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PCD News & Updates

Call for Papers: Collection on Population Health Improvements

PCD invites authors to submit manuscripts on research, evaluation, and other work describing innovative and effective work to link health care and community health in ways that improve population health. Manuscripts should be submitted to PCD on or before Friday, November 16, 2018. Complete details about this call for papers and submission details can be found here.

Call for Papers: Health Care Systems, Public Health, and Communities: Population Health Improvements

Announcement posted 3/29/18

Preventing Chronic Disease (PCD) invites authors to submit manuscripts for publication in a collection entitled “Health Care Systems, Public Health, and Communities: Population Health Improvements.”

Background

PCD invites authors to submit manuscripts on research, evaluation, and other work describing innovative and effective work to link health care and community health in ways that improve population health. Chronic diseases are a major cause of poor health outcomes, reduced quality of living, and increased health care costs worldwide. Reducing the burden of chronic disease remains a global challenge requiring diverse collaborations and diffusion and adoption of effective interventions in multiple settings. Emerging approaches have encouraged the use of combined individual and population-based approaches within and across health care and community settings. Innovative ways to work in and across settings are necessary to simultaneously address behavior, provide access to quality health care, address underlying social and environmental factors shaping health, and measure progress more easily and accurately on those issues. Over the past decade, there have been a range of innovative community- and clinically-driven prevention strategies (primary and secondary) designed to prevent and reduce the burden of chronic conditions worldwide. PCD invites manuscripts that provide timely information on jointly implemented public health and health care efforts to improve population health.

Examples of topics include but are not limited to the following:

Collaborations among public health agencies, health care partners, and others (eg, faith-based organizations, community-based organizations, schools, academic institutions, transportation, housing, public safety) to implement clinical and nonclinical strategies, and the selection, tracking, and reporting of intermediate health outcomes.

Health care system (hospitals, federally qualified health systems, etc) and public health agency (local and state health department) working jointly to conduct needs assessment to identify and implement shared health improvement goals based on findings from the assessment.

Identifying cost-effective ways to offer sustainable evidence-driven community-based disease management opportunities.

Identification and execution of care coordination models (resources) that support patients’ abilities within healthcare and community settings to optimally manage chronic conditions.

Using trained community health workers as critical members in the delivery of team-based care to improve patient satisfaction, increase follow-up, and increase referral to disease management opportunities in community settings.

Health care and public health strategies to identify individuals of highest risk for hospitalization to yield the greatest success in reducing health care cost, and improving and documenting improvements in health outcomes.

Improving the delivery, reducing potential harms, or improving cost effectiveness of health care services of public health importance.

Implementation and evaluation of health communication strategies (derived from diverse partnerships) to educate patients and the public about local efforts to improve population health through education, prevention, treatment, referral, and coordination.

Identifying ways of using health care and public health data to guide the integration of clinical and public health approaches that address high cholesterol and blood pressure, physical inactivity, diets low in fruits and vegetables, and diets high in sodium and saturated fats.

Identifying and implementing monitoring systems that simultaneously track disease burden and health improvements in clinical and community settings.

Submission Guidelines

Manuscripts should be submitted to PCD on or before Friday, November 16, 2018. Manuscripts submitted in response to this call for papers will be reviewed and, if accepted, published on a rolling basis. Articles will be assembled into a PDF collection accessible on the PCD website after all accepted papers have been published. PCD welcomes submissions that address a broad range of health conditions (eg, hypertension, diabetes, cancer, obesity, asthma, arthritis, oral health, reproductive health, alcohol abuse, mental health) and their risk factors, with application to a wide range of settings (access to care, health equity, policy and program development, evaluation).

Manuscripts must follow the instructions for PCD article types. Further information on submitting a manuscript is available in PCD’s Author’s Corner. Cover letters to the Editor in Chief are required and must state that the submission is for consideration in the PCD collection: “Health Care Systems, Public Health, and Communities: Population Health Improvements.” CDC’s Leonard Jack, Jr, Editor in Chief, Peter A. Briss, Medical Director of NCCDPHP, and Lloyd Michener, MD, Professor in the Department of Community & Family Medicine at Duke University School of Medicine, will serve as coeditors of this collection. Please contact pcdeditor@cdc.gov for questions about appropriate topics.

PCD Extends Deadline for Student Research Paper Contest

Announcement posted 2/22/18

Preventing Chronic Disease (PCD) has extended the deadline for its 2018 Student Research Paper Contest to 5:00 PM EST on Friday, March 23. PCD is looking for students at the high school, undergraduate, or graduate level and recent post-graduates to submit papers relevant to the prevention, screening, surveillance, or population-based intervention of chronic diseases, including but not limited to arthritis, asthma, cancer, depression, diabetes, obesity, and cardiovascular disease.

