Research to improve ultrasound should lead to better detection of birth defects in unborn babies

Researchers at King's College London have been awarded £10 million from the Wellcome Trust and the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) to develop advanced ultrasound imaging technology to improve the detection of birth defects in unborn babies.

Prenatal diagnosis of birth defects is important as it has a direct impact on how the new-born is managed, enabling medical practitioners to make the necessary preparations, such as arranging to deliver the baby in a specialist unit with the equipment and expertise to treat their condition. It also enables the parents to receive counselling and meet the appropriate specialists, in order to make informed choices and prepare themselves mentally and emotionally for a potentially difficult period after birth.

Currently, screening for fetal abnormalities by ultrasound takes place at 12 weeks and 18-20 weeks. Although anatomical structures are developed by the time of the later scan, it can be difficult to obtain clear images, particularly in obese mothers or in cases with an unfavourable fetal position.

Whilst ultrasound is a powerful tool – it is inexpensive, safe and portable, and images are acquired in real-time – the diagnostic accuracy and sensitivity of ultrasound is limited. To use and interpret the scan requires extensive training and despite substantial investment in training this large workforce, many abnormalities remain undetected; for example, the national screening program only detects around a third of serious cardiac abnormalities, and the detection rate for hernias of the diaphragm is around 60 per cent. In addition there is substantial regional and hospital-specific variation in prenatal detection rates, so that in some areas the detection rates are substantially worst.

Professor Reza Razavi and colleagues at King's College London and King’s Health Partners Academic Health Sciences Centre have been awarded funding under the joint Wellcome Trust and EPSRC Innovative Engineering for Health scheme to develop a fully automated and computer-guided ultrasound system, allowing midwives to acquire three-dimensional images of the whole baby in much higher resolution than is currently possible. The team are also aiming to develop computer software that will be able to automatically analyse the images acquired. These techniques should substantially improve detection rates of congenital abnormalities.

Professor Razavi, who is Head of Imaging Sciences at King’s College London and Director of Research at King’s Health Partners, said: “Identifying birth defects at an early stage is essential both for medical professionals and for the parents themselves. Current ultrasound scans are relatively crude, and many serious abnormalities are not detected, leading to these babies becoming very ill soon after birth and substantial delay before a diagnosis is made and they can be transferred to a specialist centre for appropriate treatment.

“We are developing a radically new approach to fetal screening, largely removing the need for experts to acquire and interpret the images. It will allow the initial screening scans to be done in a few minutes, and provide a consistently higher detection rate for major abnormalities.”

In addition, the research team believe that the high quality 3D images produced of the placenta, amniotic fluid and fetus could be used across large population studies linked to genetic and environmental factors. This should greatly help the understanding of fetal and maternal health in conditions such as intra-uterine growth restriction and pre-eclampsia, as well as the study of some chronic diseases, that have origins in fetal life.

Dr Ted Bianco, Director of Technology Transfer at the Wellcome Trust, said: “This is an ambitious research project at the cutting edge of engineering in its application to health. If successful, it would greatly enhance the value of ultrasound for the care of mothers and their babies.”

Professor David Delpy, Chief Executive of EPSRC, said: “The role of innovative engineering and the physical sciences in providing new ways to diagnose and treat medical conditions is often underappreciated. EPSRC is proud to be working with the Wellcome Trust to support this research which will hopefully improve the detection of serious conditions in unborn children, enhance treatment and increase their chances of survival. This project is an example of how engineering developments can improve and save lives: what could be more important?”

Craig Brierley
Media Relations Manager
The Wellcome Trust
Tel: +44 (0)20 7611 7329

Jenny Gimpel
PR Manager (Health)
King’s College London
Tel: +44 (0)20 7848 4334

The Wellcome Trust is a global charitable foundation dedicated to achieving extraordinary improvements in human and animal health. It supports the brightest minds in biomedical research and the medical humanities. The Trust’s breadth of support includes public engagement, education and the application of research to improve health. It is independent of both political and commercial interests.

The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) is the UK's main agency for funding research in engineering and the physical sciences. EPSRC invests around £800 million a year in research and postgraduate training, to help the nation handle the next generation of technological change. The areas covered range from information technology to structural engineering, and mathematics to materials science. This research forms the basis for future economic development in the UK and improvements for everyone's health, lifestyle and culture. EPSRC works alongside other Research Councils with responsibility for other areas of research. The Research Councils work collectively on issues of common concern via Research Councils UK.

King's College London is one of the top 20 universities in the world (2013/14 QS World University Rankings) and the fourth oldest in England. It is The Sunday Times 'Best University for Graduate Employment 2012/13'. A research-led university based in the heart of London, King's has more than 25,000 students (of whom more than 10,000 are graduate students) from nearly 140 countries, and more than 6,500 employees. King's is in the second phase of a £1 billion redevelopment programme which is transforming its estate.

King’s Health Partners is one of only six Academic Health Sciences Centres (AHSCs) in England. It is a partnership between one of the world’s top 20 universities, King’s College London, with three internationally-renowned NHS foundation trusts – Guy’s and St Thomas’, King’s College Hospital and South London and Maudsley. Its aim is to create a centre where world-class research, education and clinical practice are brought together for the benefit of all its patients.

Reference: PN 21-14

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Research to improve ultrasound should lead to better detection of birth defects in unborn babies

Posted by maghestra No comments

Researchers at King's College London have been awarded £10 million from the Wellcome Trust and the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) to develop advanced ultrasound imaging technology to improve the detection of birth defects in unborn babies.

Prenatal diagnosis of birth defects is important as it has a direct impact on how the new-born is managed, enabling medical practitioners to make the necessary preparations, such as arranging to deliver the baby in a specialist unit with the equipment and expertise to treat their condition. It also enables the parents to receive counselling and meet the appropriate specialists, in order to make informed choices and prepare themselves mentally and emotionally for a potentially difficult period after birth.

Currently, screening for fetal abnormalities by ultrasound takes place at 12 weeks and 18-20 weeks. Although anatomical structures are developed by the time of the later scan, it can be difficult to obtain clear images, particularly in obese mothers or in cases with an unfavourable fetal position.

