News

05/13/13

David Morganstein Elected President of the American Statistical Association

David Morganstein, Westat Vice President and Director of the Statistical Staff, was elected the 110th president of the American Statistical Association (ASA)(external site) [*]. He will begin serving as the ASA president-elect January 1, 2014, and will become ASA president January 1, 2015.

Mr. Morganstein has been an active member of the association since 1972 and was elected a Fellow of ASA in 1990. As part of his current duties as a Vice President of the ASA, he chairs ASA's Professional Issues & Visibility Council. He is also a Member of the Accreditation Committee. Mr. Morganstein has served on the ASA Board of Directors twice, serving as the ASA Treasurer from 1992-95. For his many contributions to the association he was given its prestigious Founders Award in 1998.

In addition to his current leadership on the ASA Board, Mr. Morganstein has presented workshops and held several other appointed roles. Mr. Morganstein, an elected member of the International Statistical Institute, chaired its Ethics Committee and directed the re-writing of the ISI's Declaration on Professional Ethics. He has worked with more than 50 organizations in North America and overseas in the teaching and use of statistical methods for quality assurance and improvement. Mr. Morganstein is also an instructor in the Joint Program in Survey Methodology, a consortium of the University of Maryland, the University of Michigan, and Westat.

“I am greatly honored and humbled by the confidence placed in me by my peers in the American Statistical Association,” said Mr. Morganstein following his election as the ASA's top volunteer leader. “Our profession faces many challenges and has many opportunities. I very much look forward to guiding the ASA's work on the membership's behalf to advance the statistical sciences, to advocate for our members' interests, and to raise public awareness of our profession's increasingly valuable contributions to our data-dependent world.”

The ASA is the world's largest community of statisticians, with more than 18,000 members. It supports excellence in the development, application, and dissemination of statistical science through professional meetings, numerous technical peer-reviewed publications, membership services, education, accreditation, and advocacy.

For more information: Contact Westat

05/09/13

AAPOR to Feature Westat Expertise

A contingent of Westat staff will participate at the annual conference of the American Association for Public Opinion Research (AAPOR)(external site) [*] in Boston, Massachusetts, May 16-19, 2013. The theme of this year's conference is Asking Critical Questions: Toward a Sustainable Future for Public Opinion and Social Research. Westat staff will present papers, briefs, and posters, as well as serve as session moderators.

Presentations by Westat staff will cover a variety of topics: questionnaire design, mode effects, interviewer training, interviewer monitoring, contact strategy, data quality, respondent recruitment and selection mechanisms, multilingual survey design, address-based sampling, and multiphase and multistage survey methods.

J. Michael Brick is also teaching a short course at the conference, Mail and Telephone Data Collection With Address-Based Samples.

A list of papers and presentations to be contributed by Westat staff (names in bold) follows.

Reg Baker and J. Michael Brick.

Non-Probability Task Force Report.

Stephanie Beauvais, Jocelyn Newsome, Martha Stapleton, Kerry Levin, Salma Shariff-Marco, Nancy Breen, and Gordon Willis.

Resolving Multilingual Issues in Survey Development: Experiences From a Translation Workshop.

Johnny Blair, Pat D. Brick, and J. Michael Brick.

Survey Topic Saliency: An Examination of Potential Effects and Remedies.

Pat D. Brick, Catherine Billington, Sarah Dipko, and J. Michael Brick.

Interaction Between Questionnaire Design and Interviewer Performance.

Andrew Caporaso, David Cantor, Aaron Maitland, and Bradford Hesse.

An Experiment to Improve Spanish Language Response Rates to a Mail Questionnaire.

W. Sherman Edwards, J. Michael Brick, and Sharon Lohr.

Sample Performance and Cost in a Two-Stage ABS Design with Telephone Interviewing.

Cynthia Helba, Gina Shkodriani, Jasmine Folz, Martha Stapleton, and Gordon Willis.

Multi-Method Pretesting of Multilingual Survey Items.

Wendy Hicks, Andrew Mercer, and Aaron Maitland.

Linking Interview Context, Interviewer Behavior, and Data Quality.

Ryan A. Hubbard.

Interviewer Affect and CARI Effects: Lessons in Implementation and the Effects of CARI on a Large-Scale Longitudinal Study.

Kerry Levin, Jocelyn Newsome, Pat D. Brick, Brenda Schafer, Ron Hodge, and Patrick Langetieg.

When is Enough Enough? Deciding the Optimal Number of Contacts for a Multi-Mode Survey.

