Evaluation Core

Co-Investigator and Director, Evaluation Core: Michael A. Stoto, PhD

Creation of Standardized Preparedness Evaluation Mechanisms:
The Evaluation Core has been instrumental in standardizing the evaluation of all preparedness training activities offered by HSPH-CPHP. This includes the development of a Center-wide evaluation mechanism to monitor the quality of all training activities conducted by HSPH-CPHP. For this purpose, a number of evaluation tools for planning & needs assessment, and outcome, impact & performance evaluation have been established and tested. All items and responses were organized into an Item Bank that to date has 4,553 deposits; several instruments have shown good performance in terms of validity and reliability.

Using Tabletop Exercises to Evaluate Public Health Systems' Preparedness:
Main interest of our Core has been the development of evaluation tools to assess communities' performance during tabletop exercises. To date the Evaluation Core has gathered data from more than 1,000 public officials attending a series of exercises and more than 20 external evaluators which have been trained on how to use our instruments. At each of these events, data were gathered using a standardized set of questions, using both qualitative and quantitative approaches. In addition to being used to prepare After-Action Reports, we are using the data generated to assess the level of preparedness in the communities with which we worked. For instance, a preliminary analysis of data on the ability of local health departments to communicate with the population has found a complex relationship between communication preparedness and the size of the community served.

Students practice projects:
The practice projects have been organized under the course entitled the "Practice of Quantitative Methods" (ID 265) which is taught by Drs. Testa and Simonson as part of the required MPH curriculum at the HSPH. The core area of public health practice competency focused on developing skills for modeling, evaluation and descriptive studies in the area of emergency planning for influenza and bioterrorism attackes. The current projects include the following topics: 1. Effects of Interventions in Mitigating an Influenza Pandemic 2. Evaluation of Syndromic Surveillance Systems for the Detection of Bioterrorist Attacks with Anthrax 3. The Massachusetts Medical Reserve Corps & Public Health Preparedness. The practice areas have developed into current and ongoing collaborations with the State and local agencies as part of resource planning for influenza outbreaks, establishment of a statewide online survey for the Medical Research Corps Directors and Volunteers, and methodological advancements in the areas of modeling outcomes and geographical analyses for evaluating gaps in manpower planning for the Influenza Specialty Care Units (ISCUs).