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2025 VLDS Research Forum
Save the Date
This in-person event will take place on September 25th
at the Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden in Richmond, Virginia
Registration is free
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A Look Back at the Past Year's Data Landscape
Over the past year, VLDS has continued to serve as a vital resource for researchers across the nation, empowering them to tackle pressing policy questions and drive data-informed decision-making. From examining the long-term outcomes of child care subsidies to analyzing postsecondary success, the research supported by VDLS has spanned a wide array of topics. These projects exemplify the power of cross-agency longitudinal data to illuminate complex issues. We are proud to support this work and look forward to another year of advancing knowledge and improving outcomes through the use of VLDS. In January 2025, we already see many new research projects in the process of being added into the VLDS research portal. Stay tuned for updates on this year's research and opportunities to get involved!
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System Tip of the Quarter
VLDS Query results are deleted from the system after twenty-one (21) days and cannot be recovered after this time. When you receive an email notifying you that your VLDS results are available, please download them as soon as possible.
If you would like to know more about the best practices in querying the VLDS data, this webinar "How to Design, Build, Manipulate, and Analyze Effective VLDS Data Packages: Avoiding Common Errors and Pitfalls" provides a good start. This webinar was part of the 2022 VLDS Research Forum.
Fun Fact of the Quarter
Netflix places a strong emphasis on utilizing data analytics since its inception. Predictive analytics uses current and past data to make predictions through methods such as data mining, machine learning, and predictive modeling. Because this allows companies to understand their customers better and identify potential risks and opportunities, aiding in decision-making, Netflix has leveraged big data to achieve savings of $1B in customer retention.
With the vast amount of data being generated daily, companies like Netflix are utilizing the power of machine learning algorithms to extract insights from this data. The insights gained through predictive analytics are then used in prescriptive analytics to inform actions and strategies. You can learn more about Netflix's Research Areas, including analytics here.
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Researchers Megan Andrew et al. (2024), in their article Identifying Strategies for Strengthening the Health Care Workforce in the Commonwealth of Virginia, published in RAND Health Quarterly, highlighted a critical shortage of health care professionals in nursing, primary care, and behavioral health in Virginia. For example, 102 of 133 Virginia counties and equivalents are federally designated primary care Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs), while 93 counties (and equivalents) have similar designations for mental health care.
To address these challenges, the authors proposed several strategies aimed at retaining, recruiting, and improving the structural efficiency of the health workforces in Virginia. One key recommendation involves implementing regular health care workforce data-tracking by leveraging the data existing in Virginia Commonwealth University's Virginia Ambulatory Care Outcomes Research Network (ACORN), in the VLDS, and at the George Mason University Center for Health Workforce.
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