Whilst ultrasound is a powerful tool – it is inexpensive, safe and portable, and images are acquired in real-time – the diagnostic accuracy and sensitivity of ultrasound is limited. To use and interpret the scan requires extensive training and despite substantial investment in training this large workforce, many abnormalities remain undetected; for example, the national screening program only detects around a third of serious cardiac abnormalities, and the detection rate for hernias of the diaphragm is around 60 per cent. In addition there is substantial regional and hospital-specific variation in prenatal detection rates, so that in some areas the detection rates are substantially worst.

Professor Reza Razavi and colleagues at King's College London and King’s Health Partners Academic Health Sciences Centre have been awarded funding under the joint Wellcome Trust and EPSRC Innovative Engineering for Health scheme to develop a fully automated and computer-guided ultrasound system, allowing midwives to acquire three-dimensional images of the whole baby in much higher resolution than is currently possible. The team are also aiming to develop computer software that will be able to automatically analyse the images acquired. These techniques should substantially improve detection rates of congenital abnormalities.

Professor Razavi, who is Head of Imaging Sciences at King’s College London and Director of Research at King’s Health Partners, said: “Identifying birth defects at an early stage is essential both for medical professionals and for the parents themselves. Current ultrasound scans are relatively crude, and many serious abnormalities are not detected, leading to these babies becoming very ill soon after birth and substantial delay before a diagnosis is made and they can be transferred to a specialist centre for appropriate treatment.

“We are developing a radically new approach to fetal screening, largely removing the need for experts to acquire and interpret the images. It will allow the initial screening scans to be done in a few minutes, and provide a consistently higher detection rate for major abnormalities.”

In addition, the research team believe that the high quality 3D images produced of the placenta, amniotic fluid and fetus could be used across large population studies linked to genetic and environmental factors. This should greatly help the understanding of fetal and maternal health in conditions such as intra-uterine growth restriction and pre-eclampsia, as well as the study of some chronic diseases, that have origins in fetal life.

Dr Ted Bianco, Director of Technology Transfer at the Wellcome Trust, said: “This is an ambitious research project at the cutting edge of engineering in its application to health. If successful, it would greatly enhance the value of ultrasound for the care of mothers and their babies.”

Professor David Delpy, Chief Executive of EPSRC, said: “The role of innovative engineering and the physical sciences in providing new ways to diagnose and treat medical conditions is often underappreciated. EPSRC is proud to be working with the Wellcome Trust to support this research which will hopefully improve the detection of serious conditions in unborn children, enhance treatment and increase their chances of survival. This project is an example of how engineering developments can improve and save lives: what could be more important?”

Craig Brierley
Media Relations Manager
The Wellcome Trust
Tel: +44 (0)20 7611 7329

Jenny Gimpel
PR Manager (Health)
King’s College London
Tel: +44 (0)20 7848 4334

The Wellcome Trust is a global charitable foundation dedicated to achieving extraordinary improvements in human and animal health. It supports the brightest minds in biomedical research and the medical humanities. The Trust’s breadth of support includes public engagement, education and the application of research to improve health. It is independent of both political and commercial interests.

The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) is the UK's main agency for funding research in engineering and the physical sciences. EPSRC invests around £800 million a year in research and postgraduate training, to help the nation handle the next generation of technological change. The areas covered range from information technology to structural engineering, and mathematics to materials science. This research forms the basis for future economic development in the UK and improvements for everyone's health, lifestyle and culture. EPSRC works alongside other Research Councils with responsibility for other areas of research. The Research Councils work collectively on issues of common concern via Research Councils UK.

King's College London is one of the top 20 universities in the world (2013/14 QS World University Rankings) and the fourth oldest in England. It is The Sunday Times 'Best University for Graduate Employment 2012/13'. A research-led university based in the heart of London, King's has more than 25,000 students (of whom more than 10,000 are graduate students) from nearly 140 countries, and more than 6,500 employees. King's is in the second phase of a £1 billion redevelopment programme which is transforming its estate.

King’s Health Partners is one of only six Academic Health Sciences Centres (AHSCs) in England. It is a partnership between one of the world’s top 20 universities, King’s College London, with three internationally-renowned NHS foundation trusts – Guy’s and St Thomas’, King’s College Hospital and South London and Maudsley. Its aim is to create a centre where world-class research, education and clinical practice are brought together for the benefit of all its patients.

Reference: PN 21-14

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Empowering Patients to Better Manage their Health Results in Improved Health and Health Care

Princeton, N.J.—The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) released a suite of materials—including a brief, videos, case studies, and more—to help health care professionals better engage patients to manage their own health and play a role in improving care delivery at the practice and system levels.
Research shows that patients who lack the skills and confidence to manage their own health care often require more of it and incur higher health care costs.
“Patients who are actively engaged in their own health care are more likely to stay healthy and manage their conditions," said Susan Mende, senior program officer at RWJF. "It is important for physicians and their teams to work with patients to ensure they have the knowledge and confidence necessary to take control of their own health—where most health decisions happen—outside of the examination room."
The RWJF package highlights how health care professionals across the country are engaging patients at all levels to improve care, from hosting disease self-management workshops to including patients on practice quality improvement teams.

“Patient engagement isn’t only about patients’ ability to engage in their own health or quality improvement projects,” said Jessica Osborne-Safsnes, project co-director of Aligning Forces Humboldt, Calif. “It’s also about how ready an organization is to work with patients on these projects.”

The materials also include a resource guide and interview with Safsnes and a colleague about their successful patient engagement efforts. The resources are part of the Aligning Forces for Quality "Quality Field Notes" series highlighting lessons learned by regional alliances of clinicians, patients, and payers to transform local health care and provide models for national reform.

To learn more about the Quality Field Notes series, visit http://rwjf.ws/1kayglB.

For more than 40 years the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation has worked to improve the health and health care of all Americans. We are striving to build a national culture of health that will enable all Americans to live longer, healthier lives now and for generations to come.

For more information, visit www.rwjf.org. Follow the Foundation on Twitter www.rwjf.org/twitter or Facebook www.rwjf.org/facebook.

