Shi Chen
Data Mapper
“We all know COVID won’t be the last pandemic in the 21st century, so we’d better be prepared,” said Shi Chen, an associate professor of health informatics and analytics.
As Chen analyzes and integrates information to better understand how infectious diseases spread in our communities – and how they can be prevented – he is also studying the dynamics of information and misinformation that often surround communicable diseases.
“A focus of my research is to understand how we can develop more effective public health communication,” he said.
He’s especially interested in what he calls an “underemphasized area” in health — how health agencies communicate information during a pandemic, and how the public perceives and responds to that communication.
“For instance, we can see when the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) advocates vaccination, there is a clear trend of a surge in the vaccination adoption rates across the states,” he said.
On the other side, Chen added, seemingly contradictory information can cause confusion. He notes that “a substantial amount of misinformation” has been associated with large health emergencies, including Zika virus, Ebola virus and COVID. When spread through social media, it can change the dynamics of an epidemic.
Currently conducting a digital observation study, Chen is collecting social media data to analyze how the public reacts when the CDC or other public health agencies issue communications. He explained that people from different backgrounds can perceive the same message differently, so communication needs to be more tailored to specific populations to address their concerns.
Chen’s analytical skills developed through training in mathematical modeling after he completed doctorates at Penn State in both entomology and operations research. An advisor who studied mosquito-related diseases asked if he were interested in quantitative research.
“It’s very similar to Pokemon Go,” Chen said, with a chuckle. “We tracked how insects grow and survive and eventually die.”
“An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure’ applies in every instance.”
Postdoctoral work at the National Institute for Mathematical and Biological Synthesis in Knoxville, Tennessee, where Chen studied how diseases transmit in different populations – jumping from one species to another – can be linked to childhood interests in China. Time spent in rural forests filled with animals and insects led to a natural attraction to science and undergraduate study in biology and zoology.
Now, as Chen connects dots among animals, human disease and public health – and gets closer to understanding the role of communication in disease trajectory through data analytics – the adage from Ben Franklin that he shares with his students at the start of every semester resonates. “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure’ applies in every instance,” he said.
“We all know COVID won’t be the last pandemic in the 21st century, so we’d better be prepared,” said Shi Chen, an associate professor of health informatics and analytics.
As Chen analyzes and integrates information to better understand how infectious diseases spread in our communities – and how they can be prevented – he is also studying the dynamics of information and misinformation that often surround communicable diseases.
“A focus of my research is to understand how we can develop more effective public health communication,” he said.
He’s especially interested in what he calls an “underemphasized area” in health — how health agencies communicate information during a pandemic, and how the public perceives and responds to that communication.
“For instance, we can see when the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) advocates vaccination, there is a clear trend of a surge in the vaccination adoption rates across the states,” he said.
On the other side, Chen added, seemingly contradictory information can cause confusion. He notes that “a substantial amount of misinformation” has been associated with large health emergencies, including Zika virus, Ebola virus and COVID. When spread through social media, it can change the dynamics of an epidemic.
Currently conducting a digital observation study, Chen is collecting social media data to analyze how the public reacts when the CDC or other public health agencies issue communications. He explained that people from different backgrounds can perceive the same message differently, so communication needs to be more tailored to specific populations to address their concerns.
Chen’s analytical skills developed through training in mathematical modeling after he completed doctorates at Penn State in both entomology and operations research. An advisor who studied mosquito-related diseases asked if he were interested in quantitative research.
“It’s very similar to Pokemon Go,” Chen said, with a chuckle. “We tracked how insects grow and survive and eventually die.”
“An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure’ applies in every instance.”
Postdoctoral work at the National Institute for Mathematical and Biological Synthesis in Knoxville, Tennessee, where Chen studied how diseases transmit in different populations – jumping from one species to another – can be linked to childhood interests in China. Time spent in rural forests filled with animals and insects led to a natural attraction to science and undergraduate study in biology and zoology.
Now, as Chen connects dots among animals, human disease and public health – and gets closer to understanding the role of communication in disease trajectory through data analytics – the adage from Ben Franklin that he shares with his students at the start of every semester resonates. “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure’ applies in every instance,” he said.