The Debunking Handbook

CROW was discussing scientific communications, including the problem of dealing with persistent myths. The Debunking Handbook by John Cook and Stephan Lewandowsky is a great resource with a step-by-step guide for arguing against misinformation. Highly recommended.

Ben

Data Science Community Gathering at Arts Riot!

Strictly Social

Come have a drink and food at Arts Riot. And while we socialize, let's brainstorm ways to strengthen the data science community in Burlington VT.

We want to open this event up to the broader community. Invite friends who might be interested. Please cross post to your other meetups and networks.

Here is the Meetup info.

Clinical Research Oriented Workshop (CROW) Meeting: Feb 13, 2015

Present:  Marianne Burke, Kairn Kelley, Rodger Kessler, Connie van Eeghen

Start Up:   Good to have an open session just for general updates and planning

1.                  Discussion: Open Session Update   

a.       Connie

                                                  i.      Recent HRSA Grant underway with John King and Rodger Kessler

1.      Table of barriers and challenges divided into levels:

a.       Practice Level

b.      Systems Level

2.      Types of barriers:

a.       Cultural

b.      Clinical

c.       Operational

d.      Financial

                                                ii.      QI support for medical and other students: IHI Open School

1.      Student: $100/participant for organizational subscriptions

2.      Connie to research further and share results

b.      Kairn

                                                  i.      Platform talk on dichotic listening tests (at Friday seminar today – feedback requested)

c.       Marianne

                                                  i.      Patient questionnaire conducted over the phone – reviewed and discussed 15 questions and wording.

d.      Rodger

                                                  i.      How to limit oneself from constant over-reaching.  (Rodger had to leave unexpectedly to serve on a panel for the SBIRT training J)

2.                  Next Workshop Meeting(s): Fridays, 10:45 a.m. – 11:45 p.m., at Given Courtyard South Level 4.   Remember: the first 15 minutes are for checking in with each other.

a.       Feb 20: TBD (no Connie)

b.      Feb 27: TBD (no Connie)

Recorder: Connie van Eeghen

Abby Crocker and State Department of Education to study addiction

Abby Crocker, PhD (CTS 2013), Research Assistant Professor of Mathematics and Statistics, recently signed a landmark deal with the Vermont Department of Education to connect medical and educational records to study the long-term outcomes of children exposed to opioids before birth. See VTDigger for details.


Congratulations to Abby for getting this novel collaboration started...and for a brilliant summary of why research is so important: "Without having the data, you’re just throwing darts.” 

Great sound bite!

PhD student, Peter Durda gets publication accepted

Congratulations to Peter Durda on the acceptance of this article in Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology

 

Title:Plasma levels of sIL-2Rα: associations with clinical cardiovascular events and genome- wide association scan

 

Authors: Peter Durda, Jeremy Sabourin, Ethan M. Lange, Mike A. Nalls, Josyf C. Mychaleckyj, Nancy Swords Jenny, Jin Li, Jeremy Walston, Tamara B. Harris, Bruce M. Psaty, William Valdar, Yongmei Liu, Mary Cushman, Alex P. Reiner, Russell P. Tracy*, Leslie A. Lange*

 

 AND 

The following article accepted as poster at AHA EPI/Lifestyle Scientific Sessions

Title: Circulating soluble CD163 and risk of cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality in older persons: the Cardiovascular Heart Study (CHS)
Authors: Peter Durda1, Leslie A. Lange2, Ethan M. Lange2, Nancy Swords Jenny1, Nels C. Olson 1 , Mary Cushman1, Russell P. Tracy1, and Alex P. Reiner3

 

CROW meeting 1_30_2015

Called to order 11:05 am

Attending: M. Burke, K. Kelley (via polycom)

TOPIC: Feedback on Burke’s baseline provider survey regarding their use of medical information sources for care of patients with skin problems.

 The context of this survey within the study design was reviewed. After demographic and professional status questions, the survey asks primary care providers (subjects) to recall a critical incident – a recent time they saw a patient for a skin problem and whether or not they referred to an information source to support their knowledge in relation to the problem.  If so which information source, etc.

Discussion: Since the sample size of the provider participants is only going to be about 30, we would get information about at most thirty patient visits with this method.  It was suggested and agreed that the survey be re-worked to ask about the times in the last month (or last ten or so times) the provider saw a patient for a skin problem. And then ask how often they used an informational information source, and which one (or ones).

Kelley shared experience on IRB submission and amendment. This was much appreciated by Burke. Comments from Dr. MacLean sent by email were also appreciated.

The meeting adjourned at 11:50 to attend CTS Seminar.

Recorder: M. Burke

Huffington Post on the root of Addiction

My computer was out of commission for CROW today (Jan 23), although Emily Tarleton did a great job of letting everyone explore the ins and outs of IRB and other kinds of review to protect the rights and safety of patients.  So I am proposing an alternate post from the Huffington Post on addiction and one person's insight into one significant cause.  If you have about 5 minutes, take a look at this article, and post your comments:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/johann-hari/the-real-cause-of-addicti_b_6506936.html