ISDS News

ISDS is happy to introduce this month's ISDS Member Highlight: Dr. Louise Wilson. Last month, ISDS began the ISDS Member Highlight project as a way to highlight member achievements, interests, and inspirations in an effort to showcase successful and highly active ISDS members. The May ISDS Member Highlight will introduce Dr. Louise Wilson, who is the ISDS Global Outreach Committee Chair.How did you first learn about disease surveillance and when did you decide that it was an area of interest for you?  As a paediatric intensivist I had a practical interest in disease surveillance, but it was whilst working in public health at Health Protection Scotland that I became interested in syndromic surveillance and biostatistical approaches to disease surveillance.What do you do? I work in the National Health System and I am the Director of Public Health for Orkney, a beautiful archipelago off the north coast of Scotland.  What do you enjoy most about your job?  I love the variety of work to be covered - with the additional challenge of delivering preventative services in the remote and rural setting.  What excites you in the work you do?  Everything! For me it is a privilege to work in the NHS and serve the local community. I’m lucky to work with some really dedicated people.Who or what inspires you professionally?  I’ve been fortunate to work in a number of countries and had many great teachers. However, when I graduated, I worked for a paediatic surgeon, Willie Bisset, who was simply inspirational in his dedication and approach to patients, colleagues and work. How long have you been involved with ISDS?I have been involved with ISDS since 2006, when I presented a poster in Baltimore. I now chair the Global Outreach Committee.Why are you an ISDS member?  I think the society is a great way to make surveillance techniques widely available and share best practice. It enables me to bring the best of cutting-edge practice to my local practice. I particularly enjoy supporting the work of the society as it focuses on surveillance in the global setting. What do you value most about your ISDS membership? The connectivity it provides is important for me – I feel part of a great community. That is particularly important when working in a remote setting. The approachability of members, their willingness to share their ideas, and the mix of backgrounds of people involved with ISDS makes it special. The annual conference is a real highlight of the year for me – I love putting faces to the names of people I’ve been working with over the year and meeting new people.What is the biggest issue in disease surveillance (in your opinion)?  For me it is the challenge of making surveillance practical and usable for the front line staff – so that we reduce morbidity and save lives. The shift from theoretical to practical solutions is crucial. If you could meet anyone living or deceased, who would it be? 
The “enchantress of numbers” Ada Lovelace (1815-52). She was the daughter of the poet Lord Byron and worked with Charles Babbage. 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released a funding opportunity entitled "BioSense 2.0: Building State, Local, Tribal, and Territorial Surveillance Capacity to Enhance Regional and National All-Hazards Public Health Situation Awareness" on May 11, 2012. Eligible applicants include state governments, city or township governments, special district governments, Native American tribal governments, and Native American tribal organizations.

The purpose of this program is to assist state, local, tribal and territorial health authorities to implement public health situation awareness and syndromic surveillance utilizing BioSense 2.0. Some specific goals include promoting timely exchange of health-related information between providers and public health authorities; facilitating timely information sharing among state, local, tribal, and territorial levels; and promoting improvement of the science, analytic and workforce practice for public health surveillance at the state, local, tribal, and territorial levels.

Through this grant, the CDC will award $100,000 - $300,000 up to 25 recipients. The anticipated award date is August 1, 2012.

The application deadline for this grant opportunity is June 26, 2012 5:00 PM U.S. Eastern Standard Time.

For more information about this funding opportunity and for the full announcements and application, visit http://www.grants.gov/search/synopsis.do;jsessionid=XpfBPyyNs1h8jnrQK4y9LGlyVRv1WnyY6KtLTNyySb8H57S3zfxP!884034953.

ISDS would like to share the final ISDS comments in response to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Office of the National Coordinator (ONC) Notices of Proposed Rule Making (NPRMs) for Stage 2 Meaningful Use. The ONC and CMS published their NPRMs with the federal registrar for a 60 day public inspection period, during which time they asked for stakeholder comments and feedback. As an opportunity to represent the ISDS community of public health practitioners, ISDS staff and stakeholders developed two response letters to CMS and ONC. You may view the final versions of the ISDS comments below:

ISDS Comments to CMS
ISDS Comments to ONC

The ISDS staff would like to thank the Public Health Practice Committee, Distribute Community of Practice Members, ISDS Board of Directors, and other society affiliates for providing feedback on the ISDS letters. This collaboration was a crucial element in strengthening the ISDS comments and ensuring society representation.


If you have any questions or comments, please e-mail meaningfuluse@syndromic.org. 

The BioSense Redesign Team is requesting feedback from BioSense stakeholders about commonly used statistical analysis, tools, software and commands for surveillance. Provide your feedback by answering survey questions posted on the BioSense Public Health Situation Awareness Feedback Forum. ISDS encourages you to take this opportunity to inform the BioSense development team of your favorite tools. 


