{"70294":{"#nid":"70294","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Georgia Tech and CDC Work to Improve Safety of Blood Supply","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThe Georgia Tech College of Computing, working in partnership with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, has developed a Web-based tool for tracking blood safety. The tool is expected to help developing countries improve the adequacy and safety of their national blood supplies through better monitoring and evaluation.\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThe tool, which is accessed through a standard Web browser, tracks about 80 blood safety indicators continuously at the hospital and provincial levels. A pilot test in Zambia showed that the tool could improve the timeliness and accuracy of data collection efforts, allowing blood safety officials to better forecast or predict regional and seasonal blood usage patterns.\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0022A simple, scalable, Web-based tool like this can make a tremendous difference in public health around the world,\u0022 said Santosh Vempala, distinguished professor in the College of Computing\u0027s School of Computer Science and faculty leader for the project. \u0022The Zambian health officials immediately saw the benefits of real-time data collection and the ability to compare different regions\u0027 needs and see trends over time.\u0022\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThe project started when John Pitman, public health advisor in CDC\u0027s Global AIDS Program, met Vempala and explained the challenges involved in ensuring global blood safety. Their vision of a web-based tracking system was taken up in 2008 by students in the College of Computing\u0027s Computing for Good class, co-taught by Vempala. Using information about current conditions and future demands within the target countries, the Georgia Tech team, computer science Ph.D. students Adebola Osuntogun and Stephen Thomas, built a Web-based system that resource-limited countries of any size could use to report data to national authorities. The system could also be used by a global organization, like CDC, to monitor multiple projects.\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThe Georgia Tech team developed the new Web-based tool from a Microsoft Excel version created by CDC. The team field-tested the Web-based tool in Zambia in July-August 2008 to obtain feedback from blood safety program staff.\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E \u0022I was impressed by the team\u0027s ability to adapt to the computing environment in Zambia, and to make the changes necessary to ensure this would be an appropriate solution for developing countries,\u0022 Pitman said. \u0022Including staff from the Zambian national blood transfusion service in the development process was essential to be sure it fit their needs.\u0022 \n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EMinistries of health in Botswana, Cote d-Ivoire, Ethiopia, Guyana, Haiti, Kenya, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia will begin using the new tracking system on January 1, 2009. All 14 countries are recipients of U.S. financial support through the President\u0027s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). \n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia Tech\u0027s Computing for Good class gives students the opportunity to understand how computing can be used to improve the human condition, according to Vempala. \u0022Projects such as this collaboration with the CDC present computer science as a cutting-edge technological discipline that empowers our students to solve problems and make a positive impact on society.\u0022\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EFor more information about Georgia Tech\u0027s Computing for Good initiative and classes, please visit \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.cc.gatech.edu\/news\/features\/technology-activism-computing-for-good\u0022 title=\u0022http:\/\/www.cc.gatech.edu\/news\/features\/technology-activism-computing-for-good\u0022\u003Ehttp:\/\/www.cc.gatech.edu\/news\/features\/technology-activism-computing-for...\u003C\/a\u003E. \n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003ECDC is recognized as a leading U.S. governmental agency for protecting the health and safety of people, both within the United States and internationally. CDC\u0027s mission is to promote health and quality of life by preventing and controlling diseases, injuries, and disabilities. For more information: \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.cdc.gov\u0022 title=\u0022www.cdc.gov\u0022\u003Ewww.cdc.gov\u003C\/a\u003E.\n\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"The Georgia Tech College of Computing, working in partnership with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, has developed a Web-based tool for tracking blood safety. The tool is expected to help developing countries improve the adequacy and safety of their national blood supplies through better monitoring and evaluation.","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"GT creates tool for tracking African and Caribbean blood supply"}],"uid":"27310","created_gmt":"2008-12-09 01:00:00","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:01:20","author":"David Terraso","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2008-12-09T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2008-12-09T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"70295":{"id":"70295","type":"image","title":"Santosh Vempala","body":null,"created":"1449177304","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:15:04","changed":"1475894618","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:43:38"}},"media_ids":["70295"],"groups":[{"id":"1214","name":"News Room"}],"categories":[{"id":"153","name":"Computer Science\/Information Technology and Security"},{"id":"146","name":"Life Sciences and Biology"},{"id":"135","name":"Research"}],"keywords":[{"id":"861","name":"Africa"},{"id":"1724","name":"african"},{"id":"1440","name":"blood"},{"id":"1723","name":"caribbean"},{"id":"123","name":"CDC"},{"id":"167930","name":"supply"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cstrong\u003EStefany Wilson\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EGeorgia Tech College of Computing\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:stefany@cc.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EContact Stefany Wilson\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E404-894-7253\u003C\/strong\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["stefany@cc.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}