CDC's WISQARS™ is an interactive, online database that provides fatal and nonfatal injury, violent death, and cost of injury data. Researchers, the media, public health professionals, and the public can use WISQARS™ data to learn more about the public health and economic burden associated with unintentional and violence-related injury in the United States. The WISQARS platform consists of multiple web applications, or data modules, with each having unique navigation and functionality. This three-day course will provide foundational introduction to each of the three data sources as well as give essential hands-on training to facilitate learning while encouraging independent exploration using the tool after the course. In particular, the course will provide an overview of the WISQARS system, plus demonstrations to include a deep dive into several of the fatal and nonfatal injury modules, Students will also gain understanding of how to use the tool to support their own future research for fatal and nonfatal, and violent injury data.

By the end of the course, participants will be able to:

• Demonstrate familiarity of and navigation through the CDC WISQARS website
• Identify the three types of injury data sources available for query on WISQARS
• Describe the strengths and limitations of the injury data sources on the system
• Apply knowledge to demonstrate how to use WISQARS to get fatal and nonfatal injury, violent death, and cost of injury data for epidemiological research

An introductory course in Biostatistics and/or Epidemiology will be helpful

Complete the WISQARS Pre-course Questionnaire by June 10th (link will be provided)

Required visit to CDC WISQARS website: https://www.cdc.gov/injury/wisqars

OPTIONAL READINGS

Ballesteros MF, Williams DD, Mack KA, Simon TR, Sleet DA. The Epidemiology of Unintentional and Violence-Related Injury Morbidity and Mortality among Children and Adolescents in the United States. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2018; 15(4):616.https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph15040616

Dionne Williams, MPS

Dionne “Dee” Williams, MPS, is a Lead Statistical Programmer / Web Application Developer for the Web-Based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System (WISQARS). She is responsible for the analyses and web application design, data system development, implementation, enhancement, and management of the WISQARS application. She works for the Programming & Web Applications Team/Division of Injury Prevention in CDC’s National Center for Injury Prevention and Control (NCIPC).

Dionne has worked at CDC since 1998. She received her MPS in Probability and Statistics from Auburn University in 1996. And she received her BS in Mathematics from Spelman College in 1994.

Dionne has been a coauthor for papers on injury data, published in CDC’s MMWR and other public health journals.