Director’s Blog
Categories
A path forward to build back better for public health infrastructure
PHII Director Vivian Singletary discusses using an equity lens to rethink a vision for US public health data and infrastructure.
Read More >
Reflections on the year 2022 and looking toward to 2023
Showing creativity in how we recruit and train our workforce could create a pipeline of skilled, talented people who come to public health and stay there.
Read More >
New hope for the future of public health
Vivian reflects on what new ONC funding could mean for public health
Read More >
Looking back to look ahead: my lucky 7 for 2021
Read More >
Looking back on five years of success
As 2018 comes to a close, it is worth reflecting on the progress we've made over the years.
Read More >
Let’s talk: building systems that communicate for better health care
In a growing e-health world, we need health systems that reflect our capabilities and needs.
Read More >
Notes on beginnings: PHII then and now
In Vivian's Singletary's first blog as PHII's director, she addresses PHII's origin story and her vision for its future.
Read More >
Farewell reflections on PHII and passing the torch
Presenting Vivian Singletary as the new leader of PHII gives me joy for many reasons. Along with her talents and energy for the job, I also recognize that she inherits an organization that has many strengths.
Read More >
Now taking your questions!
If you’re not aware, PHII recently launched its own podcast, “Inform Me, Informatics.” The show features interviews with public health professionals working in the rapidly growing informatics field.
Read More >
The Task Force vs. NCDs: Playing our part
Non-communicable diseases (NCD) are the leading causes of death globally, with mortality expected to increase by 15 percent by 2020.
Read More >
Uniting individual and community health as a single concept
Measurements of health tell us about our health status and signal the performance measurement standards needed to improve quality of care in the U.S.
Read More >
Contemplations on the quantified self
Over the last couple of months, I’ve seen wearable health trackers popping up all around the PHII and Task Force for Global Health offices.
Read More >
The Task Force for Global Health turns 30
Earlier this week, a group gathered at the Carter Center to celebrate The Task Force for Global Health's 30th anniversary.
Read More >
Who wants my job?
As many of my readers already know, next year I will be transitioning to take on the role of President/CEO at PHII’s parent organization, the Task Force for Global Health.
Read More >
Go west, young man: lessons on health IT from Minnesota and Dr. DeSalvo
The ONC's new strategic plan is achievable—as one U.S. state demonstrates.
Read More >
Health IT as doctors’ aides
The history of health care information technology is a story about finding tasks technology can serve.
Read More >
AIRA, immunization and public health’s “moon mission”
Last week, I had the honor of keynoting the 2015 meeting for the American Immunization Registry Association.
Read More >
Data for Health: recommendations for what works Dave Ross
In the field of public health informatics, we talk and think at length about how data and health intersect, but on the Data for Health tour, we moved beyond the theoretical.
Read More >
Lessons learned from the Ebola outbreak, Part II
The recent Ebola outbreak has taught us a few lessons about the importance of public health preparedness and response and the urgency in which it’s needed.
Read More >
Social determinants of health: the IOM’s vision for the future of care
Public health has long recognized the correlation between health and certain social and behavioral variables that range from ZIP code to income bracket.
Read More >
Defining health beyond the clinic
It’s easy to mobilize our society when infectious diseases are involved, but outside of infectious disease control, defining who’s responsible for the health of a society becomes complex and controversial.
Read More >
Data for Health: building a culture of health through information
This fall, I’m co-chairing Data for Health, an initiative by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation that seeks to explore how information and data on health can be harnessed to help people lead healthier lives.
Read More >
Lessons learned from the Ebola outbreak
If Americans want to know why Ebola quickly got out of control, they should look no further than the neglected public health system.
Read More >
Dave Fleming departs leadership role in Washington State
Dave Fleming, public health icon and innovator, stepped down this week from his long-held position as the Director of Public Health for Seattle and King County.
Read More >
Bill Brand recognized for leadership in e-health
It is with great pleasure and pride that I congratulate my longtime friend and colleague Bill Brand on his recent award from the Commissioner of Health in Minnesota.
Read More >
Thoughts from my Keeneland Conference keynote
Recently, I presented the keynote address at the 2014 Keeneland Conference, which this year had the theme, “building the evidence base for public health practice and policy."
Read More >
The AIDS-free generation: PHII’s role in Obama’s HIV/AIDS global health policy
A recent report from the CSIS Global Health Policy Center does an excellent job of summarizing President Obama’s global health policy, particularly around HIV/AIDS.
Read More >
The power of partnership: public health rises to the meaningful use 3 challenge
Last week, the Health IT Policy Committee’s Meaningful Use Workgroup made a decision that immediately caused a stir in the public health community.
