About Us


Who developed WISDOM©?

WISDOM© was developed and tested by a team lead by Dr. Nananda Col (Principal Investigator) under a grant from the federal Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). Dr. Griffin Weber led the development and creation of the patented core technology. During the course of development, Drs. Col and Weber collaborated with leaders in the field of women's health, evidence-based medicine, risk modeling, risk communication, medical informatics, web design, and decision support aids.

Funding for the early development of precursor versions came from many sources over many years, including the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Funding for the final refinement and clinical testing of WISDOM came from AHRQ (A Menopause Interactive Decision Aid System: Improving the quality of menopause counseling and enhancing the patient's role in the decision making process, R01 HS013329-01). We are especially indebted to AHRQ, our AHRQ program officer, Dr. Rosaly Correa-de-Araujo, MD, PhD, who provided critical guidance and oversight, and to the many people who contributed their time, energy, and talent to developing this exciting tool.

The Core Developers

Nananda F.Col, MD, MPH, MPP, FACP, is a practicing internist who trained in internal medicine, preventive medicine, public health, and clinical decision making. She has several government-funded research grants at the confluence of decision sciences, medical informatics, evidence-based medicine, and women's health. She is Associate Professor of Medicine at Brown Medical School and author of over 50 scientific publications and book chapters. She is a member of the study section Healthcare Technology and Decision Sciences and a Trustee for the Society for Medical Decision Making.

Griffin Weber, MD, PhD, received a Ph.D. from Harvard/MIT in Biomedical Informatics and his MD from Harvard Medical School in 2007 and currently serves as a faculty member of Harvard Medical School and the school's Chief Technology Officer. He is the recipient of prestigious Lee B. Lusted Prize for innovative software from the Society of Medical Decision Making, 2003. Dr. Weber designed Harvard's eCommons web portal, which combines electronic administrative, research, and educational tools in one application and is used by over 20,000 faculty, staff, and students.

Original Design Team

This website was developed by a group of doctors, nurses, public health researchers, and computer scientists. Our clinical specialists include doctors who specialize in women's health, gynecology, psychology, surgery, internal medicine, family practice, and epidemiology.

Principal Investigator
Nananda Col, MD, MPP, MPH, FACPInternal Medicine & Decision Sciences, Brown University/Rhode Island Hospital, Providence, RI

Consultants and Core Collaborators
Barbara Bond, EdD, MSWOncology Social Work; Tufts/New England Medical Center, Boston, MA
Aziz Boxwala, PhD, MBBSMedical Informatics, Brigham & Women's Hospital, Boston, MA
Michele Cyr, MDInternal Medicine, Brown University/Rhode Island Hospital, Providence, RI
Judy ForemanHealth columnist, Boston, MA
Jennifer Fortin, MPHBrigham & Women's Hospital, Boston, MA
Robert Goldberg, PhDEpidemiologist, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA
Jeanne-Marie Guise, MD, MPHObstetrics/gynecology, Oregon Health Sciences University, Portland, OR
Carol Landau, PhDClinical Psychology, Brown University, Providence, RI
Anne Moulton, MDInternal Medicine, Brown University/Rhode Island Hospital, Providence, RI
Betty Ng, MDObstetrics/gynecology, Brigham & Women's Hospital, Boston, MA
Annette O'Connor, RN, PhDDecision Sciences, Ottawa Health Research Institute, Ottawa, Canada
Richard Orr, MD, MPHSurgery, Spartanburg Regional Medical Center, Spartanburg, SC
Beverly Rockhill, PhDEpidemiology & Biostatistics, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC

Web Programming and Design
Griffin Weber, MD, PhDHarvard Medical School/MIT, Boston, MA


Why was WISDOM© developed?

Given all the uncertainty about menopausal therapy and the growing number of treatment choices, a decision making tool was needed to help patients and clinicians sort through the maze of menopause information. WISDOM© provides accurate, unbiased guidance to patients based upon their individual health status, needs, values, and preferences.

Core Technology

Our patented technology provides a framework for making informed, evidence-based decisions about health. Our software uses an individual's health profile, preferences, and priorities to generate individualized, interactive information and recommendations. The core technology filters and structures consumer health information around specific health decisions.