Crystal MacAllum, Suzanne McNutt, Adam Chu, Susan Bartlett, and Kelly Kinnison.

Issues in Contacting and Engaging SNAP Recipients in a Longitudinal Survey.

Aaron Maitland.

An Examination of the Relationship Between Pretest Method Results and Data Quality.

Jocelyn Newsome, Kerry Levin, Pat D. Brick, Patrick Langetieg, Melissa Vigil, and Michael Sebastiani.

Multi-Mode Survey Administration: Does Offering Multiple Modes at Once Depress Response Rates?

Jennifer E. O'Brien.

How Spending Money Can Save You Money: The Impact of Incentives on Speed of Response.

Martha Stapleton, Jeffrey Kerwin, Jennifer Crafts, and Jasmine Folz.

An Empirical Test of the Effectiveness of Cognitive Testing in Improving Question Wording.

Roger Tourangeau, Rebecca Medway, and Stanley Presser.

The Relations Among Different Cognitive Shortcuts in Surveys.

Roger Tourangeau, Hanyu Sun, and Stanley Presser.

The Impact of Political Sponsorship on Response to Political Surveys.

Douglas Williams, David Cantor, and Shannan Catalano.

Approaches to Collecting Data Using Interactive Voice Response (IVR) for Address-Based Samples.

For more information: Contact Westat

04/29/13

Math Course Titles ≠ Course Content, Study Finds

Westat collaborated with the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) on a study that explored the relationship between student coursetaking and achievement in two mathematics courses. The findings appear in Algebra I and Geometry Curricula: Results from the 2005 High School Transcript Mathematics Curriculum Study(external site) [*], which was released at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., on March 12, 2013.

The overall findings of the study were that school course titles often overstated course content and challenge.

Janis Brown of NCES, Kathryn Schiller of the State University of New York -- Albany, Stephen Roey and Robert Perkins, Jr., of Westat, and William Schmidt and Richard Houang of Michigan State University authored the report.

The Mathematics Curriculum Study(external site) [*] examined the content and challenge of two mathematics courses taught in the Nation's public high schools—algebra I and geometry.

Conducted in conjunction with the 2005 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) High School Transcript Study (HSTS), the study used textbooks as an indirect measure of what was taught in classrooms (i.e., curriculum), not how it was taught (i.e., classroom instruction).

The study used curriculum topics in the textbooks to describe the content of the mathematics courses and course levels (beginning, intermediate, rigorous) to denote the complexity of the courses. The results are based on analyses of the curriculum topics and course levels developed from the textbook information, coursetaking data from the 2005 NAEP HSTS, and performance data from the 12th-grade 2005 NAEP mathematics assessment.

Highlights of the study findings show that

• About 65 percent of the material covered in high school graduates' algebra I courses was devoted to algebra topics.
• About 66 percent of the material covered in graduates' geometry courses focused on geometry topics.
• Approximately 73 percent of graduates in "honors" algebra I classes received a curriculum ranked as an intermediate algebra I course.
• 62 percent of graduates who took a geometry course labeled "honors" by their school received a curriculum ranked as intermediate geometry.

For more information: Contact Westat

04/22/13

Annual Education Research Meeting Draws Westat Expertise

Several Westat researchers will be giving presentations, conducting workshops, or chairing sessions at this year's American Educational Research Association (AERA) Annual Meeting(external site) [*]. The theme for this year's meeting is Education and Poverty: Theory, Research, Policy, and Praxis. The meeting will be held in San Francisco, California, April 27-May 1, 2013.

AERA is the most prominent international professional organization advancing the dual goals of education research and its practical application. The annual meeting convenes more than 14,000 education researchers from the United States and abroad.

Below is a list of papers and activities Westat staff (names in bold) will contribute.

Karin Katterfeld, Maura Spiegelman, and Min Sun.

Investigating a Survey Measure for Higher Levels of Principals' Leadership of Mathematics Instruction.

Kimberley Raue, Holly Bozeman, and Hannah Putman.

Examining the Implementation of KIPP Through College: The Importance of Relationship Building.

Shep Roey, Robert Perkins, Judy Tang, Janis Brown, and Philip Morse.

A Ceiling Effect? The Trends in High School Grade Point Average: Findings from the NAEP High School Transcript Studies, 1990-2009.

Shep Roey, Robert Perkins, Janis Brown, and Kathryn Schiller.

In Session Effects of Mathematics Policy and Reform: Breaking Down the Achievement Gaps Among High School Graduates.