You may find the original message from the BioSense Redesign Team below.
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Dear BioSense Redesign Stakeholder:
Our fourteenth post for the Public Health Situation Awareness topic has launched!  Please take a moment to visit the BioSense Redesign site and answer the new questions* to help the BioSense development team identify commonly used software, statistical analysis, and commands for routine surveillance. The CDC will use your feedback to better understand how to tailor the new BioSense application. Your feedback is valuable to the redesign of the BioSense system and Program. Please visit the BioSense Redesign Collaboration Web Site to access questions at the Requirements Gathering Work Center or link directly to the questions at PHSA Feedback Forum 14: Statistical Analysis, Tools and Packages.Thank you,
The BioSense Redesign Team
*New questions are posted for comment on a weekly to biweekly basis.  Check back often for updates and summaries of feedback posted by stakeholders.

ISDS is pleased to share that CDC recently released the PHIN Message Quality Framework (MQF) version 2.6. This update adds Syndromic Surveillance Message structural, constraint, and vocabulary validation and other minor updates and fixes. The framework allows for both syndromic surveillance HL7 2.3.1 and 2.5.1 messaging.

Background (From the PHIN MQR Release Notes):
"As a Web application, the Message Quality Framework (MQF) is a flexible framework of services and utilities designed to assist public health partners with preparing and communicating quality standard electronic messages as defined by the applicable messaging, vocabulary, and programmatic standards.

The PHIN Message Quality Framework (MQF) is designed to accompany and to assist other CDC Public Health systems and partners in promoting the use of data and information system standards to advance the development of efficient, integrated, and interoperable surveillance systems at federal, state and local levels.

PHIN MQF supports single message validation and does not support batch processing of messaging at this time. This functionality will be evaluated for a future release."

The MQF allows users to upload an HL7 message or use an example message that is already loaded in the system and view a validation report immediately after the message has been submitted. The user can then make edits to the message and resubmit until all errors have been corrected.

ISDS is excited about this tool and new release for syndromic surveillance messaging and would like to encourage those using these messaging types to explore this valuable framework and resource. Learn more about the MQF and utilize this service by visiting the PHIN MQF webpage.

The following is an announcement from the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC).

The HIT Policy Committee Information Exchange Workgroup is holding a meeting today, Tuesday, April 24th from 2:30 - 4:30 PM EDT to discuss its final recommendations on the Stage 2 NPRM and Standards and Certification draft rules. The workgroup will review and finalize decisions and recommendations on information exchange objectives proposed for State 2. There will be time at the end of the meeting for public comment, which can also be submitted by e-mail.

Participation is available via web conference or audio teleconference. By attending the web conference, you will be able to hear the live audio and see live viewing of shared slides or materials. Teleconferecing will provide audio only. You may learn more about this call and how to participate at the following link: http://healthit.hhs.gov/portal/server.pt?open=512&objID=1474&&PageID=17115&mode=2&in_hi_userid=11673&cached=true. You may also find meeting materials and an agenda for the call at the above link.

ISDS encourages its members and community to join the call to hear the discussion and provide input during the public comment period.

On March 6, 2012, ISDS released the Draft Guidelines for Syndromic Surveillance Using Inpatient and Ambulatory Clinical Care EHR Data (Draft Guidelines) for a public comment period that ended on April 2nd. Thank you to everyone who provided feedback on the Draft Guidelines. During the comment period, stakeholders provided a wealth of thoughtful and insightful comments. This commentary is a source of valuable insight that is helping the ISDS Meaningful Use Workgroup recommend guidelines that best reflect the needs of the surveillance community. ISDS greatly appreciates the time and effort of the stakeholder respondents for providing their comments.


Figure 1ISDS heard from 73 stakeholders in the form of survey responses, email communication, and phone interviews. Out of the 73 respondents, 78% (57) provided comments using the Draft Guidelines Stakeholder Comment Form via SurveyMonkey. The next popular method of feedback was comments provided through e-mail communication by 19% (14) of respondents. Finally, 3% (2) provided feedback during a phone interview. (See figure 1.)


Figure 2

The survey responses included information about the professional background of the respondents which help inform the commentary's perspective. The majority of comments were provided by public health stakeholders (42) followed by researchers (8). ISDS also received feedback from EHR/HIE technology vendors and one eligible healthcare professional or hospital. (See figure 2.)


Over the course of the next month, ISDS staff and the Meaningful Use Workgroup will continue to analyze the comments received and work to incorporate the responses and develop the Provisional Guidelines. The Provisional Guidelines will be released in June for a second round of public comment which will inform the release of the Final Guidelines due in September.

Until then, you can learn more information about the development of these guidelines by visiting the Meaningful Use webpage on the ISDS website. 


If you have any questions, you may contact Charlie Ishikawa, ISDS Associate Director of Public Health Programs, at meaningfuluse@syndromic.org or (617) 779-0886. 

