Ambassador Database - Summer Intern Project July 31, 2015
Ambassador Database ReportBy Kyle Parker & Jerrod Castleberry (2015 AOA Summer Interns)
Department of Research & Development
Introduction
For this project, current AOA staff and constituents provided recommendations of
individuals who could serve as potential AOA ambassadors. Unfortunately, the majority
of the information received were names. Our task for the summer was to identify as
much information as possible about each recommendation and enter it into the system.
This was an important task because including as much information as possible about
each ambassador is essential to creating a database that will help identify the most
appropriate individuals to represent the AOA at various events.
Structure of Database
Our first task involved revising the “Ambassador Database.” The current system
contains 23 category descriptions for each individual. The categories are: AOA number,
last name, first name, full name, degree(s), certification(s), osteopathic affiliation(s),
position in affiliations, other affiliation(s), type of training program, college of osteopathic
medicine from which they graduated, specialty, subspecialty, birthdate, ethnicity,
gender, city and state where they are practicing, extra notes/comments, curriculum
vitae, interest(s), and current employment.
Data Collection
In order to gather information on physicians, we accessed several websites. The
primary websites that were used were:1
Ambassador Database - Summer Intern Project July 31, 2015
www.healthgrades.com
www.vitals.com
http://health.usnews.com/
doctors/
http://doctor.webmd.com
On these various websites, we would type in a specific physician’s name from the
database and, generally, I was able to obtain most of their information. It was more
challenging, however, to find their ethnicity, birthdate, training program type, and
curricula vitae. Thus, concerning birthdate and training program type, we utilized
software that includes an AOA database containing pertinent information of all AOA
members and some non-members, called IMIS where this information was available most
of the time. In regards to ethnicity, we searched other websites to find pictures,
specifically, we conducted google searches looking for pictures and visiting webpages of
the individual we were trying to identify. To make sure we found the correct individual,
we checked to see if their degree(s) and certification(s) properly lined up. Finally, in
order to obtain any curricula vitae, we found the most effective method was to search by
name and include the words “cv” or “pdf”.
The database includes individuals who are not physicians. For these people, we
simply typed in their name on google and reviewed as many pages as possible until we
collected the information needed. For this group of “non-physicians” it was a tremendous
challenge finding their birthdate on the internet, therefore, we used IMIS which typically
included it.
Assessment of Content of Database
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Ambassador Database - Summer Intern Project July 31, 2015
As of July 29, 2015, there are a total of 300 names in the Ambassador Database.
Over two-thirds of the individuals represented are male and over 80 percent of the
names are current AOA members (See Tables 1 & 2, respectively).
Using the birthdates of each individual in the database, we calculated their ages
and placed them into 6 categories (See Table 3). This table provides the distribution of
ages by count and overall percentage.
Table 3. Age DistributionAge Range Count Percent26-35 28 9.33%36-45 57 19.00%46-55 52 17.33%56-65 71 23.67%65+ 42 14.00%Unknown 50 16.67%Grand Total 300 100.00%
Geographically, the current database population is nicely disbursed across the US.
Figures 1 and 2 depict the distribution of the ambassadors by region and state,
respectively.
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Table 2. MembershipStatus CountMember 245Non Member 55Grand Total 300
Table 1. GenderGender CountFemale 99Male 201Grand Total 300
Ambassador Database - Summer Intern Project July 31, 2015
16.67%
25.67%
32.00%
25.67%
Figure 1. Region Breakdown for Database
WestNortheastMidwestSouth
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Figure 2. Geographic Distribution by State
Ambassador Database - Summer Intern Project July 31, 2015
*Any state missing a number currently has zero names represented.
There were a total of 33 specialties represented in the database. Table 4
summarizes these specialties.
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Ambassador Database - Summer Intern Project July 31, 2015
Table 4. SpecialtiesAcupuncture Diagnostic
RadiologyNephrology Psychiatry
Allergy & Immunology
Emergency Medicine
Neuromusculoskeletal Medicine
Pulmonology
Anatomy Family Medicine Nutritional Biochemistry
Radiology
Anesthesiology General Surgery OB/GYN RheumatologyChild & Adolescent Psychiatry
Geriatric Medicine
OMM/OMT Sports Medicine
Clinical Chemistry,
Geriatric Psychiatry
Orthopedic Surgery
State/Specialty Executive
Colon & Rectal Surgery
Hospice Care Pathology
Critical Care Medicine
Internal Medicine Pediatrics
Dermatology Neonatology Physical Medicine/ Rehabilitation
Table 5 provides the Top 8 specialties. The table gives both the total number for
the specialty and the percentage is makes up of all specialties. There were a total of 293
names with specialties. It is important to note that many individuals included in the
Database had more than one specialty. To ensure that the end user is able to consider
all the possible candidates for each specialty, we have captured all of the specialties
which are searchable through different filters. For example, a person who has Family
Medicine and OMM listed as specialties will be represented in both categories.
