Brief description of the organization
SickKids is Canada’s leading pediatric academic health science centre, affiliated with the University of Toronto.
Problem area
School-based testing programs for respiratory viruses (influenza, COVID-19, and RSV) generate large volumes of individual-level test results, but there is no current method to compile, anonymized data so that public health and school communities can understand and act on trends. Without a shared resource, results remain at the individual level rather than informing community needs.
Main objectives
Design and build a resource, potentially an online dashboard, that aggregates and anonymizes school-based respiratory virus testing results (flu, COVID-19, RSV) and presents them in a way that supports public health decision-making and communicates trends to school communities. Objectives include: (1) designing a data pipeline for de-identified results at various community levels; (2) developing clear, accessible visualizations of positivity trends over time (e.g. region/school); and (3) validating the resource.
Scope of work
- Conduct a literature review of existing respiratory virus surveillance dashboards and complete an environmental scan of comparable public health reporting tools.
- Define data structures and anonymization for aggregate results.
- Design and build a prototype dashboard or reporting resource.
- Test and validate the prototype with sample data and end-user (public health, school board) feedback.
Deliverables
- Website
- Presentation
- Resources
Team meeting frequency
Bi-weekly
Skills and training required
- Data visualization and dashboard development
- Database or data pipeline design
- Basic epidemiology or biostatistics
- Experience communicating technical results to non-technical audiences.
Resources required
Computing resources & laptops for programming
NDA or a commercialization agreement for this project?
Yes