Shep Roey, Robert Perkins, and Jen Laird.

How to Use NAEP High School Transcript Study Data: Tools for Education Research.

Ning Rui.

The Impacts of an Integrated Community Development Program in Southern Ethiopia.

Annette M. Zehler. (Symposium Chair).

Targeting Language Skills for English Learner Students: Findings from Intervention Research and Implications for Practice.

For more information: Contact Westat

04/17/13

Westat Wins NAEP and NSSC Contracts

Westat has been awarded contracts for sampling and data collection activities and the support and service center for the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) in 2013-17, continuing work that Westat began in 1983.

NAEP is the largest continuing and nationally representative assessment of what our Nation's students know and can do in core subjects. NAEP is congressionally mandated and was first administered in 1969 to measure student achievement nationally. The program was expanded to the state level in 1990 and to selected urban school districts in 2002. Teachers, principals, parents, policymakers, and researchers all use NAEP results to assess progress and develop ways to improve education in the United States.

During the 5 years of the contract, we will conduct assessments of 4th-, 8th-, and 12th-graders in reading, mathematics, science, writing, technology and engineering literacy, history, civics, geography, visual arts, and music. During this contract, most subjects will move from paper-based to technology-based assessments on a large scale. National assessments are conducted every year; state- and district-level assessments are conducted every other year. About 1 million students from 20,000 schools participate in NAEP assessments when states and district samples are assessed.

The NAEP Support and Service Center (NSSC) was first established at Westat in 2002. The NSSC trains and supports federally funded NAEP state coordinators located in each state education agency, as well as district coordinators for the Trial Urban District Assessment. This training and support covers the full range of NAEP activities, from school recruitment and data collection through analysis and reporting of state/district NAEP results. In addition to in-person workshops, the NSSC conducts weekly web seminars and maintains a private web site for the coordinators.

For more information: Contact Westat

04/09/13

Evaluation Researchers Gather at Annual Conference

Westat staff will be participating at the 36th Annual Conference of the Eastern Evaluation Research Society (EERS)(external site) [*] in Abescon, New Jersey, on April 14-16, 2013. The conference provides longstanding support for professional evaluators with a forum for learning, networking, and sharing expertise.

In addition to serving as Conference Program Co-Chair, Jennifer Hamilton, Ph.D., who specializes in evaluation methodology, will be teaching a preconference workshop, Using Logic Models to Support Implementation Fidelity: A Hands-on Workshop. This workshop will provide a step-by-step guide to logic modeling and its importance in program evaluation. Participants will engage in this highly interactive workshop to create their own logic models and to explore how they can be used as a tool in measuring implementation fidelity.

Papers to which Westat staff will contribute follow.

David Bernstein.

Government Evaluation and Performance Measurement: Keep on Using Till You Use It Up.

Carol Cober.

Sharing Results with Community Partners: Building Empowered Relationships.

Joseph Gasper and Kathryn Henderson.

Making the Most of Matching: Combining Program and Administrative Data to Evaluate Local Employment and Training Programs.

Kathryn Henderson, Debra Rog, Joseph Gasper, and Mustafa Karakus.

Rigor and Relevance: The Challenges of Conducting Quality and Relevant Evaluations in the Real World.

Mustafa Karakus, Joseph Gasper, and Allison Roeser.

Hone, Learn, and Fine Tune: Utility of Program Evaluation.

Eden Segal.

Useful Dissertation: Sidestepping an Oxymoron by Design.

For more information: Contact Westat

04/03/13

Westat Celebrates the International Year of Statistics

Join Westat and more than 1,400 organizations worldwide in celebrating the International Year of Statistics in 2013. Statistics have a powerful and far-reaching effect on us all by playing a major role in informing public policy and improving human welfare.

• Statistical models improve the tracking of disease rates.
• Transportation infrastructure is improved based on statistical models of people flow.
• Statistics help feed the world by identifying new crop varieties in breeding experiments.

The International Year of Statistics, called Statistics2013(external site) [*], is a year-long campaign to increase public awareness of the power and impact of statistics on all aspects of society, nurture statistics as a profession, and promote creativity and development in the sciences of probability and statistics. Join us(external site) [*] and other groups in 108 countries that are participating in the celebration.

Westat: Combining Knowledge, Application, Innovation

Statistics are central to the work Westat performs for our clients -- Federal, state, and local governments, foundations, and the private sector. Our staff of approximately 80 statisticians and survey methodologists are world renowned for their statistical expertise and serve in key roles of our employee-owned company, from our Board of Directors to the front lines of research.