April 10 – 11, 2012Atlanta, Georgia  Distribute was initially developed in 2006 as a proof of concept model funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s BioSense program, with additional funding from the Markle Foundation. During H1N1, Distribute saw expansion in both site participation and functionality. It has fostered new insights into syndromic surveillance practice and has initiated the formation a community of practice focused on supporting and developing the system as well as each other. Distribute participants have contributed greatly to the advancement of the field of syndromic surveillance.
The goal of the 2012 ISDS Distribute Community of Practice Meeting was to foster innovation, focus community interests, and strengthen professional relationships through peer-to-peer learning and information sharing about disease surveillance practice. The meeting did not disappoint! A relevant and stimulating agenda combined with a wonderful group of state and local Distribute data providers from across the country and stakeholders from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists (CSTE), National Association of County & City Health Officials (NACCHO), Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO), Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC), and Public Health Informatics Institute (PHII), was the perfect recipe for an energizing and thought-provoking environment.
Specific session topics included:·       Distribute Update·       A New Framework for the Surveillance Enterprise·       Monitoring and Maintaining Data Quality·       BioSense 2.0·       Meaningful Use: Reports from the Field on Implementation
As a result of the meeting, most participants indicated that they would change their practice based on what they learned. Specifically, some participants mentioned that they will:·       use the examples of data quality analysis presented to analyze data completeness and timeliness trends of syndromic surveillance data·       consider the business matrix more in order to see how their health department can use that framework for doing surveillance·       begin serious discussions regarding BioSense 2.0 participation and ESSENCE in the cloud·       work to enhance their weekly surveillance reporting·       incorporate ideas and suggestions from various states presented during the Meaningful Use implementation session
In addition, several action items were generated, including the development of:·       A roadmap for best practices for syndromic surveillance business process development·       Best practices for providing feedback/reports·       Policy brief on the need for sustainable funding for public health surveillance
As the Distribute project draws to a close, the challenge that lies before us [the Distribute Community of Practice] is finding the next energizing topic(s) or project(s) that will advance the field of disease surveillance and continue to strengthen our community.
A full meeting report will be available shortly.
Written by Tera Reynolds, MPH, ISDS Program Manager

 ISDS Research Committee March 30, 2012
The Literature Review bi-monthly calls are a great opportunity to engage with other biosurveillance researchers and practitioners about new journal articles highlighting developments in the field. Literature Review participants are at all career levels, from some of the top professionals in the disease surveillance to those just starting out. It is a great way to stay up on the latest in biosurveillance research and practice and for participants to learn from one another. All levels of participation are welcome – from summarizing an article to joining in on the discussions to just listening.
We had an exciting March call!
Dr. Katie Suda, Associate Professor and Director, University of Tennessee, presented an update on the new Literature Review process. The previous process included creating pubcrawler and Google Scholar searches with the results sent to an ISDS Research Committee Gmail account. However, we had received feedback from members that we were missing relevant literature. Over the course of several weeks, Dr. Suda, along with the Literature Review leadership, developed search strings in PubMed, Embase, and Scopus, consisting of over 100 terms suggested by members from different content areas. Based on the results, we decided that the Scopus search is the most comprehensive – includes articles indexed in both Medline and Embase (compared to pubcrawler which only includes articles indexed in Medline). This updated process dramatically increases the efficiency and range of articles captured. In addition, Dr. Suda has graciously offered to continue to help us to refine our search string as necessary.
One Literature Review contributor chose to summarize Assessing the Continuum of Event-Based Biosurveillance Through an Operational Lens by Corley et al., which offered a characterization framework consisting of eight attribute families meant to accommodate the entire continuum of event-based biosurveillance. The Research Committee proudly welcomed Dr. Courtney Corley, Knowledge Discovery and Informatics Group, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), on the Literature Review call. He summarized his article and answered participants' questions. Dr. Corley’s presence enhanced the discussion of his research, resulting in a very lively and interactive conversation. The Research Committee would like to thank Dr. Corley for his time and valuable contribution.
Other articles that were discussed included:·      The Effect of School Dismissal on Rates of Influenza-Like Illness in New York City Schools During the Spring 2009 Novel H1N1 Outbreak by Dr. Joseph R. Egger, SciMetrika, et al., which describes an unusual opportunity to test the effect of school closure on ILI incidence in a situation among schools known to be affected by an epidemic.·      Using Poison Center Data for National Public Health Surveillance for Chemical and Poison Exposure and Associated Illness by Amy F. Wolkin, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, et al., describing the National Poison Data System and its uses and integration with public health surveillance for situational awareness, identification of early markers of chemical events, and chemical and poising exposures and associated illnesses.·      A novel experience in the use of control charts for the detection of nosocomial infection outbreaks by Isabel Cristina Gomes, Minas Gerais Federal University, Brazil, et al., which evaluates the use of control charts to monitor nosocomial infection rates in a Brazilian university hospital.·      Outbreaks of virulent diarrhoeagenic Escherichia coli – are we in control? by Dirk Werber, Robert Koch Institute, Germany, et al., which highlights how the combination of cutting edge laboratory methods and common sense food tracing was applied to fight – what the authors call – an ever-moving target, the constantly evolving diarrhoeagenic E. coli.
The next Literature Review call will be in late May (the exact date will be announced soon).
To view the full summaries from the March call, please click here.
If you would like to be added to the Literature Review e-mail list or have comments/questions, please e-mail Tera Reynolds, ISDS Program Manager.