View the original article here

Empowering Patients to Better Manage their Health Results in Improved Health and Health Care

Posted by maghestra No comments

Princeton, N.J.—The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) released a suite of materials—including a brief, videos, case studies, and more—to help health care professionals better engage patients to manage their own health and play a role in improving care delivery at the practice and system levels.
Research shows that patients who lack the skills and confidence to manage their own health care often require more of it and incur higher health care costs.
“Patients who are actively engaged in their own health care are more likely to stay healthy and manage their conditions," said Susan Mende, senior program officer at RWJF. "It is important for physicians and their teams to work with patients to ensure they have the knowledge and confidence necessary to take control of their own health—where most health decisions happen—outside of the examination room."
The RWJF package highlights how health care professionals across the country are engaging patients at all levels to improve care, from hosting disease self-management workshops to including patients on practice quality improvement teams.

“Patient engagement isn’t only about patients’ ability to engage in their own health or quality improvement projects,” said Jessica Osborne-Safsnes, project co-director of Aligning Forces Humboldt, Calif. “It’s also about how ready an organization is to work with patients on these projects.”

The materials also include a resource guide and interview with Safsnes and a colleague about their successful patient engagement efforts. The resources are part of the Aligning Forces for Quality "Quality Field Notes" series highlighting lessons learned by regional alliances of clinicians, patients, and payers to transform local health care and provide models for national reform.

To learn more about the Quality Field Notes series, visit http://rwjf.ws/1kayglB.

For more than 40 years the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation has worked to improve the health and health care of all Americans. We are striving to build a national culture of health that will enable all Americans to live longer, healthier lives now and for generations to come.

For more information, visit www.rwjf.org. Follow the Foundation on Twitter www.rwjf.org/twitter or Facebook www.rwjf.org/facebook.

View the original article here

Groundbreaking New Website Launches, Giving Public Access to Measures of Child Well-Being and Equity Throughout the United States

Waltham, Mass.–The Institute for Child, Youth and Family Policy (ICYFP) at Brandeis University’s Heller School for Social Policy and Management has launched a new online data and analysis tool, providing unprecedented insight into wellbeing and equity among the ever-more diverse child population in the United States.

The site, diversitydatakids.org, allows users to create customized profiles, rankings and maps that make data visual and digestible. It also features a neighborhood-level child opportunity index, the first of its kind, developed in partnership with the Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity at Ohio State University. This index allows users to view interactive maps of the opportunities that are available to children in their own neighborhoods; a story that is often strikingly different by race/ethnicity. In addition to providing this index and hundreds of standard data indicators broken down by race and ethnicity, this site generates unique, equity-focused indicators of known structural factors that influence disparities in healthy child development. It also allows users to drill down from the national level to smaller levels of geography such as metropolitan areas and school districts, and in some cases, down to the neighborhood level, providing pinpoint views of the often nuanced inequities present among children of various racial and ethnic groups.

“The U.S. child population is increasingly racially and ethnically diverse, but unfortunately not all children have the same opportunities for healthy development,” said Dolores Acevedo-Garcia, director of ICYFP and principal investigator of the diversitydatakids.org project. “Our future hinges on our ability to ensure equitable opportunities for children across all racial and ethnic groups to lead healthy, productive lives. We hope that our data will equip users to become more informed advocates for all children and especially for vulnerable children.”

The U.S. philanthropy community is increasingly focused on data that promotes child advocacy through a lens of racial and ethnic equity. This project was originally funded with longtime support from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, which also supported the development of diversitydatakids.org’s parent project (www.diversitydata.org), created in 2007.

“Diversitydatakids.org is an invaluable resource for all communities working on racial equity. Census and other data that tell the story of our nation’s children will help refine the strategies the racial healing and racial equity movements use to accomplish this important work,” said Dr. Gail C. Christopher, vice president of Program Strategy at the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. “We are proud of how this project has grown and evolved over the nine years of our partnership, and we are grateful for the tools it will continue to provide to foundation grantees in the years to come.”

The diversitydatakids.org project has also received support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF), which has prioritized building an inclusive and equitable culture of health for all Americans. The RWJF Commission for a Healthier America has recently released recommendations to improve health through early childhood education, community development, and promoting health outside the medical system. The data that diversitydatakids.org provides is closely aligned with and will help monitor the Commissions’ health recommendations.

“We are working to build a culture of health for all Americans,” said Risa Lavizzo-Mourey, president and CEO of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, “a culture in which the health of our children is a matter of fact, not a matter of chance. The diversitydatakids.org project can be an indispensable tool in helping communities assess their health—and then take steps to improve it. RWJF is very proud to be able to support this big step forward for children and their health.”

The launch of diversitydatakids.org is accompanied by the release of two fact sheets demonstrating how data can contribute to a more robust narrative around diversity and racial equity for children. The site will continue to release fact sheets and other content, sharing insights and providing examples of how data can be used by site visitors at any level of expertise.

The site’s launch is the culmination of years of work at ICYFP on collecting the highest-quality data available on the U.S. child population and representing it in a way that tells a compelling story: child experiences in America vary drastically by race and ethnicity, often in ways that are systematically unfair and avoidable. The diversitydatakids.org team and ICYFP hope that the project will illuminate these issues for the public and provide a toolkit for other researchers, policymakers, and advocates to effect positive, lasting change for children in the United States.

For more information, visit www.diversitydatakids.org.

The Institute for Child, Youth and Family Policy (CYFP) The Institute for Child, Youth and Family Policy (ICYFP) is located at the Heller School for Social Policy and Management at Brandeis University. The research team at ICYFP engages in both quantitative and qualitative research studies of children and families as well as the social policies that directly affect their wellbeing.

The mission of ICYFP is to conduct and disseminate policy-relevant research on the wellbeing, health and development of children and their families. ICYFP seeks to understand the causes of inequities in children’s ability to achieve health and to offer program and policy solutions to alleviate these inequities. Research at ICYFP is strongly focused on understanding and quantifying disparities among children and their families by race/ethnicity, immigrant status, socioeconomic status, or disability status as they manifest themselves in opportunities for good health, education, and financial stability.