Westat recognizes the dynamic nature of the field. "Statistics is not a staid or routine field," notes David Morganstein, Vice President of Westat's Statistical Group, as well as the Vice President of the American Statistical Association (ASA). "Statistics is an ongoing process of learning and application. At Westat, statisticians are encouraged to not only do statistical work but also learn about statistical thinking and make data-driven decisions with statistical techniques."

Westat's leadership in furthering the knowledge of statistics and statistical application continues outside our offices:

• Several Westat staff serve on the faculty of the Joint Program in Survey Methodology consortium(external site) [*], the oldest and largest program in the United States offering graduate training in the principles and practices of survey research.
• Westat staff teach courses, nationally and internationally, in all aspects of survey research.
• We have authored cutting-edge articles on innovative approaches to sampling and survey methodology.
• Nine staff members are Fellows of the ASA, individuals who are recognized for their outstanding professional contributions to and leadership in the field of statistical science.
• Many Westat statisticians have served as officers of professional associations, such as the ASA, the International Statistical Institute, and the American Association for Public Opinion Research.

The demand for expertise in statistical methods is high and will remain so as governments and businesses turn more and more to data sets for information on every aspect of the global economy and society. Check out Westat's opportunities for statisticians by visiting our Careers page.

For more information: Contact Westat

04/03/13

QUEST Workshop Invites Westat Participation

Several Westat staff members have been invited to participate in the 2013 QUEST Workshop in Washington, D.C., April 9-11, 2013. The workshop brings together survey practitioners and researchers to discuss new methodologies in questionnaire evaluation research. Attendees present their recent experiences in questionnaire evaluation and testing for roundtable discussion.

The QUEST network was established in 1997. Participants of the QUEST group are involved in survey question and instrument evaluation. The core of the group consists of members from Federal statistical agencies and survey organizations in Europe, New Zealand, Canada, and the United States.

A list of presentations by Westat staff follows.

Jennifer Crafts.

Lessons Learned in Redesigning CATI Surveys for Self-Administered Paper Mode.

Kerry Levin.

What are the Human Subjects Challenges When Conducting Cognitive Interviews with Children?

Jocelyn Newsome.

OneNote as a Tool for Cognitive Testing Management and Analysis.

Martha Stapleton.

Lessons Learned From Conducting Cognitive Interviews with Youth.

For more information: Contact Westat

03/14/13

FedCASIC 2013 Includes Westat's Range of Expertise

Leveraging cloud technology, handling management challenges, and using text-to-speech software are just a few of the topics Westat staff will be addressing at the 2013 Federal CASIC (Computer-Assisted Survey Information Collection) Workshops(external site) [*] in Washington, DC, March 19-21, 2013. Westat Vice Presidents Jane Shepherd and Brad Edwards are the Westat coordinators for this annual workshop series. The series is sponsored by the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Census Bureau.

Westat staff (names in bold) will be chairing workshops, serving on panels, and giving or participating in presentations on a variety of current issues.

Amelia Burke. (Panel.)

Social Media and Survey Research.

David Cantor. (Session Chair.)

Blending CASIC Designs with Administrative Records.

Beth Mittl, Thea Zimmerman, and Chris Bingley. (Presentation participation.)

Using a Self-Administered Web-Based System to Replace the Interviewer: The Automated Self-Administered 24-Hour Dietary Recall (ASA24).

Abie Reifer. (Presentation.)

Mobile Device Use in Underserved Areas.

Abie Reifer. (Presentation.)

Recent Innovations.

Jeff Phillips, Ed Dolbow, and Brad Edwards. (Presentation.)

Using Text-to-Speech Software for ACASI.

Dennis Pickett and Ray Snowden. (Presentation.)

Leveraging Cloud Technology to Improve Study Operations Continuity and Resiliency.

Jane Shepherd. (Session Co-Chair.)

Data Management.

Jane Shepherd. (Panel.)

Management Challenges Associated with Training and Project Management.

Jane Shepherd. (Session Co-Chair.)

Management Challenges in CAI Survey Organizations.

For more information: Contact Westat

03/08/13

Nicotine and Tobacco Research Conference Draws Westat Staff

Westat staff will be participating at the 19th annual meeting of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco (SRNT) in Boston, Massachusetts, March 13-16, 2013.

The conference provides opportunities to forge partnerships and to learn about and share new, cutting-edge nicotine and tobacco science.

