Bill Brand, MPH
   Director of Programs
   404-592-1402
   bbrand@phii.org

Bill Brand offers over 20 years of experience working on state, local and national public health issues, including specific experience in public health informatics.  As Director of Programs, Bill is responsible for developing and overseeing implementation of the programs within the Institute, including assessing new program opportunities, designing programs, writing proposal for funding, and overseeing the implementation and evaluation of Institute programs. In addition, he provides expert advice to public health agencies and serves as the Institute liaison to numerous national and international public health organizations.

Throughout his career, Bill has worked on several issues related to the Institute’s strategic direction and of interest to the public health community. For example, he has provided informatics advice and consultation to public health information system projects, he has worked with academic institutions to establish and implement workforce training opportunities for learning and applying informatics competencies, and he has analyzed local and state information systems related to interoperability across systems and with private providers. Bill also coordinated Minnesota’s participation in national efforts to establish data and functional standards for public health information systems and worked on other national efforts to further public health informatics.

Formerly the Deputy Director for the Center for Health Informatics for the Minnesota Department of Health, Bill is experienced and knowledgeable about the needs facing practitioners in directing and coordinating resources and initiatives related to health and public health informatics. His efforts and accomplishments include coordinating support for the Minnesota e-Health Initiative and the Minnesota Public Health Information Network (MN-PHIN) initiative to improve the design and uses of information systems; supporting local health department efforts to enhance their informatics capacity; working with local health departments to adopt informatics methodologies to improve their use of information and information systems; and directing the development of Minnesota’s statewide immunization information system.

Bill earned a Master of Public Health degree from the University of Minnesota, where he concentrated on Community Health Education and Epidemiology. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Community Health from St. Cloud State University.