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DRC - CDC's Medical Monitoring Project

Gold Stevie Award Winner 2012, Click to Enter The 2014 American Business Awards

Company: DRC
Company Description: Founded in 1955, DRC® provides innovative management consulting, science, engineering, and information technology solutions to government customers. We support our customers in the primary mission areas of Cyber Security, Information Assurance, Health, Homeland Security, Intelligence, Financial and Regulatory Reform, and Priority Defense Programs.
Nomination Category: Products & Product Management Awards Categories
Nomination Sub Category: New Product or Service of the Year - Health & Pharmaceuticals - Service

Nomination Title: CDC's Medical Monitoring Project

Tell the story about this nominated product or service (up to 525 words). Describe its function, features, benefits, and performance to date:

CDC estimates that more than one million people are living with HIV in the U.S. and one in five (20%) of those people living with HIV is unaware of their infection. Despite increases in the total number of people living with HIV in the U.S., the annual number of new HIV infections has remained relatively stable at approximately 50,000 Americans each year.  The National HIV/AIDS Strategy for the United States (NHAS) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have 3 strategic, coordinated goals in place for combating this disease and its spread in the U.S.:
(1) reduce the number of people who become infected,
(2) increase access to care, and
(3) reduce HIV-related health disparities.
However, HIV/AIDS prevention doesn't just come from the lab, clinic, or hospital. Many initiatives and systems “behind the scenes” focus on collecting and understanding the data necessary to monitor progress toward the ultimate surveillance goal of combining information on AIDS cases, new HIV infections, and behaviors and characteristics of people at high risk. This way CDC can track the epidemic and direct HIV prevention funding where it is needed the most.

The Medical Monitoring Project (MMP) is one of these CDC initiatives, and DRC plays a key role in its leadership and execution. MMP is the most comprehensive project of its kind. It provides information about the behaviors, medical care, and health status of people living with HIV/AIDS. MMP provides comprehensive clinical and behavioral information from patient samples carefully selected to represent everyone receiving medical care for HIV in the U.S., drawing from 23 locations representing roughly 80% of the HIV-positive population. Because MMP’s national estimates are representative, MMP information may be used by prevention planning groups, policy leaders, healthcare providers, and people living with HIV/AIDS to highlight disparities in care and services and advocate for additional resources. 

DRC helps lead the data management and works closely with CDC and state and local health departments (or project areas) to learn more about the experiences and needs of people who are receiving care for HIV. Data on transmission risk and care-seeking behaviors are collected via face-to-face interviews, and data on clinical elements, including viral suppression, are collected through abstraction of medical records. The team now has data from over 16,000 interviews and 20,000 medical record abstractions.  The collection and management of this data is challenging.  DRC support for the MMP Clinical Outcomes Team (COT) focuses on managing and training development for the continuously changing data needs and developing and implementing innovations and efficiencies in the data management processes; ultimately enabling MMP findings to enhance understanding of transmission risk, use of HIV prevention interventions, quality of care, and HIV clinical outcomes.

Along with CDC resources, DRC Team members on MMP’s COT were recognized in May 2012 with the National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention Director’s Recognition Award for their exceptional contributions to CDC’s understanding of risk behaviors and clinical outcomes among HIV-infected adults receiving medical care.  Together, DRC and the CDC’s COT team have made MMP a successful nationally-representative HIV surveillance system that substantially contributes to reducing HIV transmission and improving care and treatment.

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Provide a brief (up to 125 words) biography about the leader(s) of the team that developed this nominated product or service:

Bertram Thomas (DRC’s Lead Public Health Analyst) is the COT’s data coordinator and is the DRC team lead. He is the trusted advisor and coordinator for the COT’s CDC Data Manager, a role where he assists with team management decisions, provides technical direction, and drives innovation. Bertram also leads data management training sessions with national representatives from MMP’s 23 project areas and ensures proper implementation of data management system within the project. He has worked at with CDC data for almost 10 years, holds a Master of Public Health degree and is a second year Doctorate of Public Health student at the University of Georgia College of Public Health.

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