Papers and presentations to which Westat staff (names in bold) will contribute follow.

Andrew Hyland, Charles Carusi, David Strong, Cristine D. Delnevo, Amanda Richardson, Karen Messer, Richard O?Connor, and Kristie Taylor. (Symposium presenters.)

The Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) Study: Progress Updates and Findings From Formative Research.

Kristie Taylor, Victoria Castleman, Jocelyn Newsome, Earlayna Batch, Stephanie Beauvais, Jasmine Folz, Cynthia Helba, Teresa Koenig, Kerry Levin, Alicia Norberg, Gina Shkodriani, Martha Stapleton, Catherine Corey, and Kevin Conway. (Poster.)

Development and Testing of Survey Items to Assess Cigar, Cigarillo, and Filtered Cigar Use.

For more information: Contact Westat

02/28/13

Seminar Series on Contemporary Social Issues Announced for 2013

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender youth in foster care. The meaningful use of an electronic health record. The need for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) master teachers. These are the issues the Contemporary Social Issues series will review the state of in its spring 2013 seminars.

The 2013 Contemporary Social Issues Seminar Series presents the opportunity for social scientists and researchers at the forefront of their study areas to present fact-driven, research-based findings on topics affecting the public.

Practitioners in the field bring the findings to life, with examples from real-world local settings.The seminars are sponsored by the Rockville Institute and the Universities at Shady Grove.

Each seminar, which is free and open to the public, is held in the Camille Kendall Academic Center (external site) [*] , Building III, Room 3241, 9636 Gudelsky Drive, Rockville, Maryland, 20850.

Seminar dates, topics, and speakers include the following:

LGBT Youth in Foster Care: Challenges and Strategies
(Thursday, March 14, 2013, 4:30 p.m.)

Youth in foster care have special challenges due to trauma, placement instability, and long-term effects of maltreatment. Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) foster youth have additional challenges that make them particularly vulnerable. The goal of this seminar is to increase understanding and provide strategies for working with LGBT youth, especially those in child welfare systems.

Speakers:
Liz Quinn, MS, MA, Senior Study Director, Westat
Brandynicole Brooks, MSW, LICSW, Office of Youth Empowerment, DC Child and Family Services Agency
Mary Hicks-Pope, Youth Ambassador, DC Child and Family Services Agency

What Is a Meaningful Use of Electronic Health Records?
(Tuesday, April 2, 2013, 4:30 p.m.)

An electronic health record (EHR) allows health care providers to record patient information electronically instead of using paper records. The Federal Government is implementing policies to increase the adoption of EHRs. What are the implications of these Federal requirements? Will EHRs decrease the cost of providing care? Will health records be more secure?

Speakers:
Helga Rippen, MD, PhD, MPH, Chief Health Information Officer, Westat
Zia Hassan, MD, Sibley Memorial Hospital
Tina DiFranco, RN, BSN, JD, Attorney, Cook & DiFranco; faculty, University of Maryland, Baltimore County
Anita Samarth, President and Co-Founder, Clinovations

Enhancing Learning in STEM Through the Creation of Master Teachers
(Wednesday, April 24, 2013, 4:30 p.m.)

This panel will discuss the need for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) master teachers and look at the reality of trying to support and be a STEM master teacher. The speakers will draw on their own experiences to share the challenges and lessons learned from both training and practice.

Speakers:
Joy Frechtling, PhD, Vice President, Associate Director, Westat
Tracy Irish, Science/STEM Academic Coordinator, MAE, Department of Education, University of Maryland, Baltimore County
Anne Spence, PhD, Professor of the Practice, Undergraduate Program Director, Director of Project Lead the Way, Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Maryland, Baltimore County
John Quinn, Ed.D, Co-Director, Baltimore County STEM Alliance; Executive Director of STEM, Baltimore County Public Schools; Instructor, University of Maryland, Baltimore County

02/19/13

Global Health's Centers of Excellence Video Highlights Efforts

A video highlighting the efforts of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) and UnitedHealth Group (UHG) Global Health Centers of Excellence Program is available on the NHLBI site(external site) [*] and YouTube(external site) [*]. The video features the research efforts of NHLBI, UHG, and the 11 Centers of Excellence in combating noncommunicable cardiovascular and pulmonary diseases (CVPDs). The video debuted at the program?s October 2012 Steering Committee Meeting in Bethesda, Maryland. Westat, the Administrative Coordinating Center for the program, managed the meeting logistics and program.