The W.K. Kellogg Foundation (WKKF), founded in 1930 as an independent, private foundation by breakfast cereal pioneer, Will Keith Kellogg, is among the largest philanthropic foundations in the United States. Guided by the belief that all children should have an equal opportunity to thrive, WKKF works with communities to create the conditions where vulnerable children can realize their full potential in school, work and life.

The Kellogg Foundation is based in Battle Creek, Mich., and works throughout the United States and internationally, as well as with sovereign tribes. Special emphasis is paid to priority places where there are high concentrations of poverty and where children face significant barriers to success. WKKF priority places in the U.S. are in Michigan, Mississippi, New Mexico and New Orleans; and internationally, are in Mexico and Haiti. For more information, visit www.wkkf.org.

View the original article here

Groundbreaking New Website Launches, Giving Public Access to Measures of Child Well-Being and Equity Throughout the United States

Posted by maghestra No comments

Waltham, Mass.–The Institute for Child, Youth and Family Policy (ICYFP) at Brandeis University’s Heller School for Social Policy and Management has launched a new online data and analysis tool, providing unprecedented insight into wellbeing and equity among the ever-more diverse child population in the United States.

The site, diversitydatakids.org, allows users to create customized profiles, rankings and maps that make data visual and digestible. It also features a neighborhood-level child opportunity index, the first of its kind, developed in partnership with the Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity at Ohio State University. This index allows users to view interactive maps of the opportunities that are available to children in their own neighborhoods; a story that is often strikingly different by race/ethnicity. In addition to providing this index and hundreds of standard data indicators broken down by race and ethnicity, this site generates unique, equity-focused indicators of known structural factors that influence disparities in healthy child development. It also allows users to drill down from the national level to smaller levels of geography such as metropolitan areas and school districts, and in some cases, down to the neighborhood level, providing pinpoint views of the often nuanced inequities present among children of various racial and ethnic groups.

“The U.S. child population is increasingly racially and ethnically diverse, but unfortunately not all children have the same opportunities for healthy development,” said Dolores Acevedo-Garcia, director of ICYFP and principal investigator of the diversitydatakids.org project. “Our future hinges on our ability to ensure equitable opportunities for children across all racial and ethnic groups to lead healthy, productive lives. We hope that our data will equip users to become more informed advocates for all children and especially for vulnerable children.”

The U.S. philanthropy community is increasingly focused on data that promotes child advocacy through a lens of racial and ethnic equity. This project was originally funded with longtime support from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, which also supported the development of diversitydatakids.org’s parent project (www.diversitydata.org), created in 2007.

“Diversitydatakids.org is an invaluable resource for all communities working on racial equity. Census and other data that tell the story of our nation’s children will help refine the strategies the racial healing and racial equity movements use to accomplish this important work,” said Dr. Gail C. Christopher, vice president of Program Strategy at the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. “We are proud of how this project has grown and evolved over the nine years of our partnership, and we are grateful for the tools it will continue to provide to foundation grantees in the years to come.”

The diversitydatakids.org project has also received support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF), which has prioritized building an inclusive and equitable culture of health for all Americans. The RWJF Commission for a Healthier America has recently released recommendations to improve health through early childhood education, community development, and promoting health outside the medical system. The data that diversitydatakids.org provides is closely aligned with and will help monitor the Commissions’ health recommendations.

“We are working to build a culture of health for all Americans,” said Risa Lavizzo-Mourey, president and CEO of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, “a culture in which the health of our children is a matter of fact, not a matter of chance. The diversitydatakids.org project can be an indispensable tool in helping communities assess their health—and then take steps to improve it. RWJF is very proud to be able to support this big step forward for children and their health.”

The launch of diversitydatakids.org is accompanied by the release of two fact sheets demonstrating how data can contribute to a more robust narrative around diversity and racial equity for children. The site will continue to release fact sheets and other content, sharing insights and providing examples of how data can be used by site visitors at any level of expertise.

The site’s launch is the culmination of years of work at ICYFP on collecting the highest-quality data available on the U.S. child population and representing it in a way that tells a compelling story: child experiences in America vary drastically by race and ethnicity, often in ways that are systematically unfair and avoidable. The diversitydatakids.org team and ICYFP hope that the project will illuminate these issues for the public and provide a toolkit for other researchers, policymakers, and advocates to effect positive, lasting change for children in the United States.

For more information, visit www.diversitydatakids.org.

The Institute for Child, Youth and Family Policy (CYFP) The Institute for Child, Youth and Family Policy (ICYFP) is located at the Heller School for Social Policy and Management at Brandeis University. The research team at ICYFP engages in both quantitative and qualitative research studies of children and families as well as the social policies that directly affect their wellbeing.

The mission of ICYFP is to conduct and disseminate policy-relevant research on the wellbeing, health and development of children and their families. ICYFP seeks to understand the causes of inequities in children’s ability to achieve health and to offer program and policy solutions to alleviate these inequities. Research at ICYFP is strongly focused on understanding and quantifying disparities among children and their families by race/ethnicity, immigrant status, socioeconomic status, or disability status as they manifest themselves in opportunities for good health, education, and financial stability.

The W.K. Kellogg Foundation (WKKF), founded in 1930 as an independent, private foundation by breakfast cereal pioneer, Will Keith Kellogg, is among the largest philanthropic foundations in the United States. Guided by the belief that all children should have an equal opportunity to thrive, WKKF works with communities to create the conditions where vulnerable children can realize their full potential in school, work and life.

The Kellogg Foundation is based in Battle Creek, Mich., and works throughout the United States and internationally, as well as with sovereign tribes. Special emphasis is paid to priority places where there are high concentrations of poverty and where children face significant barriers to success. WKKF priority places in the U.S. are in Michigan, Mississippi, New Mexico and New Orleans; and internationally, are in Mexico and Haiti. For more information, visit www.wkkf.org.

View the original article here

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Funds New Healthy People 2020 Law and Health Policy Project Through CDC Foundation

Atlanta, Ga.—Great strides have been made to improve public health over the past century, such as the reduction over the past 50 years in the number of Americans smoking. Many of those great strides were bolstered by providing individuals with the information needed to make informed health decisions. With $1.6 million in funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the CDC Foundation is launching a new project that will use the best available data to inform and advance discussion about how laws and policies can assist people in making healthier choices.

