12/8/22: Edward Ramos — Designing for intervention: how digital clinical studies can move beyond observation

Zoom Join Link:  https://memphis.zoom.us/j/85303441136?pwd=NWZQelZndlA1N3c2SHQ1WEoyM0ovUT09 

Title: Designing for intervention: how digital clinical studies can move beyond observation

Presenter: Edward Ramos, Ph.D.

Presentation Date: Thursday, December 8, 2022; 1:00 p.m. Central Time

About the presentation:

The decentralized and digital clinical trial (DCT) model has gathered considerable traction in recent years fueled largely by the pandemic and the need to shift the paradigm of clinical research. Digital health technologies, such as wearables and other sensors, provide ready access to near real-time, continuous data captured in a real-world setting. Observations based on these data potentially provide more context beyond the traditional episodic, in-clinic collection of participant measures. The digital research study design, however, can also serve as a bridge to support interventions through a variety of mechanisms. We describe here the transition of observation to intervention across several digital clinical studies facilitated by a robust DCT technology platform. The promise of the DCT model to drive research forward is enhanced by the ability to bridge the gap with the interventional space. 

About the presenter:

Edward Ramos, Ph.D., is Co-founder of the Digital Trials Center and Director of Digital Clinical Trials at Scripps Research and Principal Science Officer at CareEvolution. The Digital Trials Center is based on the growing need to rethink clinical research studies by leveraging digital health technologies and embracing decentralized, “site-less” approaches, which can promote broad participation without sacrificing robust data collection. Ed’s leadership roles focus on overseeing implementation of digital research studies in a variety of research contexts including infectious disease, maternal health, sleep medicine, and precision nutrition (where he serves as the primary investigator). Ed prioritizes efforts to address health disparities and to enhance participation in a diverse, equitable, and inclusive manner. Prior to this dual role, Ed served in the federal government for nearly 15 years. There, he led independent research projects and has been coordinating and administering large-scale national research efforts. His expertise spans population genomics, bioinformatics, mobile health, and digital clinical trials. In his previous positions serving in various capacities at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Ed oversaw and managed portfolios that focused on innovative and groundbreaking initiatives aimed at improving public health. Most recently, Ed was Team Lead for the Participant Center of the All of Us Research Program, an ambitious program launched by NIH inviting one million people across the U.S. to help build one of the most diverse health databases in history, which could help in the development of better treatments and ways to prevent different diseases. Ed began his federal service as a legislative fellow and legislative assistant, advising then-U.S. Senator Barack Obama on health and science policy. He received his Ph.D. in molecular biotechnology from the University of Washington with his thesis work carried out at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center.

11/21/22: Anna Trella — Designing Reinforcement Learning Algorithms for Mobile Health

10/31/22: Jessilyn Dunn — The Digital Biomarker Discovery Project: An Open Source Toolbox for Biosignal Analysis

Just-in-Time Adaptive Interventions with Susan Murphy

Statistician Susan Murphy of the University of Michigan explains some of the tools used for creating the interventions used in mobile health (mHealth) in a trio of videos released by the Methodology Center of Pennsylvania State University.

Many mHealth applications use interventions that are delivered by a smartphone or other mobile device. In the first video, Murphy explains just-in-time adaptive interventions (JITAI), which are delivered as needed via a mobile device. The second video explains the microrandomized trial, which is a trial design used for building JITAIs, and in the third video, Murphy talks about data analysis used in the development of a JITAI. 

Replay available of Dr. Ida Sim's Grand Rounds talk at NIH Collaboratory

A recording of Dr. Ida Sim's Grand Rounds presentation at the NIH Health Care Systems Research Collaboratory is now available. 

Dr. Sim is a Professor of Medicine and Co-Director of Biomedical Informatics at the UCSF Clinical Translational Science Institute. She is also co-founder of Open mHealth and an investigator for the NIH-funded Center of Excellence for Mobile Sensor Data-to-Knowledge (MD2K), where she heads the center's Consortium Core.

Dr. Kenzie Preston: Substance Abuse Research with Mobile Technology

Presenter: Dr. Kenzie Preston, NIDA

Date: Oct. 12, 2015

About the presentation: Dr. Preston discusses methods of assessing methods of assessing the effect of different mechanisms to combat drug abuse, using geographical momentary assessment to investigate individual and environmental influences on drug craving, intensive ambulatory physiological monitoring, and mobile interventions for addiction. Some of Dr. Preston’s research involved data collected using AutoSense.