The goals of the NHLBI-UHG Centers of Excellence Program are to enable clinical research infrastructure development, support research training, and conduct research of new or improved approaches, programs, and measures to prevent or treat noncommunicable CVPDs.

As the Administrative Coordinating Center, Westat is responsible for

• Developing a performance monitoring plan
• Collecting data to track program achievements
• Developing a Manual of General Operations with network standard operating procedures
• Managing network-wide training
• Identifying and implementing communication conduits to optimize each Center of Excellence's communication technical capacity
• Planning and facilitating domestic and international semi-annual network meetings
• Managing regulatory documents to ensure compliance to the U.S. Government Code of Federal Regulations
• Maintaining a network web site and discussion forums
• Developing web-based training modules
• Conducting process evaluations

For more information: Contact Westat

NHLBI: http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/about/globalhealth/media-room/videos.htm(external site) [*]

YouTube: http://www.youtube-nocookie.com/v/5HsLVLpw45U?version=3&hl=en_US&rel=0(external site) [*]

02/15/13

NCI's Behavioral Research Program Continues Scientific/Technical Support from Westat

Westat will continue to provide scientific and technical support to the National Cancer Institute's Behavioral Research Program (BRP). The program conducts behavioral science research in areas such as health promotion, cancer screening, and reduction in tobacco use. This is Westat?s third consecutive contract supporting the BRP.

Westat will provide support on research design, regulatory submissions, data collection, statistical analysis, web site design and development, coordination and harmonization of data measures, qualitative data collection, data coding and analysis, developmental research (i.e., focus groups and cognitive testing), and literature searches.

Ongoing work for the BRP includes developing and testing several web sites such as the Grid-Enabled Measures (GEM) site, designed to enable researchers to use common measures with the goal of exchanging harmonized data, and developing the Team Science Toolkit for students and professionals interested in team science. Moving forward, we will also handle program evaluations and developing a framework for a participatory cancer communication web site.

For more information: Contact Westat

02/08/13

NCI Chooses Westat for Continued Clinical Genetics Branch Support Services

In Westat's third consecutive contract for this scope of work, we will continue to provide support to the National Cancer Institute's (NCI's) Clinical Genetics Branch (CGB), which is responsible for translating recent dramatic advances in molecular genetics into clinical management strategies for genetically at-risk patients. Some project activities are conducted on site at the National Institutes of Health Clinical Center.

The two major areas of research are

• Studies of cancer-prone families
• Evaluations of genetic polymorphisms as determinants of cancer risk in selected populations

While Westat?s activities vary depending on the study protocol, tasks include study initiation, tracing, data collection, coordination of clinic and data collection, genetic counseling and education, specimen collection and management, data management and processing, study monitoring and quality control, and records management.

Ongoing research includes studies involving patients with Li-Fraumeni syndrome, neurofibromatosis type 1, pleuropulmonary blastoma, and testicular cancer, in addition to any new research CGB chooses to initiate.

For more information: Contact Westat

01/28/13

News Release: Westat Turns 50 in 2013

Westat, one of Montgomery County's largest employers, is celebrating 50 years of research and analysis that contribute to numerous advances in health, education, the environment, and public policy. The company was incorporated on January 2, 1963, by three statisticians from the University of Wyoming. Since then, Westat has grown to more than 2,000 professional staff at its headquarters in Rockville, regional offices in 7 states and 6 international locations, and over $500 million in annual revenues.

The company plans a number of events throughout the year to recognize this milestone and has adopted the tagline, "50 Years ... Improving Lives through Research."

Westat has erected a 2½-story commemorative banner on its corporate headquarters building at 1600 Research Boulevard, Rockville, Maryland.

"Westat has achieved stability and longevity as an employee-owned research company," said James E. Smith, PhD, President and CEO, "and we plan to continue as an employer of choice here in Montgomery County," he added.

Westat provides research services to agencies of the U.S. Government, as well as businesses, foundations, and state and local governments. In addition to capabilities as a leading statistical survey organization, Westat has extensive skills and experience in custom research, program evaluation studies, and communications campaign development across a broad range of subject areas. Westat also has technical expertise in survey and analytical methods, computer systems technology, biomedical science, and clinical trials that sustain a leadership position in the industry.

For further information, contact:
Bruce Romer, Vice President
301-294-3830
bruceromer@westat.com

01/25/13

Westat Works with DOD to Improve Outcomes for Combat Trauma Victims

Westat is working with the Infectious Disease Clinical Research Program (IDCRP) at the Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences to better understand infectious disease complications among service members with combat-related traumatic injuries.