Read More >
Private health care finds population health
As the ACA is implemented, the American health care system is moving from its previous fee-for-service model to one that is more of a value-based purchasing model.
Read More >
Clean Sweeps in the Rust Belt: Buffalo, NY Uses Big Data to Improve Neighborhoods
In Buffalo, NY, city departments are working together as part of the Operation Clean Sweep program to improve the most challenged neighborhoods.
Read More >
“Struck by Orca”: An Illustrated Guide to ICD-10
A new illustrated book pokes fun at bizarre ICD-10 codes like “Z62.891 Sibling rivalry” and “W56.22xA Struck by orca, initial encounter.”
Read More >
Empowering Public Health: The Creation and Adoption of Standards
PHII recently provided recommendations on public health standards to the National Committee for Vital and Health Statistics at their request.
Read More >
Moving Towards an Enterprise Approach to Public Health
With the advent of large scale automation in the personal health care sector, public health has the opportunity to move from narrowly-viewed surveillance systems to an enterprise view.
Read More >
The Legacy of All Kids Count
16 years ago, PHII began as a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation-funded program called All Kids Count.
Read More >
Embracing Wikipedia to Improve Population Health
In a recent interview from The Atlantic, one medical school professor said writing off Wikipedia entirely is a missed opportunity for the health care community.
Read More >
Moving into Evidence-Based Practice
Two public health programs recently combined into a new single operational center funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
Read More >
Getting Back to Our Roots: The Rise of Local Health Depts in the US
In 1911, a typhoid epidemic sparked a series of events that led to the beginnings of the modern local public health system.
Read More >
The Informatics Academy: An Integrated Professional Education Approach
Last week, an online course from the Informatics Academy introduced 60 public health professionals to the IT Lifecycle.
Read More >
NYC Macroscope: Using EHRs to Monitor Population Health
New York City is developing a population health surveillance system that uses EHRs to track chronic conditions managed by primary care practices.
Read More >
New Health IT Framework Available for ACOs
The Certification Commission for Health Information Technology (CCHIT) has developed an HIT Framework to help accountable care organizations (ACOs) and healthcare providers navigate the future of technology and accountable care.
Read More >
New ASPE Report on IT Infrastructure in State and Local Health Departments
A new report looks closely at how the recent passage of the HITECH Act and the ACA are affecting trends in public health informatics.
Read More >
Health IT Systems: Costs vs. Benefits Dave Ross
In a recent report outlined by iHealthBeat, it was found that 71% of U.S. physicians believe the use and implementation of Health IT systems will raise health care costs.
Read More >
The Truth About Medical Billing
The federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services recently released hospital data revealing the wide variation in medical billing.
Read More >
The Challenge of Producing Worthy Evidence
“What do we want? Evidence-based change. When do we want it? After peer review.”
Read More >
Meaningful Use and Public Health
The Stage 2 Meaningful Use Public Health Reporting Requirements Task Force has published guidance for public health agencies (PHAs) preparing for Stage 2 Meaningful Use (MU2).
Read More >
The Long Road to Interoperability
As the provisions of the HITECH act become the law of the medical reimbursement landscape, the provisions of meaningful use are gaining wider public attention.
Read More >
The Implications of Google Flu Trends for Public Health
Applications like Google Flu Trends can and will use data to speak to citizen’s health concerns.
Read More >
Social Media and the Future of Public Health
Researchers all over the world are beginning to explore when and how people respond to the use of social media for communications regarding various types of public health issues.
Read More >
2012 Word of the Year: Big Data
Geoffrey Nunberg, a noted linguist and professor at UC Berkeley's School of Information, recently offered his thoughts on the word of the year.
Read More >
LawAtlas: Tracking the Laws of Public Health
Public health informatics is about information informing action, and nowhere is that linkage more clear than in the way the law is used as a public health intervention.
Read More >
NACCHO Launches New Public Health Informatics Blog
I wanted to direct your attention to NACCHO's new blog, ePublic Health Talks, which promises to be a welcome addition to the online conversation about public health informatics.
Read More >
Is Public Health Ready to Embrace Social Media?
The Department of Health and Human Services has just launched a new contest for developers to create a Twitter app that tracks top-trending illnesses and automatically delivers that information to public health agencies.
Read More >
Understand Your Workflow
Public health agencies have to understand how they do their work before they can consider technology solutions.
Read More >
What Contagion Got Wrong, Part II
In my last post, I talked about inaccuracies in how the movie...
Read More >
What Contagion Got Wrong
I finally had the chance to see the movie Contagion on video this weekend and was impressed with it.
Read More >