Selected Scientific Work Behind WISDOM©

Scientific Papers

  1. Col NF, Weber G, Stiggelbout A, Chuo J, D'Agostino R, Corso P. Short-term menopausal hormone therapy for symptom relief: An updated decision model. Arch Intern Med 2004;164:1634-1640.
  2. Col NF. Using Internet Technologies to Improve and Simplify Counseling about Menopause. Maturitas 2007 57:95-99.
  3. Col NF, Eckman MH, Karas RH, Pauker SG, Goldberg RJ, Ross EM, Wong JB. Patient-specific decisions about hormone replacement therapy in postmenopausal women. JAMA 1997;277:1140-1147.
  4. Col NF, Pauker SG, Goldberg RJ, Eckman MH, Orr RK Wong JB. Individualizing therapy to prevent the long-term consequences of estrogen deficiency in postmenopausal women. Arch Int Med 1999;159:1458-1466.
  5. Col NF, Goldberg RJ, Erban J, Fortin J, Bond BE, Chlebowski R. The survival impact of tamoxifen use for breast cancer risk reduction: Projections from a patient-specific markov model. Med Decis Making 2002; 22:1-8.
  6. Fortin JM, Goldberg RJ, Kaplan S, Chuo J, O'Connor AM, Col NF. Impact of a personalized decision support aid on menopausal women - results from a randomized controlled trial. AMIA Annu Symp Proc. 2003:843.
  7. Col NF. The impact of risk status, preexisting morbidity, and polypharmacy on treatment decisions concerning menopausal symptoms. (NIH Consensus Panel) Am J Med 2005; 118 (12):1411.
  8. Col NF, Fortin J, Ngo L, O'Connor AM, Goldberg RG. Can Computerized Decision Support Help Patients Make Complex Treatment Decisions? A Randomized Controlled Trial of an Individualized Menopause Decision Aid. Med Decis Making, 2007.
  9. Col NF, Kim JA, Chlebowski RT. Menopausal hormone therapy after breast cancer: A meta-analysis and critical appraisal of the evidence. Breast Cancer Research 2005;7:R535-40.
  10. Col NF, Bowlby LA, McGarry K. The role of menopausal hormone therapy in preventing osteoporotic fractures: A critical review of the clinical evidence. Minerva Medica 2005; 96(5):331-42.
  11. Chlebowski RC, Garnet L. Anderson GL, Geller M, Col N. Coronary Heart Disease and Stroke with Aromatase Inhibitor, Tamoxifen and Menopausal Hormone Therapy. Clin Breast Cancer 2006;6:S58-65.
  12. Col NF. Editorial: Decision making at the margins. Arch Int Med 2006; 166(4):389-90.
  13. Matloff ET, Moyer A, Shannon KM, Niendorf, KB, Col NF. Healthy Women with a Family History of Breast Cancer: Impact of a Tailored Genetic Counseling Intervention on Risk Perception, Knowledge, and Menopausal Therapy Decision-Making. J Women's Health, 2006;15(7):843-56.
  14. Col NF, Duffy C, Cyr MG. The Pitfalls of Non-Evidence Based Guidelines. Menopause 2006;13(3):334-7.
  15. AM. O'Connor, C Bennett, D Stacey, MJ Barry, NF Col, KB Eden, V Entwistle, V Fiset, M Holmes-Rovner, S Khangura, H Llewellyn-Thomas, D Rovner, J Tetroe. Patient Decision Aids for People Facing Health Screening or Treatment Decisions: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. In press, Med Decis Making.
  16. Matloff ET, Shannon KM, Moyer A, Col NF. A Framework for Counseling Menopausal Women at Increased Risk for Breast Cancer. 2007, Journal of Cancer Education.
  17. Hohenhaus MH, McGarry KA, Col NF. Hormone therapy for the prevention of bone loss in menopausal women with osteopenia: is it a viable option? Drugs, 2007.
  18. Politi MC, Han PKJ, Col NF. Communicating the Uncertainty of Harms and Benefits of Medical Interventions; White Paper Series, Eisenberg Center 2007. Medical Decision Making, 2007.