Subject matter experts will work with federal partners to develop 10 to 15 evidence-based reports during the next three years to highlight the state of laws and policies related to specific topic areas within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Healthy People 2020 initiative. This effort will provide critically needed practical information to public health officials and associations, health-related industries, legal practitioners, non-profit organizations, policy-makers, and individuals about the use of law and policy to address health factors. Within HHS, the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (ODPHP) is leading the effort with support from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

“HHS is delighted to launch this Healthy People 2020 Law and Health Policy Project with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and CDC Foundation,” said HHS Assistant Secretary for Health Howard K. Koh, MD, MPH. “It will leverage the rich history and power of Healthy People 2020 to demonstrate how laws and evidence-based health policy can improve the health of our nation.”

HHS’ Healthy People 2020 is a set of goals and objectives with 10-year targets designed to guide national health promotion and disease prevention efforts aimed at improving the health of all people in the United States. Healthy People 2020 serves as a strategic management tool for the federal government, states, communities and many other public- and private-sector partners.

“To protect and improve health, law and policy evidence are crucial,” said CDC Director Tom Frieden, MD, MPH. “Projects such as this will go a long way to help get us to our destination of a more healthy nation faster.”

ODPHP will provide leadership and support for the development of the reports, while CDC will provide technical guidance on the development of specific reports and collaborate with public health partners and communities to promote knowledge and understanding of the reports. In addition to funding the effort, RWJF will provide public health law and policy expertise. The CDC Foundation will manage administration and implementation of the project and amplify the results to stakeholders through communications efforts.

“The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation believes that law and policy are important levers for building a culture of health in our nation,” said Risa Lavizzo-Mourey, MD, president and CEO of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. “We’re pleased to collaborate with leaders in public health and government to focus attention on policies based on the best science to help achieve the national health goals set out in Healthy People 2020—strategies that all states and communities can use to help people live healthier lives.”

“We greatly appreciate the support the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation is providing to increase understanding around the link between policy and healthier outcomes,” said Charles Stokes, president and CEO of the CDC Foundation. “Public health law and policy can serve as valuable tools with wide-reaching benefits for everyone that can often decrease the need for other more costly and less effective interventions.”

View the original article here

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Funds New Healthy People 2020 Law and Health Policy Project Through CDC Foundation

Posted by maghestra No comments

Atlanta, Ga.—Great strides have been made to improve public health over the past century, such as the reduction over the past 50 years in the number of Americans smoking. Many of those great strides were bolstered by providing individuals with the information needed to make informed health decisions. With $1.6 million in funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the CDC Foundation is launching a new project that will use the best available data to inform and advance discussion about how laws and policies can assist people in making healthier choices.

Subject matter experts will work with federal partners to develop 10 to 15 evidence-based reports during the next three years to highlight the state of laws and policies related to specific topic areas within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Healthy People 2020 initiative. This effort will provide critically needed practical information to public health officials and associations, health-related industries, legal practitioners, non-profit organizations, policy-makers, and individuals about the use of law and policy to address health factors. Within HHS, the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (ODPHP) is leading the effort with support from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

“HHS is delighted to launch this Healthy People 2020 Law and Health Policy Project with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and CDC Foundation,” said HHS Assistant Secretary for Health Howard K. Koh, MD, MPH. “It will leverage the rich history and power of Healthy People 2020 to demonstrate how laws and evidence-based health policy can improve the health of our nation.”

HHS’ Healthy People 2020 is a set of goals and objectives with 10-year targets designed to guide national health promotion and disease prevention efforts aimed at improving the health of all people in the United States. Healthy People 2020 serves as a strategic management tool for the federal government, states, communities and many other public- and private-sector partners.

“To protect and improve health, law and policy evidence are crucial,” said CDC Director Tom Frieden, MD, MPH. “Projects such as this will go a long way to help get us to our destination of a more healthy nation faster.”

ODPHP will provide leadership and support for the development of the reports, while CDC will provide technical guidance on the development of specific reports and collaborate with public health partners and communities to promote knowledge and understanding of the reports. In addition to funding the effort, RWJF will provide public health law and policy expertise. The CDC Foundation will manage administration and implementation of the project and amplify the results to stakeholders through communications efforts.

“The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation believes that law and policy are important levers for building a culture of health in our nation,” said Risa Lavizzo-Mourey, MD, president and CEO of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. “We’re pleased to collaborate with leaders in public health and government to focus attention on policies based on the best science to help achieve the national health goals set out in Healthy People 2020—strategies that all states and communities can use to help people live healthier lives.”

“We greatly appreciate the support the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation is providing to increase understanding around the link between policy and healthier outcomes,” said Charles Stokes, president and CEO of the CDC Foundation. “Public health law and policy can serve as valuable tools with wide-reaching benefits for everyone that can often decrease the need for other more costly and less effective interventions.”

View the original article here

Ten Leading Foundations Join Forces to Expand Opportunity For Young Men of Color

Washington, D.C.—Today 10 of America's leading foundations announced a joint effort with the White House to help America's young men of color reach their full potential in school, work and life. The foundations are the Annie E. Casey Foundation, The Atlantic Philanthropies, Bloomberg Philanthropies, The California Endowment, Ford Foundation, Kapor Center for Social Impact, John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, Open Society Foundations, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and W.K. Kellogg Foundation.

In response to the urgent need for solutions, there has been a growing wave of investments to eliminate these barriers and help boys and young men of color connect to opportunity in communities nationwide. The ten foundations have recently approved or awarded $150 million to improve lifelong outcomes for boys and young men of color as part of their existing programming. Those foundations will seek to invest at least $200 million more, alongside additional investments from their peers in philanthropy and the business community.

“All of our sons and brothers need support and opportunities to be successful.  As tomorrow's leaders, young people of color will help define America's future,” said Robert K. Ross, MD, president and CEO of The California Endowment. “Now is the time to work together, invest in these young people and provide them what they need to be responsible and healthy adults.”

