate further hypotheses about why AA3 might or might not be helpful in QI projects.
c. The themes did, however, say a great deal about the practice itself and they also related directly to the independent variables of the study. How this may be useful may be more evident in the cross case analysis, when there are several case studies to look at. For next steps with this case study, however, Connie will:
i. State the research question, including the variables being examined
ii. Define those terms as precisely as possible
iii. Specify what the qualitative analysis is intended to produce/support
iv. Comb the data for findings
d. Connie will return and present these findings for the group to consider and to play the role of “dissertation committee” before she proceeds to analyze other case studies. Thanks to all for their help.

3. Next Fellows Meeting(s): Friday, 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m., at Given Courtyard Level 4
a. Sept 17: Abby’s topic?
b. Sept 24: Rodger’s article on Behavior’s Influence on Medical Conditions (or the one on mixed methods)?
c. Oct 1:
d. Future agenda to consider:
i. Rodger: Mixed methods article
ii. Rodger: Unpublished article on the influence of behavior on medical conditions and function-and behavioral interventions with medical issues
iii. Future: Review of different types of journal articles (lit review, case study, original article, letter to editor…), when each is appropriate, tips on planning/writing (Abby)
iv. Future: Informed consent QI: Connie to follow up with Nancy Stalnaker, Alan Rubin will follow up with Alan Wortheimer or Rob McCauly
v. Kairn will ask a librarian to join us for selected issues

4. Fellows document – to be reviewed in the future. We trialed Wednesday meeting times, which started May 5, 2010 and continued until August 25, 2010. We returned to Friday meetings on Sept 3, 2010

Recorder: Connie van Eeghen

Fwd: Job opportunity for a motivated grad

"The State of Vermont is seeking someone with an interest in health data and policy analysis who can manage complex projects and is proficient in use of statistical software and database and reporting applications. Go to https://erecruit.per.state.vt.us/ , click on Search and see

Program Management Specialist listed under Banking & Insurance."

Re: VIReC Clinical Informatics Seminar, September 21 - REGISTER NOW!! - Computerized Interventions to Improve Prescribing Practices

CyberSeminar Tuesday, September 21 - Computerized Interventions to Improve Prescribing Practices

VIReC Clinical Informatics Seminar Computerized Interventions to Improve Prescribing Practices By Sylvain DeLisle, MD, MBA Tuesday, September 21, 12:00pm - 1:00pm ET Objectives: 1) Gain a conceptual framework for the pharmacotherapeutic process 2) Gain an approach to establish requirements for informatics interventions in pharmacy 3) Understand how to evaluate such an intervention: antibiotics stewardship in the outpatient arena ** Advance registration is now required ** Register for the session on September 21    Check your Live Meeting settings in advance    Questions? Email cyberseminar@va.gov This is a VIReC Clinical Informatics Seminar Presentation. For more information on these and other HSR&D Cyber Seminars go to http://www.hsrd.research.va.gov/for_researchers/cyber_seminars.