Title: Leveraging big data to assess health effects of changes in physical and social environments, and policy and program implementation
Abstract: In the era of big data there are opportunities to answer policy-relevant health questions in ways that are timely and cost-efficient. This talk will describe coordination of health data resources for health monitoring and to address questions about the health effects of policies in California. Examples of health effect assessments, including those related to gun shows and the Mental Health Services Act (MHSA), will be presented.
Dr. Jennifer Ahern, PhD MPH, is Associate Dean for Research and Associate Professor of Epidemiology at University of California, Berkeley, School of Public Health. She examines the effects of the social and physical environment, and programs and policies that alter the social and physical environment, on many aspects of health (e.g., violence, substance use, mental health, and gestational health). Dr. Ahern has a methodological focus to her work, including application of causal inference methods and semi-parametric estimation approaches, aimed at improving the rigor of observational research, and optimizing public health intervention planning. Her research has been supported by a New Innovator Award from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Office of the Director.