Why Young Men of Color

A growing body of research has shown that young men of color face significant barriers that make their path to adulthood especially challenging. They are more likely to grow up in poverty, live in neighborhoods where they are exposed to violence, or attend schools that lack the basic resources that kids need in order to succeed, and they are less likely to have summer job opportunities where they can learn the value of work. As a result of these interlocking trends, young men of color are more likely to drop out of school, grow up to be chronically unemployed, and live shorter, less healthy lives.  

“Now is the opportunity for expanding the field and addressing the policies to help remove the barriers to success for young men of color,” said La June Montgomery Tabron, president and CEO of the W. K. Kellogg Foundation.

“When every member of our society has the opportunity to succeed, our communities are stronger and our nation is stronger,” added Kenneth H. Zimmerman, director of U.S. Programs for the Open Society Foundations. “We all have a stake in tapping the potential of young men of color, and we must work together to create more pathways for them to flourish.”

A Growing Movement

The announcement is the latest milestone in a growing movement to ensure that all young people, including young men of color, have opportunities to achieve and contribute to the American dream. Last year, the CEOs of 28 foundations formed the Executives’ Alliance to Expand Opportunities for Boys and Men of Color, pledging to address these issues, explore promising strategies, and support research to inform effective action. This new initiative aims to link and leverage those investments and commitments—and attract new partners—by making it easier for public and private sector parties to collaborate and spread solutions that work.  

Cities, states, and school districts around the country have also responded with initiatives of their own, often focusing on better ways to help more young men of color stay on track in school, find opportunities to work, and make healthier life choices. President Obama’s decision to establish a federal task force adds even more momentum and national leadership to a cause vital to America’s future.

“Many men of color are already working to make their communities better by helping young people reach their full potential,” explained Alberto Ibargüen, president of the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. “They are truly assets to any community, and one of the best ways to help young men succeed is to invest in, connect, and celebrate these grassroots leaders who are already making a difference.”

How the New Initiative Will Work

In addition to ongoing ($150 million) and new ($200 million) investments in programs that help young men of color succeed, the ten foundations are also each committing $750,000 to build the infrastructure to undergird a more lasting multi-sector initiative. This initial funding will help to find and rapidly spread solutions in areas such as early child development and school readiness, parenting and parent engagement, third grade literacy, educational opportunity and school discipline reform, interactions with the criminal justice system, ladders to jobs and economic opportunity, and healthy families and communities. The initiative will also endeavor to change the often-damaging narrative about boys and young men of color, and to promote effective public policy solutions. 

Over the next 90 days, the foundations will assess which approaches have the highest potential to help the greatest number of young men. Those insights will be used to develop a blueprint for action that can leverage existing and new contributions from philanthropy, nonprofit organizations, faith-based institutions, the business community and ordinary citizens. 

“As a father of three sons and grandfather of one, I understand the need for all boys and young men to have opportunities so they can grow to become successful and healthy,” said Arthur Blank, owner of the Atlanta Falcons and co-founder of The Home Depot. “As a businessperson, it just makes sense that we invest where it matters most: in our future workforce, communities and country.”

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Ten Leading Foundations Join Forces to Expand Opportunity For Young Men of Color

Posted by maghestra No comments

Washington, D.C.—Today 10 of America's leading foundations announced a joint effort with the White House to help America's young men of color reach their full potential in school, work and life. The foundations are the Annie E. Casey Foundation, The Atlantic Philanthropies, Bloomberg Philanthropies, The California Endowment, Ford Foundation, Kapor Center for Social Impact, John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, Open Society Foundations, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and W.K. Kellogg Foundation.

In response to the urgent need for solutions, there has been a growing wave of investments to eliminate these barriers and help boys and young men of color connect to opportunity in communities nationwide. The ten foundations have recently approved or awarded $150 million to improve lifelong outcomes for boys and young men of color as part of their existing programming. Those foundations will seek to invest at least $200 million more, alongside additional investments from their peers in philanthropy and the business community.

“All of our sons and brothers need support and opportunities to be successful.  As tomorrow's leaders, young people of color will help define America's future,” said Robert K. Ross, MD, president and CEO of The California Endowment. “Now is the time to work together, invest in these young people and provide them what they need to be responsible and healthy adults.”

Why Young Men of Color

A growing body of research has shown that young men of color face significant barriers that make their path to adulthood especially challenging. They are more likely to grow up in poverty, live in neighborhoods where they are exposed to violence, or attend schools that lack the basic resources that kids need in order to succeed, and they are less likely to have summer job opportunities where they can learn the value of work. As a result of these interlocking trends, young men of color are more likely to drop out of school, grow up to be chronically unemployed, and live shorter, less healthy lives.  

“Now is the opportunity for expanding the field and addressing the policies to help remove the barriers to success for young men of color,” said La June Montgomery Tabron, president and CEO of the W. K. Kellogg Foundation.

“When every member of our society has the opportunity to succeed, our communities are stronger and our nation is stronger,” added Kenneth H. Zimmerman, director of U.S. Programs for the Open Society Foundations. “We all have a stake in tapping the potential of young men of color, and we must work together to create more pathways for them to flourish.”

A Growing Movement

The announcement is the latest milestone in a growing movement to ensure that all young people, including young men of color, have opportunities to achieve and contribute to the American dream. Last year, the CEOs of 28 foundations formed the Executives’ Alliance to Expand Opportunities for Boys and Men of Color, pledging to address these issues, explore promising strategies, and support research to inform effective action. This new initiative aims to link and leverage those investments and commitments—and attract new partners—by making it easier for public and private sector parties to collaborate and spread solutions that work.  

Cities, states, and school districts around the country have also responded with initiatives of their own, often focusing on better ways to help more young men of color stay on track in school, find opportunities to work, and make healthier life choices. President Obama’s decision to establish a federal task force adds even more momentum and national leadership to a cause vital to America’s future.

“Many men of color are already working to make their communities better by helping young people reach their full potential,” explained Alberto Ibargüen, president of the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. “They are truly assets to any community, and one of the best ways to help young men succeed is to invest in, connect, and celebrate these grassroots leaders who are already making a difference.”