Infections, particularly those due to increasingly common multidrug resistant pathogens, can significantly increase morbidity and mortality among these complex patients. Relatively little is known about risk factors for infection or the most effective antimicrobial prophylactic and treatment regimens for these situations.

The Trauma Infectious Disease Outcomes Study collects data on patients evacuated from Iraq or Afghanistan to a U.S. Department of Defense hospital in Germany through their ultimate discharge from a participating hospital in the United States. The goal of this study is to contribute to a better understanding of infectious disease complications among this population and to improved evidence-based clinical management guidelines.

A subset of these patients is enrolled in a cohort study that tracks infectious disease complications, hospitalizations, and other clinical information for an additional 5 years after the injury. This part of the study is performed through a combination of patient phone interviews and sweeps of electronic health record databases.

Westat will conduct statistical analysis, particularly in relation to two areas

• Epidemiology of infectious complications among patients with combat-related traumatic injury
• Evaluation of the effectiveness of empiric antibiotics against deep soft tissue infections and risk factors for developing antimicrobial resistance

Westat epidemiologists, statisticians, and programmers are working closely with IDCRP to produce analysis results that will help lead to more effective treatment guidelines for these types of injuries.

For more information: Contact Westat

01/23/13

Westat Continues as Coordinating Center for NICHD's Pediatric and Maternal HIV Studies

Westat will continue as the coordinating center for a network of clinical centers and laboratories that participate in HIV epidemiologic studies and clinical trials involving pediatric and perinatal populations. Westat has served the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) in this capacity for more than 25 years.

NICHD Network studies are conducted by clinical centers across the United States and in Brazil and Argentina. The network has participated in more than 100 clinical studies, including phase I to IV trials of therapies to reduce mother-infant HIV transmission, improve the health and survival of HIV-infected children and adolescents, and evaluate the effects of HIV-related therapies on pregnant women and their infants.

Westat's activities include

• Providing personnel, facilities, and services for current and new studies
• Negotiating and managing site and laboratory budgets and subcontracts
• Providing regulatory support and ensuring regulatory compliance
• Supporting protocol development and implementation, including site training and monitoring
• Supporting data management, including case report form and database development, data collection, data entry and cleaning, and quality assurance
• Supporting statistical analysis, reporting, and manuscript preparation

For more information: Contact Westat

01/16/13

Social Work and Research Conference Draws Westat Staff

Westat will host an exhibit booth (#503) at the Society for Social Work and Research (SSWR) Annual Conference(external site) [*] January 16-20, 2013, in San Diego, California. Westat staff with expertise on issues concerning children, youth, and families will be on hand to discuss our experience in conducting child welfare, juvenile justice, and other human services research.

The SSWR Annual Conference offers a scientific program that reflects a broad range of research interests, from workshops on the latest quantitative and qualitative research methodologies to symposia featuring studies in child welfare, aging, mental health, welfare reform, substance abuse, and HIV/AIDS.

For more information: Contact Westat

01/09/13

Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting Includes Westat Staff Expertise

Westat staff will be participating at the Transportation Research Board (TRB) 92nd Annual Meeting(external site) [*] to be held January 13-17, 2013, in Washington, D.C. The information-packed program will attract more than 11,000 transportation professionals from around the world. The theme for the meeting is Deploying Transportation Research-Doing Things Smarter, Better, Faster.

Westat staff will be contributing to the exchange of information and ideas in several ways. Over the course of the weeklong meeting, Westat staff will be involved in various workshops and committee meetings.

• Mark Freedman will speak at a session about the results of a Westat study for the National Institute on Child Health and Development that examined how the risk of fatal crash involvement varies with driver and passenger age and sex. He will also participate in a workshop, The Future of National Household Travel Data: Getting Feedback from the User Community.
• Jean Wolf, PhD, will discuss the use of GPS regional travel data for national data needs as part of a lectern session, Building National Data from Local Data: Role of Technologies and Collaborations.
• Neil Lerner, PhD, serves on the steering committee that plans the Human Factors workshops that take place during the conference and will be a workshop liaison during the meeting. He also serves on TRB's Young Driver Subcommittee and will be active in the planning activities that take place during the technical committee meeting.
• James Jenness, PhD, will be speaking about Westat's previous National Highway Traffic Safety Administration-sponsored research on motorcycle conspicuity at a Human Factors Workshop session.
• Jon Burkhardt will be participating in the Human Factors Workshop session, What Drives Transportation Choices for Older Adults. He will also participate in TRB's Rural Public and Intercity Bus Transportation Committee, where he is an Emeritus Member, and assist in planning the committee's national conference in 2014.
• Sharon Levi will be presenting research on CRS MISUSE and ISOFIX and LATCH Use in Israel during the Occupant Protection Committee meeting.
• Marcelo Simas Oliveira, PhD, will be making a short presentation to the Travel Survey Methods Subcommittees on New Technologies on a travel survey data visualization web site Westat is developing for the New York Metropolitan Transit Council.

