Applying Big Data to Address the Social Determinants of Health in Oncology

Arlene Ash, PhD, Professor and Division Chief, Biostatistics and Health Services Research accepted an invitation to speak at an upcoming workshop, Applying Big Data to Address the Social Determinants of Health in Oncology. This workshop, hosted by the National Cancer Forum in collaboration with the Board on Mathematical Sciences and Analytics, is planned for October 28 and 29, 2019. The workshop will take place at the National Academies of Sciences Building (2100 Constitution Ave, NW, Washington, D.C.).

This workshop will examine the social determinants of health in the context of cancer, and consider opportunities to effectively use big data to reduce disparities and improve health equity. The workshop will include sessions on:

• An overview of the social determinants of health and opportunities to leverage big data and analytic methods in oncology
• Examples of novel data sources and methodologies
• Data policy and ethical considerations
• Priorities and opportunities for collaboration and data sharing to promote health equity in oncology
• Identifying research gaps and setting a research agenda
• Participant recommendations for the path forward 

Please note that a summary of the meeting proceedings, based on presentations and a transcript from the workshop, will be published by the National Academies Press, and will be available online as a free PDF. We also will webcast the workshop—including a video feed intermixed with presentation slides—which will be archived on our website. For more information about the National Cancer Policy Forum, please see www.nas.edu/NCPF.