How the New Initiative Will Work

In addition to ongoing ($150 million) and new ($200 million) investments in programs that help young men of color succeed, the ten foundations are also each committing $750,000 to build the infrastructure to undergird a more lasting multi-sector initiative. This initial funding will help to find and rapidly spread solutions in areas such as early child development and school readiness, parenting and parent engagement, third grade literacy, educational opportunity and school discipline reform, interactions with the criminal justice system, ladders to jobs and economic opportunity, and healthy families and communities. The initiative will also endeavor to change the often-damaging narrative about boys and young men of color, and to promote effective public policy solutions. 

Over the next 90 days, the foundations will assess which approaches have the highest potential to help the greatest number of young men. Those insights will be used to develop a blueprint for action that can leverage existing and new contributions from philanthropy, nonprofit organizations, faith-based institutions, the business community and ordinary citizens. 

“As a father of three sons and grandfather of one, I understand the need for all boys and young men to have opportunities so they can grow to become successful and healthy,” said Arthur Blank, owner of the Atlanta Falcons and co-founder of The Home Depot. “As a businessperson, it just makes sense that we invest where it matters most: in our future workforce, communities and country.”

View the original article here

New Report Finds People Willing to Share Personal Health Data with Researchers, Companies

San Diego—A new report from the California Institute for Telecommunications and Information Technology (Calit2), supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, suggests that  many people who track health-related data with wearable devices and smartphone apps are interested in sharing that data with researchers in medical and public health—provided adequate privacy controls exist.

The report, titled “Personal Data for the Public Good: New Opportunities to Enrich Understanding of Individual and Population Health,” also indicates that a large number of researchers are eager to access and use self-tracking data to fill in gaps in more traditional clinical data collection, although doing so will require new research methodologies and business models for companies which deal in such data.
The report was prepared by the Health Data Exploration project at Calit2 using a convenience sample of individuals and researchers who are already generating or using digital self-tracking data. Among survey respondents, the five most common health conditions tracked were exercise, diet, weight, athletic activity and sleep.

“Behavioral research has always depended on observations made in the laboratory or the clinic,” said Robert Kaplan, a member of the Health Data Exploration Advisory Board and associate director for Behavioral and Social Sciences at the National Institutes of Health. “Now we can bring the laboratory to the person in his or her own environment. This greatly enhances the opportunity to learn about the determinants of behavior in the natural environments of everyday life.”

The Health Data Exploration project, which is funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, is exploring how to bridge the “worlds” of health researchers, the set of mostly private and often small technology companies that hold these data, and individuals who may want to donate their own health or medical data.
“We are encouraged to discover a willingness of a large number of behavioral and social scientists to partner with data scientists to delve into the depths of consumer-generated data,” said Lori Melichar, senior program officer at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. “We are hopeful that we will be able to facilitate mutually beneficial partnerships between companies and researchers that can produce new insights into perplexing health challenges.”

Among individuals surveyed, the dominant condition (57%) for making their personal health data available for research was an assurance of privacy for their data, and over 90 percent of respondents said that it was important that the data be anonymous. On the whole, survey participants said they would be more likely to share their data if they knew that it would only be used for public good research.
“We have known for a long time that altruism is a big reason why individuals participate in research studies that contribute to the common wealth, notably by evaluating new pharmaceuticals or medical devices,” said Dr. Kevin Patrick, a professor of Family and Preventive Medicine in the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and a lead author of the report with Qualcomm Institute Chief of Staff Jerry Sheehan.
 “It's reassuring to see this same attitude applied to these new forms of health data.”

Forty-six percent of the researchers interviewed for the report have already used self-tracking data in their research, and 23 percent have already collaborated with application, device or social media companies. These findings expand on a series of reports that have emerged in the past few years from the Pew 

 Patrick cautions, however, that from a research standpoint, the increasing volume of self-tracked data across large groups of people—for example people who use Fitbit™ to track their physical activity—raises entirely new methodological issues for researchers. “The amount of data captured by these devices and apps dwarfs anything that we have ever had before. New computational and analytical strategies will need to be applied that have not commonly been used in health-related research,” he said.
In addition to the challenges of dealing with the complexity of more data, Patrick says that researchers and bio-ethicists also need to consider carefully the appropriate ethical model for assessing the rights and responsibilities of individuals who are sharing their personal data. These considerations, which require additional qualitative research to better understand the expectations for privacy for personal health data, will help guide future policy considerations regarding informed consent.
Geoffrey C. Bowker, a professor in the Department of Informatics at UC Irvine and a founding member of the social science Big Data Council, concurs.

“The emergent field of the Quantified Self (QS) holds the possibility of transforming the generation and deployment of data about ourselves—and thereby of informing the generation of medical knowledge. Understanding how and why people use QS and how changing attitudes to privacy affect QS data is a core task for social scientists in this domain working with both design and policy communities.”
Opportunities and obstacles for using personal health data also exist from a business perspective. Through a series of interviews, the report found that although companies which deal in such data consider advancing research a worthy goal—especially if that research validates the utility of their device or application—their primary business concern is maintaining their customer relationships. A number of companies interviewed were open to data sharing with academics, but noted the slow pace and administrative burden of working with universities as a challenge.

Companies are already emerging to meet that challenge, according to the report. San Diego-based Small Steps Labs has developed a software platform called Fitabase that collects data from Internet-connected consumer devices and allows anyone—including researchers—to aggregate, analyze and export data gathered from people wearing the devices.

“You could say my entire company and product exist because of these new friendly consumer wearable sensors like the Fitbit,” said Fitabase CEO and Founder Aaron Coleman. “People are (rightfully so) skeptical of health tools that are one-size-fits-all and don't attempt to understand them. Greater access to data helps us make more relevant tools that fit the lifestyle of the person who is engaging our tools to better their health.” Prior to founding Fitabase, the UC San Diego alumnus (B.S. ’06) led a software development team in Calit2’s Center for Wireless and Population Health Systems, which designed several systems and platforms used for health related research.