Syndromic Surveillance for Meaningful Use: Background and Resources  The International Society for Disease Surveillance (ISDS) announces the availability of the document, Syndromic Surveillance for Meaningful Use: Background and Resources (pdf), which was developed by ISDS to provide background information and resources to address a gap in understanding of the Meaningful Use (MUse) requirements related to the syndromic surveillance objective.
The MUse programs, enacted under the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act (ARRA) of 2009, have launched a new opportunity to improve both individual and population health outcomes by capitalizing on the use of electronic health information. For Stage 1 of the program, providers must meet one of three public health related requirements in order to receive benefits. Syndromic Surveillance is one of the public health options.

Related Links: Syndromic Surveillance for Meaningful Use: Inpatient and Ambulatory Clinical Care Data (current project)
ISDS Meaningful Use Resources

The following is a message from the BioSense Redesign team with a March update on the Redesign Project.
It’s Time to Retire, On-Board, and Award!
They say time flies when you’re having fun… well, it’s been four months since BioSense 2.0 opened for business! And as of Friday, March 30th, we will retire BioSense 1.0. This milestone is the direct result of collaborative efforts between our stakeholders and the Redesign Team.  Your feedback and ongoing involvement with the redesign have made twenty first century surveillance a reality. And, if you haven’t already, please take a moment to register for access to BioSense 2.0.  There are two ways to establish a BioSense 2.0 account. Please visit the Community Forum to learn how you can gain access to the new environment.
For additional information or assistance with on-boarding, please take a moment to view our technical assistance (TA) resources in the “on-boarding information” section of the Library. Current TA resources provide pertinent recruitment and on-boarding information for BioSense 2.0. We anticipate the TA focus will shift once we move out of the recruitment phase and include sharing promising and best practices for using the BioSense 2.0 application for enhanced public health surveillance. 
Finally, in the next few weeks, the Redesign Team will announce the recipients of the BioSense 2.0 Challenge Grants. A total of 14 letters of intent were received and 12 organizations were invited to apply. The applications are currently under review and award decisions will be announced no later than March 30, 2012. The BioSense 2.0 Challenge Grant Opportunity was created to help sites and public health jurisdictions address challenges and overcome barriers to establishing or enhancing syndromic surveillance capabilities within the BioSense 2.0 community.  As part of CDC’s ongoing commitment to innovation and creativity, we are working to identify new funding opportunities for the public health community.  So stayed tuned for upcoming submission guidelines!
Have questions about BioSense 2.0 or on-boarding?  View our new FAQs or simply visit the BioSense Redesign Collaboration Site where you can read our most recent community forum posts or e-mail info@biosen.se.

This is a reminder to encourage you to provide feedback on ISDS' Draft Guidelines for Syndromic Surveillance using Inpatient and Ambulatory Clinical Care EHR Data before Monday, April 2, 2012. 


These guidelines were developed as part of a new ISDS and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) initiative to advance surveillance practice and further clarify Meaningful Use standards for public health syndromic surveillance. 


Your comments will help inform the final recommendation that will be used by the CDC and the Office of the National Coordinator (ONC) to clarify public health surveillance measures in future Meaningful Use stages. 


Please submit your comments via an online survey (link below) or send feedback to Becky Zwickl, ISDS Public Health Analyst, at bzwickl@syndromic.org. 


View the Draft Guidelines
Submit comments via Survey Monkey


For more information about this project visit the ISDS Meaningful Use webpage.


If you have any questions, please contact Becky Zwickl by email at bzwickl@syndromic.org or by phone at (617) 779-0880. 

ISDS would like to encourage its community to take part in a challenge to create a web application that uses data from Twitter to automatically generate a list of trending illnesses based on location. Developed by the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response, the "Now Trending Challenge" is looking for technology-minded participants from various backgrounds to step up to this challenge and opportunity to win $21,000. 
For more information about the "Now Trending Challenge" and how to participate, read the announcement below and visit the challenge website at www.nowtrendingchallenge.com.
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ASPR's 2012 Public Health Challenge: Now Trending -#Health In My Community
We’re looking for:
·                     Computer Phenoms·                     Technology Students·                     At-home Coders·                     Problem Solvers

The Challenge:
At a recent Forum hosted by the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response, state and local health practitioners expressed their desire to more easily access social media data. The Now Trending Challenge was created to help fill this need.The Now Trending Challenge asks participants to create a web-based application using open-source Twitter data that will automatically deliver a list of the top-five trending illnesses from a specified geographic region in a twenty-four hour period. This data would be sent to state and local health practitioners to use in a variety of ways including building a baseline of trend data, engaging the public on trending health topics, serving as an indicator of potential health issues emerging in the population, or cross-referencing other data sources.
The winning submission will receive a grand prize of $21,000, as well as a $1000 travel stipend to attend an event announcing the winner.  In addition to the monetary prize, winners will have the chance to present their tool at a Fusion Forum and will ultimately benefit from national visibility and recognition as the tool is used by state and local health practitioners throughout the nation.
For further information, including complete rules and regulations, and to register your intent to participate, please visit www.nowtrendingchallenge.com.
Stay informed!
For frequent updates and more information follow:
Twitter: @ASPRFusionHashtag: #NowTrending2012
Questions to now.trendingchallenge@hhs.gov.