A list of papers, posters, and presentations to which Westat staff (names in bold) will contribute follows. For details on the time and location of each presentation, refer to the online program(external site) [*].

Jon Burkhardt, Suzanne O'Neill, and Steve Wilks. (Paper.)

Coordinated Transportation Options for Developmental Disability Programs in Utah.

Jon Burkhardt. (Workshop participant.)

What Drives Transportation Choices for Older Adults.

Doreen De Leonardis, Rick Huey, and Randy Atkins. (Poster.)

Nationally Representative Speeds: How Hard Can It Be?

Mark Freedman. (Workshop participant.)

The Future of National Household Travel Data: Getting Feedback from the User Community.

Mark Freedman. (Presentation.)

Using the NHTS for Safety Research and Analysis: Driver and Passenger Age and Gender Effects on Fatal Crash Risk.

James Jenness. (Session organizer.)

A New Look at Motorcycle Conspicuity and Motorcycle Safety Research.

James Jenness. (Moderator.)

Driver Distraction, Driver State, and Vehicle Safety Systems.

Susan Swain. (Moderator.)

Use, Reuse, and Recycle: Getting the Most from National Household Travel Survey Data.

Jean Wolf. (Presentation.)

Use of GPS-Based Regional Travel Data for National Data Needs.

Several Westat staff serve as members and friends of committees, subcommittees, and task forces:

• Advanced Traveler Information Systems Joint Subcommittee (Emanuel Robinson, PhD)
• Geographic Information Science and Applications (William Bachman, PhD)
• Health and Transportation (Michelle Lee)
• Law Enforcement Committee (Doreen De Leonardis)
• Motorcycle Safety Committee (Fran Bents)
• Occupant Protection Committee (Fran Bents, Sharon Levi, Adele Polson)
• Public Transit Marketing and Fare Policy (Jesse Casas)
• Rural Public and Intercity Bus Transportation Committee (Jon Burkhardt)
• Task Force on Understanding New Directions for the National Household Travel Survey (Mark Freedman)
• Traffic Speed and Safety Joint Subcommittee (Doreen De Leonardis)
• Travel Survey Methods (Mark Freedman, Jean Wolf, Marcelo Simas Oliveira, PhD, Susan Swain, Jesse Casas)
• Travel Survey Methods Subcommittees on New Technologies, Household Travel Surveys (Jean Wolf, Marcelo Simas Oliveira, PhD, Susan Swain, Michelle Lee) and on Public Transit Surveys (Jesse Casas)
• Truck and Bus Safety Committee (Fran Bents)
• Urban Transportation Data and Information Systems (Marcelo Simas Oliveira, PhD)
• Vehicle User Characteristics Committee (James Jenness, PhD)
• Young Driver Subcommittee (Neil Lerner, PhD)

The TRB Annual Meeting program covers all transportation modes, with more than 4,000 presentations in nearly 750 sessions and workshops addressing topics of interest to all attendees-policymakers, administrators, practitioners, researchers, and representatives of government, industry, and academic institutions.

For more information: Contact Westat

01/03/13

Technical Assistance to Support STEM Teacher Effort to Be Provided by Westat

For the U.S. Department of Education (ED), Westat will provide technical assistance to support the implementation of performance-based compensation and career ladder systems for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) teachers.

An emphasis of EDs 2012 Teacher Incentive Fund (TIF) grant competition was the creation of a cadre of STEM master teachers in high-needs schools.

The overall focus of the STEM TIF technical assistance effort is to build the capacity of local education agencies and other entities to (1) implement performance-based compensation and career leader systems for STEM teachers and (2) identify, train, evaluate, and compensate STEM master teachers.

Westat will support this group of TIF grantees by

• Assessing technical assistance needs and delivering assistance (individually and through webinars) in identified areas
• Identifying and developing products to build grantee capacity in developing STEM teaching resources
• Creating and facilitating a technology-based community of practice for STEM master teachers

For more information: Contact Westat