  19. Chlebowski RC, Kim JA, Col NF. Estrogen deficiency symptom management in breast cancer survivors in the changing context of menopausal hormone therapy. Sem Onc, 2003;30(6):776-88.
  20. Chlebowski R, Col NF, Weiner E, et al for the ASCO Breast Cancer Technology Assessment Working Group. American Society of Clinical Oncology Technology Assessment of Pharmacologic Interventions for Breast Cancer Risk Reduction Including Tamoxifen, Raloxifene, and Aromatase Inhibition. J Clin Onc 2002; 20(15):3328-3343.
  21. Weber G, Col N. Enter the Matrix: Improved Software for Modeling the Effects of Treatments on Multiple Comorbidities Using Markov Processes. Abstract, Proceedings of the 25th Annual Meeting of the Society for Medical Decision Making. 2003.
  22. Weber G, Col N. "Methods for Extrapolating Risk Equations beyond Their Valid Intervals." Abstract, Proceedings of the 25th Annual Meeting of the Society for Medical Decision Making. 2003.
  23. Col NF. A Woman Doctor's Guide to Hormone Therapy—How to Decide What's Right for You. Worcester, MA: Chandler House Press, 1997.
  24. Eckman MH, Col NF, Kassirer JP. Principles of Therapeutic Decision Making. Chapter One in: Kassirer JP, Grenne HL II eds. Current Therapy in Adult Medicine, Fourth Edition. Philadelphia, B.C. Decker, Inc, 1997.
  25. Col NF, Pauker SG. The Interpretation and Use of Clinical Information: Some Principles of Clinical Decision Making. 17th Edition of The Merck Manual; 1999.
  26. Col NF, Pauker SG. Clinical Decision Making. 18th Edition of The Merck Manual of Diagnosis and Therapy; Merck Research Laboratories, Whitehouse Station, NJ, 2006.
  27. Col NF, Cyr MG, Moulton AW. Menopause Therapy: An Individualized Approach. Chapter in Selective Estrogen Receptor Modulators, ed. Andrea Manni and M Verderame, Humana Press, Inc, Totowa, NJ; 2001.
  28. Col NF, Weber G, Stiggelbout A, Chuo J, D'Agostino R, Corso P. Short-term menopausal hormone therapy for symptom relief: An updated decision model. Arch Intern Med 2004;164:1634-1640.
  29. Col NF. Using Internet Technologies to Improve and Simplify Counseling about Menopause. Maturitas 2007 57:95-99.
  30. Col NF, Eckman MH, Karas RH, Pauker SG, Goldberg RJ, Ross EM, Wong JB. Patient-specific decisions about hormone replacement therapy in postmenopausal women. JAMA 1997;277:1140-1147.
  31. Col NF, Pauker SG, Goldberg RJ, Eckman MH, Orr RK Wong JB. Individualizing therapy to prevent the long-term consequences of estrogen deficiency in postmenopausal women. Arch Int Med 1999;159:1458-1466.
  32. Col NF, Goldberg RJ, Erban J, Fortin J, Bond BE, Chlebowski R. The survival impact of tamoxifen use for breast cancer risk reduction: Projections from a patient-specific markov model. Med Decis Making 2002; 22:1-8.
  33. Fortin JM, Goldberg RJ, Kaplan S, Chuo J, O'Connor AM, Col NF. Impact of a personalized decision support aid on menopausal women - results from a randomized controlled trial. AMIA Annu Symp Proc. 2003:843.
  34. Col NF. The impact of risk status, preexisting morbidity, and polypharmacy on treatment decisions concerning menopausal symptoms. (NIH Consensus Panel) Am J Med 2005; 118 (12):1411.
  35. Col NF, Fortin J, Ngo L, O'Connor AM, Goldberg RG. Can Computerized Decision Support Help Patients Make Complex Treatment Decisions? A Randomized Controlled Trial of an Individualized Menopause Decision Aid. Med Decis Making, 2007.
  36. Col NF, Kim JA, Chlebowski RT. Menopausal hormone therapy after breast cancer: A meta-analysis and critical appraisal of the evidence. Breast Cancer Research 2005;7:R535-40.