ISDS is pleased to present Draft Guidelines for Syndromic Surveillance Using Inpatient and Ambulatory Clinical Care EHR Data. These guidelines were developed as part of a new ISDS and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) initiative to advance surveillance practice and further clarify Meaningful Use standards for public health syndromic surveillance (PHSS), specifically with regard to health data from hospital inpatient and ambulatory clinical care settings. This initiative aims to bring the entire stakeholder community together for a dialogue on leveraging existing public health resources and Meaningful Use investments for more timely and effective disease prevention, public health response, and health outcomes.

ISDS is requesting stakeholder feedback during a comment period between March 6, 2012 and April 2, 2012. Your comments will help to inform the final recommendation that will be used by the CDC and the Office of the National Coordinator (ONC) to clarify public health surveillance measures in future Meaningful Use stages.
Please submit your comments via an online survey (link below), or you may also send your feedback to Becky Zwickl, ISDS Public Health Analyst, at bzwickl@syndromic.org.
View the Draft Guidelines Here
Submit Feedback Here

For more information on ISDS's Meaningful Use efforts, visit the Meaningful Use webpage and the current ISDS Meaningful Use project webpage. 


Thank you! Your input is greatly appreciated.

ISDS is looking for a summer intern who is a current MPH student who will lead the research, writing, and dissemination of an ISDS policy brief. Pass this information along to anyone you think may be interested in applying. Please note that the application deadline is April 1st. 
ISDS Summer Internship Description
Title:                                       ISDS Summer Intern
Organization:                       International Society for Disease Surveillance (ISDS)
Address:                               26 Lincoln Avenue, Suite #3                                                Brighton, MA 02135
Website:                                http://www.syndromic.org
Agency description:           The International Society for Disease Surveillance (ISDS) is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization founded in 2005 and dedicated to the improvement of population health by advancing the science and practice of disease surveillance. ISDS’s membership represents public health professionals, healthcare providers, researchers, government officials, and others engaged in national and international health surveillance initiatives. We facilitate interdisciplinary collaboration and promote and conduct research, education, and advocacy. 
Internship description:        Disease surveillance is at a crossroads fueled by the advent of new technologies for data collection, management, and application, and shaped by changing demands on the public health workforce. ISDS would like to develop a policy brief and advocacy plan that will help to set the stage for the next stage of public health surveillance. This intern project will engage an MPH student in working with ISDS staff, members, and the Board of Directors to identify key issues related to public health surveillance research, practice, and policy; and to lead the research and writing of a policy brief. The intern will also be responsible for developing a dissemination plan for distributing the brief to the broader surveillance community, as well as to key stakeholders and decision makers.
Specific Responsibilities include:  

• Research policy issues related to public health surveillance 
• Writing of policy brief and advocacy plan  
• Develop dissemination plan to distribute policy brief to the broader surveillance community  
• Policy analysis

Minimum Skills Required:  

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent (preferably in biological or social science discipline).
• Current MPH student.  
• Proficiency with social media and other electronic and web-based communications vehicles.  
• Strong interpersonal skills with a positive, “can-do” attitude.  
• Capable of working independently and cooperatively as a team member in a fast-paced environment.  
• Highly organized, detail-oriented, and deadline driven.  
• Eager to learn new and improve upon current skills.  
• Proficiency using MS Office for Mac and the following software within an Apple Mac OSX environment is preferred: Mail, iCal, and Address Book.

Estimated start/end date:  June 2012 – August 2012 (flexible)
Hours/Week:                         Approximately 10 hours/week
Application deadline:          April 1, 2012
Number of students:                      1
Is a car necessary?                        No
Stipend:                                 Yes, if not applying for credit.
To apply:                                Submit a resume and a cover letter to: careers@syndromic.org by April 1, 2012.  Please put “ISDS Summer Internship” and your last name in the Subject line. ISDS requires pre-employment reference checks. ISDS is an equal opportunity employer.
Field Supervisor:                 Laura Streichert, PhD, MPH                                               Executive Director

A new article written by Meredith Wadman entitled "US disease agency in fiscal peril" posted today, February 28th, on Nature.com describes how "proposed budget changes threaten disease prevention and surveillance programmes." Read the article below or from the original source.


NATURE | NEWSUS disease agency in fiscal perilProposed budget changes threaten disease prevention
and surveillance programmes.

