ColoradoSPH Research Exchange

As technology rapidly evolves in the modern world, ethical issues around the collection and use of data begin to emerge. The Big Data Ethics Panel will discuss examples where these questions arise, such as:

• Genomic data in indigenous and urban communities and issues around ownership, data storage and future data use.
• Ethical implications for privacy and consent that emerge from the ability to identify individuals in proteomic data.
• Appropriate use of artificial intelligence (AI) based technologies in healthcare, using the example of AI-based prognostication for palliative care.
• Consumer and clinical health informatics and questions around the use of patient-generated and patient-reported health statistics.

Have you ever wondered what career trajectories in academic public health? This panel, moderated by Dr. Cathy Bradley, Associate Dean for Research, consists of faculty members at different career stages and have taken a variety of paths within academia. Whether you are considering a career in public health, applying for your first major grant, or already a faculty member considering an administrative and leadership role, this panel represents a breadth of experience and insight.

We have seen devastating escalation in the impacts of climate change in the past several decades. The World Health Organization calls climate change “the biggest health threat facing humanity,” the American Medical Association adopted a new policy declaring climate change as “a public health crisis,” and the National Institutes of Health considers climate change a top priority in research funding. The Climate Change and Health panel will highlight various approaches to research and engagement on the impacts of climate change on public health. The panel will look at community-engaged research on climate stressors, such as drought, air quality, wildfires, and heat with a focus on populations experiencing the impacts now including rural communities, outdoor workers, children, and aging populations. We will highlight innovative methods in statistical modeling and big data, translation of research into clinical care, and training and education of the next generation of climate health researchers at the School of Public Health.

From COVID-19 to Dengue, models have been used to describe the spread of emerging infectious diseases and inform public health responses. In this panel, we will discuss how approaches from a range of disciplines, from economics to biostatistics to epidemiology, can be used to improve our understanding of infectious diseases. Panelists will discuss…

• Rapid development of models of SARS-CoV-2 for use by decision-makers
• Use of diverse data streams from ID surveillance data to cellphone-based mobility to rapid literature review are used to characterize infectious disease burden
• How to account for uncertainty from multiple noisy data sources
• How surveillance data is used to understand the geographical spread of dengue and how it is used to forecast dengue
• Study of arboviruses

ColoradoSPH encourages innovative approaches to the research of public health. The New Methods in Public Health Panel highlights novel approaches utilized and studied by our faculty. The approaches that will be covered in this session range from:

• The potential of artificially intelligent chatbot systems to facilitate the distribution of up-to-date information on infectious diseases
• The use of statistical graphs in understanding protein coevolution
• An examination of the effects of cannabis smoking on simulated driving and psychomotor performance
• The intersection of prevention science, substance use, and social network analysis among American Indian and Alaska Native communities in creating effective prevention programming
• Analysis of a youth-engaged approach to develop a strengths-based model for an intervention to reduce substance misuse and promote positive sexual health among Black and American Indian and Alaska Native youth
  

The Research into Practice Panel will present, explore, and discuss our work as engaged scholars working toward positive community impact. By providing examples that demonstrate our work in policy development and evaluation, community-led change, data-informed decision making, and the essential pursuit of health justice, we aim to fuel a conversation about optimizing research efforts through translation into public health practice. We will discuss and consider the scientist’s social contract. That is, our responsibility to devote our energies, passion, and work toward solving the most pressing issues in public health today in return for the challenging ad privileged scientific and leadership positions we hold. Panel members will share specific projects that include focuses on environmental health exposures, suicide prevention, early intervention, cannabis policy, and COVID-19 prevention and policy. Please join us!

The Social Justice Panel will explore both distributive and procedural justice in the context of health research and impact. Domestically and internationally, investments in health and actions taken to support health are centering justice. This panel will focus on local to global examples of research that inform such investments and actions, addressing questions like: How do we define, characterize, and understand disparities in health burdens among disparate populations? How do we get from the problems we diagnose to effective solutions? How do those solutions deliver impact and engage communities and stakeholders in substantive, sustainable ways? Panelists will include scholars at the forefront of building capacity for addressing historical and ongoing social and environmental health disparities. These interdisciplinary experts work through community-engaged frameworks and will consider the tasks necessary to engage meaningfully with communities and stakeholders throughout the lifecycle of research.

Both undergraduate students and current public health graduate students are welcome to attend this Student Q&A panel, which consists of school leadership and current students. Undergraduates can ask about careers in public health and about the educational programs offered by the school, including the certificate, masters, and doctoral programs. Current certificate and masters program students can ask about moving onto higher degree programs. The panel will be held during lunch, so participants and students can grab food and head to this informal and informative panel discussion.