WrapUp and Potential Future Actions

1
Wrap-Up and Potential Future Actions

• Mary J. Bartholomew, Mathematical Statistician
• Center for Veterinary Medicine
• at the
• Symposium on Data Collection and Utilization in
  Risk Assessments and Management Decisions
• September 14, 2004

2
Presenters

• Bob Buchanan - CFSAN
• Peg Coleman Syracuse Research
• Martin Cole IIT
• John Luchansky USDA/ARS/ERRC
• Yuhuan Chen, Jenny Scott National Food
  Processors Association
• Richard Whiting CFSAN
• Perry Chumley US Army VCS

3
Data Collection

• In a transition phase
• More data being collected specifically to fill
  gaps in risk assessments
• More potential data collectors thinking about how
  to collect data that will be useful in risk
  assessment

4
Simultaneously RAC and others strive to define
characteristics of good and useful data

• OMB Information Quality Act
• Do these definitions apply to data collected and
  used in RAs?
• Quality utility, objectivity, and integrity
• Utility reproducibility and transparency

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Review of Characteristics for Utility for Risk
Assessment and Management Decisions

• Relevancy
• Dick Whiting How pertinent is this data to this
  particular assessment?
• Yuhuan Chen, Jenny Scott For the risk management
  decision?
• Representativeness
• Peg Coleman Accounting for confounders and in
  the population of interest

6
Review of Characteristics for Utility for Risk
Assessment and Management Decisions

• Robustness Consistent performance for multiple
  investigators
• Generalizability or external validity
  predictions consistent with other data
• Internal validity soundness of conclusions

7
Review of Characteristics for Utility for Risk
Assessment and Management Decisions

• Defensibility use consistent with other
  scientific evidence
• Accounting for data quality, variability, and
  uncertainty

8
Potential Future Actions

• Continue to hone the list of characteristics and
  the definitions for each one
• Tie in with data quality definitions
• Develop a written document
• Risk assessors and managers
• Peer reviewers

9
All This in the Contextof a Project with
Well-defined Goals and a Well-defined Scope