Table 5. Top 8 Specialties
Specialty TotalPercentag
eFamily Medicine/Practice 108 36.86%Internal Medicine 34 11.60%Emergency 16 5.46%
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Ambassador Database - Summer Intern Project July 31, 2015
MedicinePediatrics 20 6.82%OMM/OMT 15 5.12%Surgery 15 5.12%Physical Medicine 11 3.75%Neurology 10 3.41%
In addition to recording a person’s specialty(ies), we have also incorporated
interest areas. An interest can consist of a topic or idea that is like a sub-category of a
specialty. For example, a person can have a specialty in Pediatrics, which they are
licensed in, while having an interest in Obesity. Interests can be grouped with many
specialties. Chart 3 contains 21 areas of interest and a count of how many people in the
database represent the interest area. Since there are a great number of interests
possible, this chart only highlights a few.
Obesity
Diabete
s
Health
Dispari
ties
Pain M
anag
emen
t
Mental
HealthCan
cer
Heart D
isease
Dermato
logy
Orthop
aedics
Immuniza
tion
Women
's Hea
lth
Health
care P
aymen
t
Alzheim
er's
Infectio
us Dise
ases
Pulm
onary
Issues
Neurol
ogica
l Dise
aseStro
ke
Patie
nt Safe
ty
Quality
Rectum/Colo
n
Tech
nology/
Electr
onic
05
10152025303540
12
26
3
15 1511
1710
34
310
16
1619
74 3 1
61
Figure 3. Interest Areas
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Ambassador Database - Summer Intern Project July 31, 2015
These next two tables contain information on medical school and residency
training for the ambassadors. Table 6 shows the breakdown of the colleges of
osteopathic medicine (COM) the ambassadors attended. If the ambassador did not
attend a COM, they are counted in the number for “Not Applicable” (N/A). Table 7
reflects the type of residency program from which the ambassadors received their
training. The Unknown category represents the 44 ambassadors for whom we did not
have any information regarding their training. For those that are not osteopathic
physicians, but are in the Database, we have noted them in the category labeled “N/A.”
Table 6. Colleges of Osteopathic MedicineCOM CountATSU-KCOM 29AZCOM 4CCOM 17COMP 8DMU-COM 18KCUMB-COM 25KYCOM 3LECOM 5LMU-DCOM 2MSUCOM 19MSUCOM 3N/A 52NSU-COM 9NYITCOM 18OSU-COM 9OU-HCOM 15PCOM 26PNWU-COM 1RowanSOM 12TCOM 5TouroCOM 1TUCOM 3TUNCOM 1UNE-COM 8
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Table 7. Training ProgramsProgram Type TotalAllopathic 46Osteopathic 133Dual Training 15Military 7Unknown 44N/A 55Grand Total 300
Ambassador Database - Summer Intern Project July 31, 2015
VCOM 2WVSOM 5Grand Total 300
Challenges and Next Steps
Although we were able to gather information on the existing 150 ambassadors
included in the database and add an additional 150, we still faced many constraints in
our data collection. For example, we were challenged in collecting information on
training program type, birthdate, and ethnicity. These are the three columns in the data
system with the most missing information. Besides using the internet, we also tried to
leverage AOA’s IMIS system. We thought it would be helpful in finding information
regarding birthdates and residency training. Unfortunately, IMIS lacked some of this
information. For birthdates, if the birthdate of an individual was not included on IMIS, it
was nearly impossible to find that information or even the age of an individual on the
internet.
While pictures were plentiful on the internet, it was difficult to actually identify the
ethnicity of the individual with absolute certainty. Thus, the current database has limited
information on ethnicity. We would recommend a person more familiar with the
individuals on the database complete the ethnicity component or to simply ask the
ambassadors to complete a form that includes this information.
Also, during the project, we were asked to add additional categories which
required us to go back and add the missing information for those individuals already in
the system. Some of this information still needs to be entered. For example, the
“Employment” category is not complete for the majority of the individuals in the system.
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Ambassador Database - Summer Intern Project July 31, 2015
This was one of the categories that we were asked to be added well after most of the
names were already entered into the database. Thus, this category would be completed
by simply searching the individuals on the internet to find their current employment.
One other challenge of this database project was that we were note able to enter
all the names that should be included in the database. Our internship was only seven
weeks, and therefore, our time was limited in how many names we could receive and
subsequently store into the database. We did not receive responses from all the
specialty colleges and state affiliates regarding people they would recommend. Alexis
Curtis is still collecting that information. In addition, we were not able to review the AOA
CEO’s Linked In page to obtain the names of individuals who have connected with her
over the past few years and would be appropriate for the database. By addressing this
and the other issues/challenges, the database will be more robust.
In an effort to highlight information that is missing, we developed a coding system.
Any information that could not be found through either the internet or IMIS was shaded
purple and any individuals who were not in IMIS were shaded green.
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