CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL

CDC Conference Support
The National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) convened conferences and workshops to support the exchange of information among health statisticians concerned with specific health issues and their related program activities. These conferences were a means to coordinate improved statistical methods and program direction during an era in which health program responsibilities have been increasingly transferred to the state and private sectors.

Conferences and workshops convened for three days at various locations in the U.S., and involved approximately 85 participants apiece.  Conwal was responsible for planning and implementing administrative and logistical support for the meetings as well as arranging participant travel and reimbursement.  Conwal participated in NCHS staff planning sessions for each meeting and, working closely with the Project Officer, developed a detailed meeting plan fully describing the specific responsibilities and costs associated with all aspects of the meeting, from pre-conference planning through meeting implementation to post-conference support.

Specific tasks performed by Conwal's team of experienced conference managers include:  planning, materials development, logistics support, financial tracking, site support, and post meeting follow-up and review. While each event has differing goals, themes, styles, and audiences, Conwal's approach was flexible enough to be tailored to specific forums while ensuring that all event requirements were met in a timely, professional, and cost-effective manner.

CDC Data Management and Statistical Support
As a support contractor to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Conwal compiles data collected from HIV/AIDS intervention research projects and provides data analysis for those sites.

These projects include:

• AIDS Community Demonstration Projects
• Women and Infants Demonstration Projects (including the sites administered by the Division of Reproductive Health, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion)
• Hemophilia Behavioral Intervention and Evaluation Projects
• Two new behavioral intervention research projects

The work in these projects is supported by a research group comprised of staff at the projects as well as the CDC, university researchers, private consulting firms, and an expert in the field of HIV/AIDS behavioral intervention development for the HIV/AIDS community.  Results generated by Conwal have contributed to research papers produced by this group, some of which have been presented at the last three International AIDS Conferences.

The primary areas of focus include technical assistance to the sites in relation to procedures for:

• collecting data
• data editing, coding and verification
• data entry
• programming for personal computers
• database development
• data transfer
• data analysis, and
• developing technical assistance manuals or documentation of procedures.