We conducted surveys to understand attitudes and experiences with self-tracking data for both individuals and researchers. The individual survey was taken by 465 participants. The researcher survey was taken by 134 participants. At the end of the surveys for individuals and researchers, we asked participants if they would be willing to be contacted to participate in follow-up interviews. We interviewed 11 individuals and 9 researchers. We also interviewed 15 companies/key informants.

It is important to note the inherent bias of respondents in a convenience sample, particularly as our goal was to access individuals and researchers who are already generating or using digital self-tracking data. Further, participants tended to have more education and higher household incomes than the general population. Our survey also drew slightly more white and Asian participants and more female participants than in the general population.

View the original article here

New Report Finds People Willing to Share Personal Health Data with Researchers, Companies

Posted by maghestra No comments

San Diego—A new report from the California Institute for Telecommunications and Information Technology (Calit2), supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, suggests that  many people who track health-related data with wearable devices and smartphone apps are interested in sharing that data with researchers in medical and public health—provided adequate privacy controls exist.

The report, titled “Personal Data for the Public Good: New Opportunities to Enrich Understanding of Individual and Population Health,” also indicates that a large number of researchers are eager to access and use self-tracking data to fill in gaps in more traditional clinical data collection, although doing so will require new research methodologies and business models for companies which deal in such data.
The report was prepared by the Health Data Exploration project at Calit2 using a convenience sample of individuals and researchers who are already generating or using digital self-tracking data. Among survey respondents, the five most common health conditions tracked were exercise, diet, weight, athletic activity and sleep.

“Behavioral research has always depended on observations made in the laboratory or the clinic,” said Robert Kaplan, a member of the Health Data Exploration Advisory Board and associate director for Behavioral and Social Sciences at the National Institutes of Health. “Now we can bring the laboratory to the person in his or her own environment. This greatly enhances the opportunity to learn about the determinants of behavior in the natural environments of everyday life.”

The Health Data Exploration project, which is funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, is exploring how to bridge the “worlds” of health researchers, the set of mostly private and often small technology companies that hold these data, and individuals who may want to donate their own health or medical data.
“We are encouraged to discover a willingness of a large number of behavioral and social scientists to partner with data scientists to delve into the depths of consumer-generated data,” said Lori Melichar, senior program officer at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. “We are hopeful that we will be able to facilitate mutually beneficial partnerships between companies and researchers that can produce new insights into perplexing health challenges.”

Among individuals surveyed, the dominant condition (57%) for making their personal health data available for research was an assurance of privacy for their data, and over 90 percent of respondents said that it was important that the data be anonymous. On the whole, survey participants said they would be more likely to share their data if they knew that it would only be used for public good research.
“We have known for a long time that altruism is a big reason why individuals participate in research studies that contribute to the common wealth, notably by evaluating new pharmaceuticals or medical devices,” said Dr. Kevin Patrick, a professor of Family and Preventive Medicine in the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and a lead author of the report with Qualcomm Institute Chief of Staff Jerry Sheehan.
 “It's reassuring to see this same attitude applied to these new forms of health data.”

Forty-six percent of the researchers interviewed for the report have already used self-tracking data in their research, and 23 percent have already collaborated with application, device or social media companies. These findings expand on a series of reports that have emerged in the past few years from the Pew 

 Patrick cautions, however, that from a research standpoint, the increasing volume of self-tracked data across large groups of people—for example people who use Fitbit™ to track their physical activity—raises entirely new methodological issues for researchers. “The amount of data captured by these devices and apps dwarfs anything that we have ever had before. New computational and analytical strategies will need to be applied that have not commonly been used in health-related research,” he said.
In addition to the challenges of dealing with the complexity of more data, Patrick says that researchers and bio-ethicists also need to consider carefully the appropriate ethical model for assessing the rights and responsibilities of individuals who are sharing their personal data. These considerations, which require additional qualitative research to better understand the expectations for privacy for personal health data, will help guide future policy considerations regarding informed consent.
Geoffrey C. Bowker, a professor in the Department of Informatics at UC Irvine and a founding member of the social science Big Data Council, concurs.

“The emergent field of the Quantified Self (QS) holds the possibility of transforming the generation and deployment of data about ourselves—and thereby of informing the generation of medical knowledge. Understanding how and why people use QS and how changing attitudes to privacy affect QS data is a core task for social scientists in this domain working with both design and policy communities.”
Opportunities and obstacles for using personal health data also exist from a business perspective. Through a series of interviews, the report found that although companies which deal in such data consider advancing research a worthy goal—especially if that research validates the utility of their device or application—their primary business concern is maintaining their customer relationships. A number of companies interviewed were open to data sharing with academics, but noted the slow pace and administrative burden of working with universities as a challenge.

Companies are already emerging to meet that challenge, according to the report. San Diego-based Small Steps Labs has developed a software platform called Fitabase that collects data from Internet-connected consumer devices and allows anyone—including researchers—to aggregate, analyze and export data gathered from people wearing the devices.

“You could say my entire company and product exist because of these new friendly consumer wearable sensors like the Fitbit,” said Fitabase CEO and Founder Aaron Coleman. “People are (rightfully so) skeptical of health tools that are one-size-fits-all and don't attempt to understand them. Greater access to data helps us make more relevant tools that fit the lifestyle of the person who is engaging our tools to better their health.” Prior to founding Fitabase, the UC San Diego alumnus (B.S. ’06) led a software development team in Calit2’s Center for Wireless and Population Health Systems, which designed several systems and platforms used for health related research.

We conducted surveys to understand attitudes and experiences with self-tracking data for both individuals and researchers. The individual survey was taken by 465 participants. The researcher survey was taken by 134 participants. At the end of the surveys for individuals and researchers, we asked participants if they would be willing to be contacted to participate in follow-up interviews. We interviewed 11 individuals and 9 researchers. We also interviewed 15 companies/key informants.

It is important to note the inherent bias of respondents in a convenience sample, particularly as our goal was to access individuals and researchers who are already generating or using digital self-tracking data. Further, participants tended to have more education and higher household incomes than the general population. Our survey also drew slightly more white and Asian participants and more female participants than in the general population.

View the original article here