7/7/20
Officials in Oklahoma are turning to information science doctoral student Monica Rogers for local COVID-19 data modeling. Rogers, who was recently promoted to division chief of data and technology for the Tulsa Health Department, has worked in information science for more than a decade. Before the outbreak, she forecasted community health needs and the prevalence of chronic conditions. Rogers now monitors COVID-19-related infections, hospitalizations and deaths, and makes data models that help inform county decisions. Most recently, her focus is tracking the sharp increase in cases for Tulsa County—including the city of Tulsa—and its population of 650,000. In late June, weekly case counts were double that of earlier in the month. By June 24, she tallied a county total of 2,742.