It’s been nearly two years since NACCHO’s multi-article supplement, “Public Health Informatics: A Call to Action,” was featured in the Journal of Public Health Management and Practice. Since then, it’s only become clearer that to effectively serve communities in today’s information-driven world, public health – and its cross-sector partners – must advance and strengthen its capability to transform data into action (e.g., services, interventions, and policies). But forging that capability is no easy feat.
Challenges such as underdeveloped information technology (IT) infrastructure, lack of training, and insufficient workforce capacity have made public health informatics seem either intimidating or vastly inaccessible to public health professionals. Despite this, there is a role for informatics within every health department. The 2018 PHI Conference exists to help you learn that role through sessions, workshops, and peer-sharing opportunities that:
- Increase your understanding of the principles of informatics and the importance of leading with data and health information to improve community and population health;
- Prepare you to integrate the principles of informatics into public health practice, based on your department, organization, or agency’s capacity; and,
- Identify potential barriers to incorporating informatics and recommend how to address those through advocacy, workforce development, training and education, and peer sharing.e
In order to improve community and population health, we have to invest in ourselves, our organizations, and our communities. Whether you are new to informatics or are well-versed in using data and technology to advance public health and healthcare, there will be something for everyone at the 2018 PHI Conference (August 20-23 in Atlanta, GA). Don’t miss out on the opportunity to learn from your peers, hear from thought leaders, discover new solutions, and get inspired about how to “Connect Systems and People to Improve Population Health.”
