Evaluation of Surveillance Systems: Supporting Improvements in Public Health Practice

The next DUKE/UNC Joint Health Informatics Seminar will feature the presentation titled, "Evaluation of Surveillance Systems:  Supporting Improvements in Public Health Practice" by Erika Samoff, Ph.D., MPH.

Seminar Abstract:

Public Health surveillance uses information systems to support outbreak control and programs to reduce disease in the population.  This presentation describes the evaluation of two electronic public health surveillance systems used in North Carolina. Evaluation of these types of systems has traditionally meant evaluation of data characteristics (e.g. accuracy and timeliness). This project identifies additional goals for surveillance systems: generation of data that are easily accessed by practitioners at multiple levels, and delivery of these data to appropriate decision-makers. For these goals, new evaluation measures were created. The evaluation was designed to produce recommendations easily translatable to practice, and thereby to support practical use of these systems.  The evaluation design, findings, recommendations, and translation efforts will be described.

Bio Sketch:

Erika Samoff is a Research Associate at the Institute for Public Health at the Gillings School of Global Public Health, at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill.  She received her M.P.H. from the University of Michigan and her Ph.D. in Microbiology and Epidemiology from the Yale University School of Public Health in 2003.  She is an investigator on the CDC-funded North Carolina Preparedness and Emergency Response Research Center (NCPERRC) Surveillance Project, where her work focuses on the use of information systems for public health surveillance. Her previous work includes sexually transmitted disease prevention program development and evaluation work for the city of New York and the States of California and Georgia. She worked as an Epidemic Intelligence Service Officer for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention from 2003-2005, in the Division of Sexually Transmitted Disease Prevention.

For a complete seminar schedule:  Visit the DCHI website at: https://www.dchi.duke.edu/education/informatics-seminars

CEU Credit:

Duke University Health System Clinical Education & Professional Development is authorized by IACET to offer .1 CEU per presentation to participants who attend the entire presentation, sign the sign-in sheet, and complete and return the feedback/evaluation form at the conclusion of each presentation.  Partial credit is not awarded.

Locations:   UNC: Health Science Library, Room 328

                    Duke:  Hock Auditorium - Hock Plaza 2424 Erwin Road, Durham, NC 27705            

Parking at Duke:

Parking is free.  To have your name placed on the parking list, contact Claire Miller at clairellen.miller@duke.edu.   Access the parking deck through the driveway in front of the building. Drive under the portico into the garage and stop at the traffic gate. Push the button next to speaker and tell receptionist that you are here for the Informatics Research Seminar.  After parking, proceed to the 4th Floor of the parking garage and exit across the driveway to enter the building.  Sign in at the desk, take the elevator down to the ground floor to Hock Auditorium. (Exit left off the elevator and walk down the hall, the auditorium will be on your right)