Year: 2013
Funding: Jr Investigator Award
Status: Completed
Overview
The principal objective of this project is to determine the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of fungal meningitis outbreak investigation in New River Health District, and determine the impact of this outbreak investigation using WHO-CHOICE (choosing interventions that are cost-effective) criteria. This project addresses the following research question from the national research agenda for PHSSR under “Public health financing and economics” for “Costs, performance and outcomes": Which investments in public health strategies have the largest effects on health outcomes (e.g., healthy life expectancy, and quality of life), and what are the costs of delivering these strategies at local, state, and national levels? The dataset collected during the fungal meningitis outbreak in the New River Health District will be used in this project. Data access is facilitated by Dr. Molly O’Dell, Director of New River Health District.
Researcher
Kaja Abbas, BTech (Hons), M.S., Ph.D., M.P.H.
Mentor
Kerry Redican, M.D., M.P.H
Presentations
- Priorities in Rural Health: Cost-effectiveness Analysis of Fungal Meningitis Outbreak in New River Health District (PHSSR Research-in-Progress Webinar, August 2014 recording)
- Economic Evaluation of the Fungal Meningitis Outbreak Response in New River Valley: Local Health Department and Clinical Perspectives. (Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM) Conference on the Life Sciences, Charlotte NC, August 2014.)
- Epidemiological and Economic Benefits of Targeted Tuberculosis Screening in a Correctional Facility of New River Health District. (Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM) Conference on the Life Sciences, Charlotte NC, August 2014)
- Economic Evaluation of Public Health Interventions: Outbreak Responses of Pertussis, Tuberculosis and Fungal Meningitis in New River Valley, Virginia. (PHSSR Keeneland Conference, April 2014)
Publications
Editorial Comment: Cost-Effectiveness Analysis for Prioritization of Limited Public Health Resources - Tuberculosis Interventions in Texas (Frontiers in PHSSR-2014)