  37. Col NF, Bowlby LA, McGarry K. The role of menopausal hormone therapy in preventing osteoporotic fractures: A critical review of the clinical evidence. Minerva Medica 2005; 96(5):331-42.
  38. Chlebowski RC, Garnet L. Anderson GL, Geller M, Col N. Coronary Heart Disease and Stroke with Aromatase Inhibitor, Tamoxifen and Menopausal Hormone Therapy. Clin Breast Cancer 2006;6:S58-65.
  39. Col NF. Editorial: Decision making at the margins. Arch Int Med 2006; 166(4):389-90.
  40. Matloff ET, Moyer A, Shannon KM, Niendorf, KB, Col NF. Healthy Women with a Family History of Breast Cancer: Impact of a Tailored Genetic Counseling Intervention on Risk Perception, Knowledge, and Menopausal Therapy Decision-Making. J Women's Health, 2006;15(7):843-56.
  41. Col NF, Duffy C, Cyr MG. The Pitfalls of Non-Evidence Based Guidelines. Menopause 2006;13(3):334-7.
  42. AM. O'Connor, C Bennett, D Stacey, MJ Barry, NF Col, KB Eden, V Entwistle, V Fiset, M Holmes-Rovner, S Khangura, H Llewellyn-Thomas, D Rovner, J Tetroe. Patient Decision Aids for People Facing Health Screening or Treatment Decisions: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. In press, Med Decis Making.
  43. Matloff ET, Shannon KM, Moyer A, Col NF. A Framework for Counseling Menopausal Women at Increased Risk for Breast Cancer. 2007, Journal of Cancer Education.
  44. Hohenhaus MH, McGarry KA, Col NF. Hormone therapy for the prevention of bone loss in menopausal women with osteopenia: is it a viable option? Drugs, 2007.
  45. Politi MC, Han PKJ, Col NF. Communicating the Uncertainty of Harms and Benefits of Medical Interventions; White Paper Series, Eisenberg Center 2007. Medical Decision Making, 2007.
  46. Chlebowski RC, Kim JA, Col NF. Estrogen deficiency symptom management in breast cancer survivors in the changing context of menopausal hormone therapy. Sem Onc, 2003;30(6):776-88.
  47. Chlebowski R, Col NF, Weiner E, et al for the ASCO Breast Cancer Technology Assessment Working Group. American Society of Clinical Oncology Technology Assessment of Pharmacologic Interventions for Breast Cancer Risk Reduction Including Tamoxifen, Raloxifene, and Aromatase Inhibition. J Clin Onc 2002; 20(15):3328-3343.
  48. Weber G, Col N. Enter the Matrix: Improved Software for Modeling the Effects of Treatments on Multiple Comorbidities Using Markov Processes. Abstract, Proceedings of the 25th Annual Meeting of the Society for Medical Decision Making. 2003.
  49. Weber G, Col N. "Methods for Extrapolating Risk Equations beyond Their Valid Intervals." Abstract, Proceedings of the 25th Annual Meeting of the Society for Medical Decision Making. 2003.
Books and Book Chapters
  1. Col NF. A Woman Doctor's Guide to Hormone Therapy—How to Decide What's Right for You. Worcester, MA: Chandler House Press, 1997.
  2. Eckman MH, Col NF, Kassirer JP. Principles of Therapeutic Decision Making. Chapter One in: Kassirer JP, Grenne HL II eds. Current Therapy in Adult Medicine, Fourth Edition. Philadelphia, B.C. Decker, Inc, 1997.
  3. Col NF, Pauker SG. The Interpretation and Use of Clinical Information: Some Principles of Clinical Decision Making. 17th Edition of The Merck Manual; 1999.
  4. Col NF, Pauker SG. Clinical Decision Making. 18th Edition of The Merck Manual of Diagnosis and Therapy; Merck Research Laboratories, Whitehouse Station, NJ, 2006.
  5. Col NF, Cyr MG, Moulton AW. Menopause Therapy: An Individualized Approach. Chapter in Selective Estrogen Receptor Modulators, ed. Andrea Manni and M Verderame, Humana Press, Inc, Totowa, NJ; 2001.
Contact Us

Nananda_Col@Brown.edu