Network Canvas +
Partner Services.

Network Canvas +
Partner Services.

A project to map the needs of Partner Services, and evaluate the utility of Network Canvas as a public health tool for disease investigation.

A project to map the needs of Partner Services, and evaluate the utility of Network Canvas as a public health tool for disease investigation.

Why is this work needed?

Across HIV and sexually transmitted infections, the real-time understanding of the transmission networks of recently infected individuals is vital for the rapid diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of new cases.


This data will provide insight into how the disease is transmitted, which populations are at highest risk, and who should be targeted for intervention.

Partner Services

Partner Services is a foundational public health response shown to be highly effective at slowing the spread of HIV. Unfortunately, as corroborated by our team’s preliminary needs assessment, the implementation of Partner Services by public health departments is often a challenge.

Role of Tech

Due to these challenges, many public health departments rely on low-technology solutions that are not only tricky for interviewers, but are also difficult to integrate into existing data systems.

Missed Opportunities?

This represents a missed opportunity for public health officials who would benefit from access to local real-time data that would enable the targeting of the most at-risk populations.

Leveraging our Software

Our team has already produced a free and open source software suite to simply network data collection for researchers. Within this project we are now exploring how Network Canvas might be useful as a tool for public health.

Our Aims

Characterize Partner Services Needs

We wanted to characterize the needs of public health departments conducting Partner Services and develop a detailed specification of the software reconfiguration necessary to meet those needs.

Reconfigure Network Canvas

We wanted to understand what changes we need to make to the user interface of Network Canvas, as well as understand how we might need to rethink the way that Network Canvas is deployed and integrates with existing public health data systems.

Conduct a Pilot Implementation

We wanted to pilot the use of a version of Network Canvas within Partner Services at a single health department (Chicago) in order to demonstrate feasibility, acceptability, and gather preliminary evidence of efficacy.

Outcomes

The project uncovered significant themes across five key areas: logistical issues, ethical issues, interface reconfiguration, deployment reconfiguration, and data systems reconfiguration. See our needs assessment report for full details.

The project uncovered significant themes across five key areas: logistical issues, ethical issues, interface reconfiguration, deployment reconfiguration, and data systems reconfiguration. See our needs assessment report for full details.

Needs Assessment of Partner Services

We have also prepared resources that describe our pilot implementation, which you may find useful if you are considering implementing Network Canvas locally.

We have also prepared resources that describe our pilot implementation, which you may find useful if you are considering implementing Network Canvas locally.

Implement Network Canvas Locally

Project Details

This is an NIH/NIDA funded R34 project (R34DA052216).


We have developed strong relationships with local and national advocates who can extend our understanding of Partner Services, provide feedback on our plan, facilitate dissemination, and guide potential scale-up.

Project Team

Network Canvas

Gregory Phillips II

Principal Investigator

Gregory Phillips II

Principal Investigator

Gregory Phillips II

Principal Investigator

George Greene

Co-Investigator

George Greene

Co-Investigator

George Greene

Co-Investigator

Patrick Janulis

Co-Investigator

Patrick Janulis

Co-Investigator

Patrick Janulis

Co-Investigator

Joshua Melville

Lead Developer

Joshua Melville

Lead Developer

Joshua Melville

Lead Developer

Kate Banner

Project Manager

Kate Banner

Project Manager

Kate Banner

Project Manager

Hala Buckhalt

Data Assistant

Hala Buckhalt

Data Assistant

Hala Buckhalt

Data Assistant

Advisors

Bernie Hogan

Scientific Advisor

Matt Golden

Scientific Advisor

Nanette Benbow

Scientific Advisor

David Kern

Scientific Advisor

Howard Brown Health

Phillip Prado

Associate Director of Public Health Interventions

Martin Martinez

HIV/STI Partner Services Manager

Luis Perales

Partner Services Specialist

Louis Spraggins

Partner Services Coordinator

Questions or concerns?

Our team would be very interested in hearing from anyone in this space. Please reach out to us to discuss any aspect of this work by emailing info@networkcanvas.com.

Questions or concerns?

Our team would be very interested in hearing from anyone in this space. Please reach out to us to discuss any aspect of this work by emailing info@networkcanvas.com.

Questions or concerns?

Our team would be very interested in hearing from anyone in this space. Please reach out to us to discuss any aspect of this work by emailing info@networkcanvas.com.