• Meredith Wadman

28 February 2012Article tools

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When US President Barack Obama proposed a US$664-million cut in congressional funding for the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in his 2013 budget request, he tried to ease the pain by replacing much of it with money from other sources. But only days after the 13 February request, a vote on Capitol Hill made clear just how vulnerable those substitutions are, suggesting that the US public-health agency is on increasingly shaky financial ground.The proposed cut would come from the part of the agency’s budget that is controlled by Congress and pays for the core operations of the CDC, based in Atlanta, Georgia. These include grants to local, county and state public-health departments to monitor infectious diseases or track food-borne outbreaks. Core funding is also used to maintain the Strategic National Stockpile, a repository of drugs reserved for fighting epidemics and bioterrorism. If Obama’s plan is enacted, the CDC’s congressionally controlled funding will have fallen by roughly 20% since 2010 — a decline that “looks like a disaster waiting to happen”, says Scott Becker, executive director of the Association of Public Health Laboratories in Silver Spring, Maryland.Related stories

• Obama shoots for science increase
• 2011 in reflection
• African outbreak stumps experts

More related storiesCuts to the CDC have already contributed to the loss of nearly 50,000 jobs in state and local health departments since 2008. This year, the administration argues that “efficiencies” will make possible the specific cuts it has proposed in areas such as adult-immunization funding and epidemiological support. But CDC advocates and public-health officials are sceptical. A proposed $47-million cut to the Strategic National Stockpile “is a lot more than just efficiency. It’s going to cut capability as well,” says Crystal Franco, an associate with the Center for Biosecurity of UPMC in Baltimore, Maryland. “We are reaching the tipping point where preparedness efforts are going to be reversed because of the lack of funding,” she adds.The CDC’s budget was significantly boosted a decade ago because of concerns over bio­terrorism in the wake of the 9/11 attacks. But as a budget vice tightens on the US government, the administration has begun to rely on two other sources to offset cuts to CDC programmes that have historically been funded by Congress (see ‘Cut to the core’).ExpandSOURCE: CAMPAIGN FOR PUBLIC HEALTH FOUNDATIONOne source is transfer payments made to the CDC from other public-health agencies. The 2013 budget would boost those payments by $296 million over this year’s level. But that would require congressional approval, which is far from guaranteed.The second source of funds to offset CDC cuts — $903 million from the Prevention and Public Health Fund (PPHF) — could be even less secure. Established by the 2010 health-reform law, the multibillion-dollar fund is aimed at disease prevention but has become an object of disdain for those opposed to the law. In the current atmosphere of fiscal constraint, the PPHF has become a target for raiding, and already, as part of a payroll-tax-cut extension that was signed into law by Obama on 22 February, Congress has cut the fund by 20%, or $250 million, in 2013, and by a total of $6.25 billion to 2025.The fund “is vulnerable. It could go away quickly,” says James Hughes, a CDC veteran and immediate past president of the Infectious Diseases Society of America in Arlington, Virginia. What’s more, says Hughes, now a professor of public health at Emory University in Atlanta, the fund was intended to launch innovative prevention initiatives, “not to replace core public-health capacity support”.

Working Title Enhanced Surveillance Coordinator, #08910 (EP)   Role Title
The non-classified role title can be used for those job titles not listed under current classified role titles. Prog Admin Specialist II - 19212   Hiring Range negotiable to $84,062   Job Type Full-Time   Job Type Detail
Definition Full-Time Salaried - Non-Faculty- FTS-1   Is this position funded in whole or in part by the American Recovery & Reinvestment Act (Stimulus Package)?
Definition No   Agency Dept of Health (601)   Agency Website
Replace www.yourwebsite.gov with your agency's website. This will show as a link to applicants. Click Here for Agency Website   Location Richmond (City) - 760   Sublocation   District VDH - Office of Epidemiology - 601 - 602   Position Number 08910   Job Posting Number 0054688   Type of Recruitment
Definition General Public - G   Pay Band
Information about state pay bands 05   Job Description This is a readvertisement: Applications received in December 2011 remain under review so applicants need not reapply.

