LINKING MEDICAL DISCIPLINES WITH THEORIES OF THE SMALL-WORLD

Renée G. Rubin

Research Method

Introduction Data Acquisition

45 Combinations of Medical Disciplines

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Kevin Bacon

Six degrees of Kevin Bacon1. Think of an actor or actress.2. If they have ever been in a film with Kevin

Bacon, then they have a “Bacon Number” of one.

3. If they have never been in a film with Kevin Bacon but have been in a film with somebody else who has, then they have a Bacon Number of two, and so on.

Stanley Milgram – Small World Experiment

“What is the probability that any two people, selected arbitrarily from a large population, such as that of the United States, will know each other?”

Migram’s Experiment

Experiment to link arbitrary individuals to a pre-selected ‘target.’

Experiment Rules

Send postcard to Harvard

If target is known – mail to him/herIf target is unknown – send to someone who may know the target

The cycle continues until the target in Boston is reached.

Milgram Results

Chain Length Mean number of links = 5.2

Mean from Boston = 4.4 Mean from Nebraska = 5.7

Initial Assumtion: Stockholders in Nebraska have a lower chain length. Nebraska Stockholder = 5.4 Nebraska Control = 5.7

ConclusionNot significantly different

Nifty Bush Cartoon

Average Path Length Clustering Coefficient

Data

CombinationShared Lines

1st discipline lines

2nd discipline lines Total

Percent shared

cardio dentistry 34342 37742 186492 224234 15.32%

cardio geriatrics 19307 37742 66953 104695 18.44%

cardio neonatalogy 119560 37742 510384 548126 21.81%

cardio neurology 15638 37742 46631 84373 18.53%

cardio nutrition 96142 37742 409046 446788 21.52%

cardio obstetrics 30266 37742 107507 145249 20.84%

cardio oncology 50696 37742 206438 244180 20.76%

cardio opthalmology 6440 37742 27061 64803 9.94%

cardio osteopathy 88341 37742 380175 417917 21.14%

Data

Cardio Percent Neonatology Percent Osteopathy Percent Nutrition Percent Oncology PercentNeonatalogy 21.81%Cardiology 21.81%Cardiology 21.14%Cardiology 21.52%Cardiology 20.76%Nutrition 21.52%Nutrition 15.72%Neonatology 14.67%Neonatalogy 15.72%Osteopathy 11.18%Osteopathy 21.14%Osteopathy 14.67%Nutrition 12.20%Osteopathy 12.20%Neonatalogy 9.32%Obstetrics 20.84%Obstetrics 11.32%Oncology 11.18%Oncology 8.73%Nutrition 8.73%Oncology 20.76%Oncology 9.32%Dentistry 9.91%Dentistry 7.70%Dentistry 6.12%Neurology 18.53%Dentistry 6.63%Obstetrics 6.06%Obstetrics 6.89%Obstetrics 5.83%Geriatrics 18.44%Geriatrics 4.02%Geriatrics 4.70%Geriatrics 5.48%Neurology 5.10%Dentistry 15.32%Neurology 3.57%Neurology 4.29%Neurology 3.39%Geriatrics 5.04%

Ophthalmology 9.94%Ophthalmology 1.97%Ophthalmology 2.25%Ophthalmology 1.69%Ophthalmology 2.17%18.70% 9.89% 9.60% 9.26% 8.25%

Obstetrics Percent Dentistry Percent Geriatrics Percent Neurology Percent Ophthalmology PercentCardiology 20.84%Cardiology 15.32%Cardiology 18.44%Cardiology 18.53%Cardiology 9.94%Neonatology 11.32%Osteopathy 9.91%Nutrition 5.48%Oncology 5.10%Neurology 4.06%Nutrition 6.89%Nutrition 7.70%Oncology 5.04%Osteopathy 4.29%Geriatrics 2.64%Osteopathy 6.06%Neonatalogy 6.63%Dentistry 4.97%Geriatrics 4.28%Osteopathy 2.25%

Oncology 5.83%Oncology 6.12%Osteopathy 4.70%Ophthalmology 4.06%Obstetrics 2.24%Dentistry 4.63%Geriatrics 4.97%Obstetrics 4.62%Obstetrics 3.66%Oncology 2.17%Geriatrics 4.62%Obstetrics 4.63%Neurology 4.28%Neonatology 3.57%Dentistry 2.01%Neurology 3.66%Neurology 3.11%Neonatology 4.02%Nutrition 3.39%Neonatalogy 1.97%

Ophthalmology 2.24%Ophthalmology 2.01%Ophthalmology 2.64%Dentistry 3.11%Nutrition 1.69%7.34% 6.71% 6.02% 5.55% 3.22%

Graph

- Vertices represent medical disciplines- Thickness of edges represent the number of connections between vertices.

Conclusion

Findings Data Difficulties

Accents é, ö, ñ, ç etc.

Typos/Transpositions Vanatakin N Vaantakin N

The elusive middle initial Vanatakin N Vanatakin NA

Acknowledgements

Dr. Ed Harcourt Dr. Patti Frazer Lock Dr. Collen Knickerbocker Jamie Perconti