Success Of The Rollins Epidemiology Fellowship In Rebuilding Georgia's Epidemiologic Workforce.

Over the course of the past two decades, attrition within the US governmental public health workforce has passed concerning and become dire. The practice sector has struggled to recruit and retain new talent, despite the infusion of considerable federal investment in workforce expansion initiatives. In 2020, Emory University's Rollins School of Public Health partnered with the Georgia Department of Public Health to establish the Rollins Epidemiology Fellowship Program.

A Health Equity Approach for Implementation of JYNNEOS Vaccination at Large, Community-Based LGBTQIA+ Events - Georgia, August 27-September 5, 2022.

Gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (MSM) have been disproportionately affected during the 2022 U.S. monkeypox outbreak, with Black or African American (Black) MSM being the most affected demographic group (1).

Cumulative Incidence of SARS-CoV-2 Infections Among Adults in Georgia, United States, August to December 2020.

Background: Reported coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases underestimate true severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infections. Data on all infections, including asymptomatic infections, are needed. To minimize biases in estimates from reported cases and seroprevalence surveys, we conducted a household-based probability survey and estimated cumulative incidence of SARS-CoV-2 infections adjusted for antibody waning.

Response to Isoniazid-Resistant Tuberculosis in Homeless Shelters, Georgia, USA, 2015-2017.

In 2008, an outbreak of isoniazid-resistant tuberculosis was identified among residents of homeless shelters in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. When initial control efforts involving standard targeted testing failed, a comprehensive approach that involved all providers of services for the homeless successfully interrupted the outbreak.

Local public health cost study in Georgia.

Development of a uniform cost study methodology for local health department services in Georgia began with a desire to negotiate cost-based reimbursement from Medicaid. Managed care and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act requirements for common coding standards added impetus to Georgia's efforts to document the cost of local public health. With a determination that the result was achievable, the Division of Public Health contracted with a medical practice management firm.

Electronic medical billing records and public health surveillance: comparison of two systems used during the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games.

For selected diagnoses of public health interest during the 1996 Olympic Games, the authors compared data concurrently obtained on the same patient population by two separate surveillance systems: (1) an existing hospital electronic medical billing records system and (2) a system based on manual record abstraction. Counts of total patient visits closely agreed, though the two systems differed considerably in some diagnostic categories, especially injuries. The authors concluded that while causation, risk factors, and illness severity are not reflected directly in standard International Classification of Diseases (ICD) codes, and "E" codes to indicate causation may not be used, special-purpose surveillance systems based on existing computerized medical records may be as effective as manual data abstracting.

Georgia prenatal care providers' perceptions of barriers to sexually transmitted disease screening.

Background: Evidence suggests that sexually transmitted disease (STD) screening during pregnancy is not optimal. No published studies have systematically examined barriers that hinder routine STD screening. This study examines prenatal care providers' perceptions about barriers to routine STD screening of pregnant women.

How do we translate science into public health policy and law?

Scientific knowledge concerning effective preventive measures to preserve and protect the health of the public continues to grow exponentially. Methods for assessing the impact of population-based interventions such as policies and laws have also greatly increased in the past decade, including systematic approaches that allow general findings to be drawn from various studies, especially those developed as part of the Guide to Community Preventive Services (Community Guide). However, the translation of the collected scientific evidence gathered to date has been spotty and problematic.