Manages VDH's Enhanced Surveillance projects to detect and monitor emerging events and unusual diseases, especially those that might result from bioterrorist activities or constitute a public health emergency. Directs initiatives and provides epidemiologic oversight for enhanced surveillance programs statewide, including syndromic surveillance, special event surveillance, and influenza surveillance. Ensures the timeliness, accuracy and utility of existing enhanced surveillance programs, establishes policies and procedures for enhanced surveillance activities, and supervises enhanced surveillance epidemiology staff. Researches innovations to improve enhanced surveillance and prioritizes new initiatives. Implements data collection, data analysis, data management and data dissemination strategies to support surveillance. Guides the design, development, implementation, maintenance and enhancement of data systems to support epidemiology activities, including ESSENCE, EARS, and OMS. Implements procedures for the surveillance use of data from ESSENCE, EARS, and BioSense. Coordinates the transmissions, testing, acceptance and implementation of "Meaningful Use" compliant electronic data submissions of syndromic surveillance data. Develops grant applications, manages budgets and prepares progress reports. Serves as a liaison to the Offices of Emergency Preparedness and Response (EP&R) and Information Management and Health Information Technology (OIMHIT), to health care providers and to national enhanced surveillance workgroups. Serves as a Bioterrorism Response support team member.   Minimum Qualifications Knowledge of syndromic surveillance strategies, public health surveillance methods, principles of epidemiology, communicable diseases, and of laws, regulations, and policies on disease reporting and control. Strong skills in enhanced surveillance (including syndromic surveillance), data collection and management, statistical analysis, data interpretation and presentation, quality assurance of epidemiologic data and oral and written communication. Ability to apply epidemiologic principles; plan and implement new initiatives; train and supervise staff; manage statewide programs; conduct training; manage grant activities; develop goals and evaluate progress; develop/manage databases; analyze and interpret statistical information; use statistical software programs (e.g., SAS), spreadsheet applications (e.g., Excel), databases (e.g., Access and SQL) and presentation software (e.g., LogiXML, SAS, Excel and PowerPoint). Degree with major coursework in epidemiology, statistics or related field and/or equivalent experience and training.   Preferred Qualifications Advanced degree in epidemiology, statistics or related fields; and experience planning enhanced surveillance activities, performing epidemiologic emergency response activities, and working with data systems (e.g., ESSENCE and OMS) preferred.   Special Requirements Applicants must successfully complete a national criminal background investigation. As a Bioterrorism support team member, must be available 24 hours a day, seven days a week for emergency response. Valid Driver's license and some travel required.   Special Instructions to Applicants Applicants needing sponsorship need not apply. A completed application, including all previous employment, salary history, and education must be submitted on-line at www.vdh.virginia.gov for consideration. No faxed, mailed, or e-mailed applications accepted. Electronic applications will be accepted until 5:00 p.m. on the closing date. Initial review will be conducted on applications received by March 5, 2012.

This is a restricted position which is solely funded by CDC Public Health Preparedness grant funds for the current budget period ending 8/9/2012. The availability of funding is scheduled for review in May 2012 and annually thereafter. Employment is contingent on the continued availability of grant or non-general funds.   Contact Information   Name Pat Tucker   Phone 804-864-8142   Job Close Date
Jobs close at 5pm EST. Open Until Filled Quicklink for Posting jobs.agencies.virginia.gov/applicants/Central?quickFind=144029  

The Division of Notifiable Diseases and Health Care Information (DNDHI), Public Health Surveillance and Informatics Program Office (PHSIPO), Office of Surveillance, Epidemiology, and Laboratory Services (OSELS) is seeking an exceptional health scientist/informatician/statistician to serve as the chief of its Information Systems and Statistical Support Branch in Atlanta, GA. The mission of PHSIPO is to advance the science and practice of public health surveillance that accelerates effective public health decision-making and actions.  This is accomplished by managing surveillance systems with cross-CDC utility; developing new information sources, analytic methods, and tools for addressing common challenges in surveillance practice; engaging and supporting CDC programs and external partners, particularly those in health departments; having answers to common questions about surveillance practice & policy; using a  multidisciplinary approach; contributing to public health emergency preparedness and response by enhancing biosurveillance capacities; and anticipating changes in healthcare, the determinants of public health, and information technologies that shape surveillance practice. DNDHI plays a critical role in this mission by maintaining and improving the operations of  surveillance systems already in existence (such as the Nationally Notifiable Disease Surveillance Systems (NNDSS) and BioSense), as well as the development of new surveillance capacities that are based on links between public health and health care providers.  Development of new surveillance capacities will draw on the increasing automation of health care records and information systems, including opportunities for local, state, and national public health functions arising from the growth of health information exchanges, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, and the “meaningful use” provisions of the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.The incumbent serves as chief of the Information Systems and Statistical Support Branch (ISSSB) responsible for planning, developing, directing and providing statistical, data management, informatics and information system leadership.  Responsible for managing contracts in support of the information technology needs of both the BioSense Program and the National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System in an applied public health surveillance program.  Directs research of statistical and data management methodologies relevant for applied public health surveillance (including notifiable disease, syndromic, and health services-based surveillance).  As part of the senior management team, serves as the advisor to the Division Director, other senior officials, CDC, DHHS, ONC and other Federal, state, and private officials on matters concerning the statistical and data management- and informatics-related principles and practices of public health surveillance; provide leadership in addressing public health issues of national interest; and directs initiatives to develop new and improved statistical methods and techniques for analyzing and interpreting health surveillance data. As Branch Chief, responsible for the overall management and supervision of the analytical, research, and applied surveillance program activities and personnel assigned.
Because the surveillance systems managed by this division depend on surveillance systems managed by state, local, and territorial health departments throughout the United States. In for conditions that span numerous parts of CDC, the ability to collaborate effectively with colleagues both within and outside CDC is essential.
Applications for the position should be submitted by Thursday, March 22, 2012 through the USAJOBS website (www.usajobs.gov).
USAJOBS Announcements: Supervisory Health Scientist/ Supervisory Statistician (Interdisciplinary), GS-601-15 and GS-1530-15·         Supervisory Health Scientist/ Statistician (internal): HHS-CDC-MP-12-601911·         Supervisory Health Scientist/Statistician  (external): HHS-CDC-DE-12-600266For additional information about this job, please contact Kathleen Gallagher. D.Sc., MPH by email at kxg7@cdc.gov or by phone at 404-498-6631.
**If you are USPHS Commissioned Corps Officer interested in applying for this position, you do NOT have to submit an application through USAJOBS.  Instead, please send your cover letter and CV directly to Kathleen Gallagher. D.Sc., MPH at kxg7@cdc.gov.