The 5 primary goals for PCD’s Student Research Paper Contest are to:

Provide applicants with an opportunity to become familiar with a journal’s manuscript submission requirements and peer-review process;
Assist applicants to connect their knowledge and training on conducting quality research with a journal’s publication expectations;
Develop applicants’ research and scientific writing skills to become producers of knowledge rather than just consumers of knowledge;
Provide applicants with an opportunity to become first author on a peer-reviewed paper;
Promote supportive, respectful, and mutually beneficial student/post-graduate―mentor relationships that result in strengthening students’ ability to generate and submit future scholarly manuscripts.

Submission Requirements

PCD uses PCD ScholarOne Manuscripts for manuscript submission and tracking. Before submitting your manuscript, please read the instructions below in addition to the information provided on the PCD website under Manuscript Requirements.

Eligibility

Student applicants must be currently enrolled in a high school, undergraduate, or graduate degree program. Post-graduate applicants must have received their graduate degree within the past 12 months and be participating in a medical residency, post-doctoral fellowship, or similar training program under the supervision of a mentor, advisor, or principal investigator.
Applicants should meet the standard to serve as first author. The first author is the person who conducted or led the topic being presented and prepared the first draft of the manuscript. The first author must also ensure that all other authors meet the criteria for authorship.
Applicants and coauthors are expected to demonstrate the highest ethical standards in submitting scholarly work to the journal for consideration. Applicants and coauthors should become familiar with the journal’s Editorial Policy.
Applicants (not mentors) must serve as the corresponding author for manuscripts submitted in conjunction with the student research contest. No exceptions will be allowed.
Manuscripts must report on research done while in one of the qualifying student or post-graduate categories listed above.
The research must have been completed within the last 12 months.
Manuscripts must not be published previously or submitted elsewhere for publication.
Manuscripts must represent original research submitted in Original Research format or GIS Snapshots format. Other article types will not be considered. For a detailed explanation, see information on Original Research and GIS Snapshots articles on PCD’s Types of Articles page.
Students and recent post-graduates must submit a cover letter indicating their interest in being considered for the contest and the name and contact information of their advisor. The cover letter must also indicate current level of academic enrollment: high school, undergraduate, or graduate degree, or applicable post-graduate residency, fellowship, or other training program. In addition, applicants should address all routinely required disclosures in the cover letter. Learn more about general cover letter requirements on PCD’s How to Submit a Manuscript page.
Applicants must provide a letter of recommendation from their advisor confirming either the student’s enrollment in a degree program or the post-graduate candidate’s residency or fellowship. The advisor must confirm that the research was conducted while in training under the advisor’s supervision. The advisor’s letter must confirm that the applicant conceptualized the analysis and was the primary author of the manuscript. The advisor’s letter must also acknowledge that the advisor recognizes that no one other than the applicant can serve as corresponding author.
Applicants should submit the cover letter and advisor letter when they submit the manuscript.

Deadline

Manuscripts must be received electronically no later than 5:00 PM EST on Friday, March 23, 2018.

Manuscript Review Process

Not all manuscripts submitted for consideration will undergo peer review.
Applicants and advisors must understand that the decision-making process to identify which manuscripts will advance through the various stages of review is a lengthy process. Therefore, applicants and advisors must have patience as the decision-making process moves through review stages.
An applicant manuscript receiving comments and suggestions does not mean the manuscript will be accepted for publication.
Applicants interested in getting a sense of where manuscripts are in the review process are encouraged to contact the journal. Such inquiries should only come directly from the applicant serving as first and corresponding author on the manuscript.

Helpful Hints

Please be sure to visit the Author’s Corner section of PCD’s website for important information on what to avoid when developing the manuscript, tables, and figures.

Award

The winning manuscript will be recognized on the PCD website and published in a 2018 PCD release with an accompanying editorial, podcast interview, and social media promotion.
The winning author will be invited to participate in the panel review process for the 2019 Student Research Paper Contest.

Publication

Other manuscripts may be accepted for publication depending on the outcome of the peer-review process. Accepted manuscripts that remain in the contest after the second round of review will be published after the winning manuscripts are published and recognized as submissions to the student contest.

About the Journal

PCD is a peer-reviewed electronic journal established to provide a forum for researchers and practitioners in chronic disease prevention and health promotion. The journal is published weekly by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion.

Call for Papers on Population Health, Place, and Space: Spatial Perspectives in Chronic Disease Research and Practice

Announcement posted 2/13/18

Deadline for Submission: August 31, 2018

PCD welcomes submissions for this upcoming collection, which highlights the variety of ways in which geographic information systems (GIS) and spatial analyses are being applied to enhance chronic disease research and public health practice.

