Bio
Anna E. Waller, ScD, Research Professor in the Department of Emergency Medicine at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, is Director of the Carolina Center for Health Informatics, Core Faculty in the UNC Injury Prevention Research Center, and Principle Investigator/Science Director for the North Carolina Disease Event Tracking and Epidemiologic Collection Tool (NC DETECT). She has worked in emergency medicine research and public health surveillance for more than 25 years and in injury prevention and control for over 40 years. Dr. Waller works closely with the North Carolina Division of Public Health and has a strong interest in using data effectively to inform public health practice and prevention activities. She is particularly interested in the innovative use of syndromic surveillance data for injury prevention and community efforts to improve health and safety. Dr. Waller received her Doctorate from the Johns Hopkins University School of Public Health.
Training
Doctorate of Science:
Johns Hopkins University
School of Public Health
Department of Maternal and Child Health
Baltimore, MD
Fellowships:
- Health Research Council of New Zealand Postdoctoral Fellowship
University of Otago
Department of Paediatrics and Child Health
Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Research Unit
Dunedin, New Zealand - University of Otago Postdoctoral Fellowship
University of Otago
Department of Preventive and Social Medicine
Injury Prevention Research Unit
Dunedin, New Zealand
Research
As Director of the Carolina Center for Health Informatics, Dr. Waller partners with the N.C. Division of Public Health to use near real-time data from emergency department visits and EMS responses to conduct syndromic surveillance for public health threats, including natural and human disasters, infectious and chronic disease, and injury and violence. As core faculty in the Injury Prevention Research Center, Dr. Waller addresses the opioid overdose epidemic in N.C., firearm injury, suicide and self-harm, and motor vehicle crash injury, as well as broader injury and violence surveillance and research efforts. She has collaborated on projects addressing child maltreatment, traumatic brain injury and intimate partner violence. She also collaborates with researchers in the UNC Highway Safety Research Center.
Dr. Waller has a strong interest in the use of secondary data to address emerging health issues. She works with public health practitioners at the state and local levels to identify health threats, develop and implement surveillance case definitions, and create and disseminate reports. Dr. Waller also works with prevention and intervention programs, identifying and procuring data to use for planning and evaluation efforts.
Learn More About The Research at UNC Emergency Medicine
Professional Societies & Memberships
- Society for Academic Emergency Medicine (SAEM)
- American Public Health Association (APHA)
- Association for the Advancement of Automotive Medicine (AAAM)
- North Carolina Public Health Association (NCPHA)
- North Carolina Violent Death Reporting System, Advisory Board Co-Chair
- North Carolina Traffic Records Coordinating Committee
- Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists (CSTE)
- National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO)
- North Carolina Comprehensive Suicide Prevention Advisory Council Member
Special Honors & Awards
- Best Paper in Biometrics by an IBS Member Award, International Biometric Society (IBS) (2011)
- Best Poster Award, International Society of Disease Surveillance (ISDS) (2010)
- Best Overall Paper Award, UNC Emergency Medicine Research Forum (1997)
- Finalist for Zonta Science Award (New Zealand) (1992)