The Division of Notifiable Diseases and Health Care Information (DNDHI), Public Health Surveillance Program Office (PHSPO), Office of Surveillance, Epidemiology, and Laboratory Services (OSELS) is seeking an exceptional medical officer/ doctoral epidemiologist to serve as the chief of its Surveillance and Analysis Branch in Atlanta, GA. The mission of PHSPO is to advance the science and practice of public health surveillance that accelerates effective public health decision-making and actions.  This is accomplished by managing surveillance systems with cross-CDC utility; developing new information sources, analytic methods, and tools for addressing common challenges in surveillance practice; engaging and supporting CDC programs and external partners, particularly those in health departments; having answers to common questions about surveillance practice & policy; using a  multidisciplinary approach; contributing to public health emergency preparedness and response by enhancing biosurveillance capacities; and anticipating changes in healthcare, the determinants of public health, and information technologies that shape surveillance practice. DNDHI plays a critical role in this mission by maintaining and improving the operations of  surveillance systems already in existence (such as the Nationally Notifiable Disease Surveillance Systems ( NNDSS) and BioSense), as well as the development of new surveillance capacities that are based on links between public health and health care providers.  Development of new surveillance capacities will draw on the increasing automation of health care records and information systems, including opportunities for local, state, and national public health functions arising from the growth of health information exchanges, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, and the “meaningful use” provisions of the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.The position serves as chief of the Surveillance and Analysis Branch and is responsible for leadership and oversight for all surveillance and analysis activities within DNDHI including those involving data from nationally notifiable disease surveillance, syndromic surveillance activities in BioSense and BioSense 2.0, and large automated data sets (i.e. CMS) that may be used to monitor population health.  In addition, the incumbent is responsible for the overall management and supervision of the analytical, research and applied surveillance program and cooperative agreement/grant activities and personnel assigned.   As part of the senior management team, the branch chief also serves as an advisor to the Division Director, other senior management officials, CDC, DHHS, ONC and other Federal, state, and private officials on matters concerning the principles and practices of public health surveillance; provide leadership in addressing public health issues of national interest; and directs initiatives to develop new and improved methods and techniques for analyzing and interpreting health surveillance data.The surveillance systems managed by this division depend on surveillance systems managed by state, local, and territorial health departments throughout the United States. In addition, this division conducts surveillance for diseases and conditions for which lead responsibility for prevention and control rests with other parts of CDC. As a result, the ability to collaborate effectively with colleagues both within and outside CDC is essential.
Applications for the position should be submitted by Thursday, March 22, 2012 through the USAJOBS website (www.usajobs.gov).
USAJOBS Announcements: Supervisory Health Scientist/ Supervisory Medical Officer, GS-601-15 and GS-602-15 ·         Supervisory Health Scientist (internal): HHS-CDC-MP-12-602488·         Supervisory Health Scientist (external): HHS-CDC-DE-12-602437·         Supervisory Medical Officer (internal): HHS-CDC-MP-12-609086·         Supervisory Medical Officer (external): HHS-CDC-DE-12-604992
For additional information about this job, please contact Kathleen Gallagher. D.Sc., MPH by email at kxg7@cdc.gov or by phone at 404-498-6631. **If you are USPHS Commissioned Corps Officer interested in applying for this position, you do NOT have to submit an application through USAJOBS.  Instead, please send your cover letter and CV directly to Kathleen Gallagher. D.Sc., MPH at kxg7@cdc.gov.

The Proposed Rule for Stage 2 Meaningful Use has been Posted to the Federal Register; CMS Fact Sheet Provides Overview
The Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) for Stage 2 meaningful use was posted to the Office of the Federal Register today. The proposed rule outlines the next stage of meaningful use for the Electronic Health Record (EHR) Incentive Programs, which are administered by CMS. View the NPRM.

CMS has developed a fact sheet to give providers an overview of the rule and how Stage 2 expands upon Stage 1 of meaningful use. The fact sheet can be found on the EHR Incentive Programs website https://www.cms.gov/apps/media/fact_sheets.asp.

The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology's (ONC's) NPRM was delivered to the Federal Register on February 22 at the same time as the CMS NPRM, and the policy is finalized. Additional news about the ONC proposed rule will be released once it is posted and the rules will publish on the same day.

Learn more about meaningful use by going to the CMS EHR Meaningful Use Overview web page.

Want more information about the EHR Incentive Programs? Make sure to visit the EHR Incentive Programs website for the latest news and updates on the EHR Incentive Programs.Other useful CDC/PHIN links:1) New "In the Spotlight" on both PHIN (www.cdc.gov/phin) and MU (www.cdc.gov/ehrmeaningfuluse) pages2) New Cancer subpage under the PH Options on MU site.3) Updated Guides page on both pages4) Updated About Meaningful Use Intro page on MU page