Sandifer Paul

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Sandifer
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Paul
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  • Article
    Framework for a community health observing system for the Gulf of Mexico Region: preparing for future disasters
    (Frontiers Media, 2020-10-15) Sandifer, Paul ; Knapp, Landon ; Lichtveld, Maureen ; Manley, Ruth ; Abramson, David ; Caffey, Rex ; Cochran, David ; Collier, Tracy K. ; Ebi, Kristie ; Engel, Lawrence ; Farrington, John W. ; Finucane, Melissa ; Hale, Christine ; Halpern, David ; Harville, Emily ; Hart, Leslie ; Hswen, Yulin ; Kirkpatrick, Barbara ; McEwen, Bruce F. ; Morris, Glenn ; Orbach, Raymond ; Palinkas, Lawrence ; Partyka, Melissa ; Porter, Dwayne ; Prather, Aric A. ; Rowles, Teresa K. ; Scott, Geoffrey ; Seeman, Teresa ; Solo-Gabriele, Helena M. ; Svendsen, Erik ; Tincher, Terry ; Trtanj, Juli ; Walker, Ann Hayward ; Yehuda, Rachel ; Yip, Fuyuen ; Yoskowitz, David ; Singer, Burton
    The Gulf of Mexico (GoM) region is prone to disasters, including recurrent oil spills, hurricanes, floods, industrial accidents, harmful algal blooms, and the current COVID-19 pandemic. The GoM and other regions of the U.S. lack sufficient baseline health information to identify, attribute, mitigate, and facilitate prevention of major health effects of disasters. Developing capacity to assess adverse human health consequences of future disasters requires establishment of a comprehensive, sustained community health observing system, similar to the extensive and well-established environmental observing systems. We propose a system that combines six levels of health data domains, beginning with three existing, national surveys and studies plus three new nested, longitudinal cohort studies. The latter are the unique and most important parts of the system and are focused on the coastal regions of the five GoM States. A statistically representative sample of participants is proposed for the new cohort studies, stratified to ensure proportional inclusion of urban and rural populations and with additional recruitment as necessary to enroll participants from particularly vulnerable or under-represented groups. Secondary data sources such as syndromic surveillance systems, electronic health records, national community surveys, environmental exposure databases, social media, and remote sensing will inform and augment the collection of primary data. Primary data sources will include participant-provided information via questionnaires, clinical measures of mental and physical health, acquisition of biological specimens, and wearable health monitoring devices. A suite of biomarkers may be derived from biological specimens for use in health assessments, including calculation of allostatic load, a measure of cumulative stress. The framework also addresses data management and sharing, participant retention, and system governance. The observing system is designed to continue indefinitely to ensure that essential pre-, during-, and post-disaster health data are collected and maintained. It could also provide a model/vehicle for effective health observation related to infectious disease pandemics such as COVID-19. To our knowledge, there is no comprehensive, disaster-focused health observing system such as the one proposed here currently in existence or planned elsewhere. Significant strengths of the GoM Community Health Observing System (CHOS) are its longitudinal cohorts and ability to adapt rapidly as needs arise and new technologies develop.
  • Article
    Summary of findings and research recommendations from the Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative
    (Oceanography Society, 2021-06-03) Wilson, Charles A. ; Feldman, Michael G. ; Carron, Michael J. ; Dannreuther, Nilde Maggie ; Farrington, John W. ; Halanych, Kenneth M. ; Petitt, Jennifer L. ; Rullkötter, Jürgen ; Sandifer, Paul ; Shaw, J. Kevin ; Shepherd, John G. ; Westerholm, David G. ; Yanoff, Callan J. ; Zimmermann, Leigh A.
    Following the Deepwater Horizon explosion and oil spill in 2010, the Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative (GoMRI) was established to improve society’s ability to understand, respond to, and mitigate the impacts of petroleum pollution and related stressors of the marine and coastal ecosystems. This article provides a high-level overview of the major outcomes of the scientific work undertaken by GoMRI. This i scientifically independent initiative, consisting of over 4,500 experts in academia, government, and industry, contributed to significant knowledge advances across the physical, chemical, geological, and biological oceanographic research fields, as well as in related technology, socioeconomics, human health, and oil spill response measures. For each of these fields, this paper outlines key advances and discoveries made by GoMRI-funded scientists (along with a few surprises), synthesizing their efforts in order to highlight lessons learned, future research needs, remaining gaps, and suggestions for the next generation of scientists.