Background

Understanding the role of place and space in shaping the distribution of chronic disease is critical to informing appropriate public health responses for chronic disease prevention and treatment. Advances in the application of spatial statistics, spatial epidemiology, and GIS have provided opportunities for public health professionals to explore and address the spatial variation in a wide range of chronic disease-related outcomes, risk factors, and their correlates. Many place-based factors, including social, economic, environmental, and health care-related conditions of communities, have been associated with chronic disease in both theory and research. Research into the contributions of these contextual, community-level factors moves beyond a narrow focus on individual-level risk factors and enables public health professionals to address underlying causes and to advance health equity. Furthermore, advances in the delivery of place-based chronic disease data and maps, via interactive websites and other spatial tools, provide public health professionals with opportunities to develop programs and policies tailored to the needs of specific communities. Understanding how to evaluate data from these sources is important as public health professionals navigate this burgeoning world of local-level chronic disease-related data. This PCD special collection documents research, translation, case studies, and analytic tools that have a spatial perspective and highlights the innovative and effective incorporation of place and space into chronic disease surveillance, prevention, and treatment.

Submission Guidelines

Manuscripts submitted in response to this call for papers will be reviewed and, if accepted, published on a rolling basis. Articles will be assembled into a PDF collection accessible on the PCD website after all accepted papers have been published. PCD welcomes submissions that address a broad range of chronic disease conditions (including injury, mental health, maternal and child health) and their risk factors, with application to a wide range of settings (access to care, health equity, policy and program development, evaluation).

PCD encourages the submission of manuscripts in a variety of article types. Illustrative examples are included below but are not intended to exclude other topics relevant to the collection. Please refer to the Types of Articles page on PCD’s website for specifications of each article type.

Original Research or Research Brief

Descriptive epidemiology of the spatial and/or spatio-temporal distributions of chronic disease outcomes
The association of neighborhood or community attributes with chronic disease outcomes

GIS Snapshots

Maps that describe geographic variation in chronic disease outcomes and/or risk factors
Maps that inform chronic disease-related policies, interventions, and/or programs

Special Topics

Theoretical or conceptual development of the importance of place and space for chronic disease prevention and treatment
Review of methodological considerations for using spatial statistics and techniques from an applied perspective for chronic disease
Tutorial-style paper that instructs readers in the use of a spatial method
Theoretical or conceptual development and extension of the meaning of space and place in chronic disease epidemiology
Applied spatial analysis in chronic disease research and practice

Tools and Techniques

Descriptions of the following:
- Methods for spatial data collection
- Existing data sources that are not well-known
- Data analysis methods, etc, and the corresponding benefits and challenges
Review of websites with small area chronic disease-related data and mapping capabilities
Tools that support the use of small area chronic disease-related data

Thank you, 2017 PCD Peer Reviewers

Announcement posted 2/1/18

Preventing Chronic Disease (PCD) recognizes the enormous contribution that peer reviewers make to the success of the journal and the scientific enterprise as a whole. Our reviewers represent a broad spectrum of public health specialties with expertise in virtually every area of research and practice. We extend our sincere thanks to all of our peer reviewer consultants for their insightful critiques, thoughtful recommendations, and valuable assistance in contributing to the scientific quality and the integrity of articles published in PCD.

See the full list of 2017 PCD Peer Reviewers.

Announcing PCD’s Top Peer Reviewers of 2017

Announcement posted 2/1/18

Our top 5% of reviewers for 2017 have fulfilled the highest standards of scientific research, measured not only in the timeliness and quantity of reviews they completed but also in the exceptional quality of their reviews as rated by our Editor in Chief and Associate Editors.

PCD’s top reviewers receive:

Personal thank-you letter from PCD’s Editor in Chief
Letter of recognition directed to the reviewer’s institution or supervisor
Social media promotion, with photo and brief bio, on Facebook and Twitter
Opportunity to receive Continuing Education credit (CME, CPE, CNE, or CPH)

See the full list of Top 2017 PCD Peer Reviewers.

10 Most Talked About Articles of 2017

Announcement posted 1/12/18

Preventing Chronic Disease (PCD) is excited to announce its most popular articles published in 2017, as rated by Altmetric. Thousands of conversations about scholarly content happen online every day. Altmetric tracks a range of sources to capture, collate, and score this activity. A Complete list of the top 10 articles published in 2017 are available below:

Top 10 Articles Published in 2017:

**Announcing PCD’s 2018 Student Research Paper Contest**

Announcement posted 9/5/17

Preventing Chronic Disease (PCD) announces its 2018 Student Research Paper Contest. PCD is looking for students at the high school, undergraduate, or graduate level and recent post-graduates to submit papers relevant to the prevention, screening, surveillance, or population-based intervention of chronic diseases, including but not limited to arthritis, asthma, cancer, depression, diabetes, obesity, and cardiovascular disease.

