Press Releases

American Public Health Association Selects Constella Health Sciences Staff to Present on Cutting-Edge Public Health Topics

WASHINGTON, D.C., Nov. 7, 2004—The American Public Health Association has selected eight Constella Health Sciences researchers and scientists to deliver presentations and posters at its 132nd Annual Meeting and Exposition, Nov. 6-10 in Washington, D.C. These researchers will present on cutting-edge public health topics such as HIV/AIDS testing and prevention, statistics and risk assessment. Specific presentation topics are as follows:

• Incorporating Bayesian Prior Information into CART with Application to Data-assisted Diagnosis
  Monday, Nov. 8, 5:30 p.m.
  Eric Harvey*, Ph.D., Patrick Crockett*, Ph.D. and Linda Goodwin, R.N., BC, Ph.D.
  
  
• Science in Environmental Health Risk Assessment: Chromium as a Case Study (poster presentation)
  Monday, Nov. 8, 8:30 a.m., Board 5
  Susan B. Goldhaber*, MPH and Sanford C. Garner*, Ph.D.
  
  
• Using Consultants to Deliver Technical Assistance to Faith and Community-Based HIV/AIDS Programs (poster presentation)
  Monday, Nov. 8, 4:30 p.m., Board 4
  Deborah A. McGill*, DrPH, Antigone Hodgins, Barney Singer, Ph.D., and Andrea Zombeck*
  
  
• Getting the Word Out in So Many Ways: Cost-effective Media Campaigns (poster presentation)
  Monday, Nov. 8, 4:30 p.m., Board 5
  Jory Barone*, Cynthia Newcomer*, and Karen Leggett
  

Incorporating Bayesian Prior Information into CART with Application to Data-assisted Diagnosis
Crockett, Harvey and Goodwin will propose a simple method for incorporating Bayesian information into the Classification and Regression Tree (CART) based on weighted sums of squares, which allows the inclusion of informative prior information in CART analyses. They will demonstrate the method's application with an example of data-assisted diagnosis and compare the weighted CART algorithm with the standard CART algorithm results. Presentation participants will learn to recognize, describe and implement a CART model, which allows incorporating prior information regarding diagnosis criteria.

Science in Environmental Health Risk Assessment: Chromium as a Case Study
In this presentation, Goldhaber and Garner will examine chromium as an example of an essential trace element that may be toxic at high concentrations. The two main forms of chromium are trivalent chromium, the form normally found in food that is essential for maintaining normal glucose metabolism, and hexavalent chromium, the form commonly found in air that is a skin and mucous membrane irritant. Hexavalent chromium is also considered to be a human carcinogen, causing lung cancer in workers and lung and intrabronchial implantation site tumors in rats.

The EPA, the FDA and the Institute of Medicine have carried out risk assessments on chromium. Goldhaber and Garner will examine the scientific basis of these risk assessments and discuss how the different agencies carry out risk assessments based on differing assumptions, scientific information and policy judgments, which may lead to differing, and potentially conflicting, values.

Using Consultants to Deliver Technical Assistance to Faith and Community-Based HIV/AIDS Programs
McGill and Zombeck will present their findings from an HIV/AIDS-related technical assistance project, which was designed to reach faith and community-based organizations (F/CBO). Their research involved interviewing organizations and analyzing their responses to determine whether organizations would make appropriate consultants. They will share their results of their interviews, which are organized into five categories: personal characteristics, technical expertise, specific population expertise, regional proximity and previous experience working with F/CBO's. McGill and Zombeck will also discuss the satisfaction level of consultants and organizations based on their match. In addition, the findings will demonstrate to attendees how the results helped to reconstruct assessment questions and pairing of organizations with a consultant for the following program year.

Getting the Word Out in So Many Ways: Cost-Effective Media Campaigns
The Media Campaign Resource Center (MCRC) is a clearinghouse of tobacco control advertisements funded by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Office on Smoking and Health. The MCRC licenses several hundred TV, radio and print advertisements developed by U.S. states, organizations and federal agencies. By providing access to existing advertising materials, the Resource Center allows state and local government agencies and non-profit organizations to use scarce funds more effectively. This session will instruct participants on how to use the MCRC for their own tobacco control campaigns. At the conclusion of the session, participants will know how to identify and prioritize the key tobacco control goals in their community, determine which media vehicles to use, identify which specific ads would best address these goals and develop multimedia campaigns to address these goals.

About Constella Health Sciences
Constella Health Sciences is the premier service provider in the public-sector health and biomedical research market. With more than 500 employees working across more than 20 disciplines, the business provides health-related technologies, services and research for public-sector clients such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Institutes of Health and the U.S. Army's Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program.

About Constella Group
Constella Group is a leading provider of professional health services worldwide, celebrating 21 years of enhancing human health through innovative science, technology and knowledge solutions. Constella's two business units—Health Sciences and Clinical Informatics—create and provide health intelligence to help industry and government clients identify and address critical issues affecting human health. With Constella as the parent company, these business units comprise dynamic points of collaboration that build support, create momentum and add value from idea to impact across the full continuum of human health.

The company's 700 employees serve clients from company headquarters in Durham, N.C., and from offices in Atlanta; Morgantown, W.Va.; and Bethesda, Frederick and Silver Spring, Md.

Editor's Note: Photos available upon request