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Abstract:
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As a statistician and modeler working in cancer health policy, I did not expect to be able to play a role in COVID-19 policy work. But my curiosity got the better of me and I began reading - and then explaining - COVID-19 predictive models to the public and the media. This led to an invitation to join a COVID-19 modeling group working with our state Department of Health where I quickly realized that what I had learned in cancer policy development would be helpful in this crisis as well. In this presentation I will share my experience anticipating key policy questions, helping a team of modelers direct efforts towards addressing them, recognizing data gaps and doing my best (with no funding) to help fill them. I will share stories about an effort to call grocery stores across the state to learn about mask wearing, development of an app to project expected hospital beds occupied in the next month based on up-to-date hospitalization data, and storytelling with data - honing a message using the evolving data and models to help the Governor and state health leadership to make sound, evidence-based decisions.
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