The 5 primary goals for PCD’s Student Research Paper Contest are to:

Provide applicants with an opportunity to become familiar with a journal’s manuscript submission requirements and peer-review process;
Assist applicants to connect their knowledge and training on conducting quality research with a journal’s publication expectations;
Develop applicants’ research and scientific writing skills to become producers of knowledge rather than just consumers of knowledge;
Provide applicants with an opportunity to become first author on a peer-reviewed paper;
Promote supportive, respectful, and mutually beneficial student/post-graduate―mentor relationships that result in strengthening students’ ability to generate and submit future scholarly manuscripts.

Submission Requirements

Eligibility

Student applicants must be currently enrolled in a high school, undergraduate, or graduate degree program. Post-graduate applicants must have received their graduate degree within the past 12 months and be participating in a medical residency, post-doctoral fellowship, or similar training program under the supervision of a mentor, advisor, or principal investigator.
Applicants should meet the standard to serve as first author. The first author is the person who conducted or led the topic being presented and prepared the first draft of the manuscript. The first author must also ensure that all other authors meet the criteria for authorship.
Applicants and coauthors are expected to demonstrate the highest ethical standards in submitting scholarly work to the journal for consideration. Applicants and coauthors should become familiar with the journal’s Editorial Policy.
Applicants (not mentors) must serve as the corresponding author for manuscripts submitted in conjunction with the student research contest. No exceptions will be allowed.
Manuscripts must report on research done while in one of the qualifying student or post-graduate categories listed above.
The research must have been completed within the last 12 months.
Manuscripts must not be published previously or submitted elsewhere for publication.
Manuscripts must represent original research submitted in Original Research format or GIS Snapshots format. Other article types will not be considered. For a detailed explanation, see information on Original Research and GIS Snapshots articles on PCD’s Types of Articles page.
Students and recent post-graduates must submit a cover letter indicating their interest in being considered for the contest and the name and contact information of their advisor. The cover letter must also indicate current level of academic enrollment: high school, undergraduate, or graduate degree, or applicable post-graduate residency, fellowship, or other training program. In addition, applicants should address all routinely required disclosures in the cover letter. Learn more about general cover letter requirements on PCD’s How to Submit a Manuscript page.
Applicants must provide a letter of recommendation from their advisor confirming either the student’s enrollment in a degree program or the post-graduate candidate’s residency or fellowship. The advisor must confirm that the research was conducted while in training under the advisor’s supervision. The advisor’s letter must confirm that the applicant conceptualized the analysis and was the primary author of the manuscript. The advisor’s letter must also acknowledge that the advisor recognizes that no one other than the applicant can serve as corresponding author.
Applicants should submit the cover letter and advisor letter when they submit the manuscript.

Deadline

Manuscripts must be received electronically no later than 5:00 PM EST on Friday, February 23, 2018.

Manuscript Review Process

Not all manuscripts submitted for consideration will undergo peer review.
Applicants and advisors must understand that the decision-making process to identify which manuscripts will advance through the various stages of review is a lengthy process. Therefore, applicants and advisors must have patience as the decision-making process moves through review stages.
An applicant manuscript receiving comments and suggestions does not mean the manuscript will be accepted for publication.
Applicants interested in getting a sense of where manuscripts are in the review process are encouraged to contact the journal. Such inquiries should only come directly from the applicant serving as first and corresponding author on the manuscript.

Helpful Hints

Please be sure to visit the Author’s Corner section of PCD’s website for important information on what to avoid when developing the manuscript, tables, and figures.

Award

The winning manuscript will be recognized on the PCD website and published in a 2018 PCD release with an accompanying editorial, podcast interview, and social media promotion.
The winning author will be invited to participate in the panel review process for the 2019 Student Research Paper Contest.

Publication

About the Journal

PCD Announces 2017 Student Research Paper Contest Winners

Announcement posted 8/30/17

Preventing Chronic Disease (PCD) is pleased to announce the winners of our 2017 Student Research Paper Contest. A total of 5 papers were selected as top selections in each category by our review panel. Two winners were named in the doctoral category and 1 winner each was selected from the graduate, undergraduate, and high school categories. Thank you to all the students who submitted manuscripts and to the educators and advisers who encouraged and supported their participating students. The winning papers and podcast interviews with each winning student will appear in an October 2017 release of PCD.

Congratulations to the following student winners:

Doctoral Winner: Lorena S. Pacheco, MPH, RDN, CPH

Current epidemiology doctoral student at University of California, San Diego–San Diego State University Joint Doctoral Program.

Doctoral Winner: Katherine Arlinghaus

Current doctoral student at the University of Houston.

Graduate Winner: Kenny Mendoza-Herrera, MSc

Former graduate student at the National Institute of Public Health of Mexico, Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico.

Undergraduate Winner: Kayla Smurthwaite

An undergraduate student at Australian National University in Canberra, Australia.

High School Winner: Emily Liu

University of Pennsylvania first-year student.