What is “Informatics”?

Vivian Singletary on digital contact tracing for COVID-19

Published: December 8, 2020

With COVID-19 vaccine deployment on the horizon in the United States and already beginning in some countries, some optimistic experts are saying the worst

Dr. Carlos del Rio on COVID-19: data needs, racial disparities and more

Published: June 1, 2020

As the U.S. COVID-19 pandemic enters its fourth month, both the healthcare system and the public health workforce are stretching to their limits to

Dr. Leo Nissola on the Covid Act Now project and lessons from a pandemic

Published: March 27, 2020

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to spread, informaticians and epidemiologists are leaping into action, doing what they can to attempt to shape the limited

Dr. Patrick O’Carroll on COVID-19 outbreak prevention through health systems strengthening

Published: March 18, 2020

In the midst of a global pandemic, one public health issue has eclipsed many others on the forefront of most of our minds: novel

Dr. Karen DeSalvo’s reflections on Public Health 3.0 and vision for the future of informatics

Published: March 9, 2020

Public Health 3.0 describes an innovative model of public health that integrates social determinants of health with health IT and public health informatics. The

How Colorado’s Tri-County Health Department is mapping the opioid crisis

Published: September 10, 2019

On September 25, the National Association of City and County Health Officials (NACCHO) will be celebrating Health IT Week with a virtual conference! The

Vivian Singletary and David Addiss on data ethics for public health practitioners

Published: April 19, 2019

On the most recent episode of Inform Me, Informatics, David Addiss of the Focus Area for Compassion and Ethics in Global Health (FACE) and

Vivian Singletary and David Addiss on big data and consumer health privacy

Published: March 20, 2019

If you’ve ever had Google or Facebook ads show you a pair of shoes you just bought, or had your phone prompt you to

Dr. Umair Shah on the Public Health Informatics Conference and Harris County’s data warehouse

Published: August 15, 2018

The preeminent event of the public health informatics field, the Public Health Informatics Conference, is coming up next week, from August 20-23. This conference

How the CHAMPS project is using informatics to fight childhood mortality

Published: April 19, 2018

The Child Health and Mortality Prevention Surveillance (CHAMPS) network is an ambitious global project that seeks to reduce childhood mortality around the world by

The dynamic informatics career of Dr. Bryant Karras

Published: January 2, 2018

Dr. Bryant Karras, Chief Public Health Informatics Officer at the Washington State Department of Health, is regarded as one of the nation’s foremost experts

Dave Ross on low-tech informatics and the “box of rocks”

Published: September 29, 2017

For many people, the term “informatics” is synonymous with “technology.” It invokes buzzwords like “big data” and “the cloud.” But in this special bonus

Therese Hoyle on the informatics behind immunizations

Published: August 14, 2017

Immunizations are often considered the bedrock of public health work, and immunization information systems (IIS) are the essential, confidential registries that support immunization work.

A Conversation with Dr. Gulzar Shah

Published: July 25, 2017

In this episode, I speak with Dr. Gulzar Shah, who is the Chair of Health Policy and Management at the Jiann-Ping Hsu College of

Tropical Data and the role of informatics in eliminating trachoma

Published: June 29, 2017

One of the most exciting parts of hosting Inform Me, Informatics is meeting really interesting people and learning about their really interesting work. I

NYC Macroscope, EHRs and population health surveillance

Published: April 25, 2017

Over a year ago, Dr. David Ross mentioned the NYC Macroscope project to Piper and me, and I’ve wanted to record a podcast episode

Mark Conde on data quality, informatics degrees and how technology shapes public health practice

Published: March 21, 2017

At the Public Health Informatics Institute (PHII), we often say that public health informatics is where business processes, people and technology meet to support

The storied career of Dr. Alan Hinman

Published: February 21, 2017

This month, the Task Force for Global Health is celebrating the retirement of Dr. Alan Hinman, who has spent more than 50 years working in

How to explain informatics to your friends and family

Published: January 25, 2017

Have you ever had a hard time explaining your job to friends and family? Did this experience lead you to wonder why public health

Whatcom County’s journey toward becoming an informatics-savvy health department

Published: December 15, 2016

After undergoing the accreditation process in 2014, the Whatcom County Health Department had renewed interest in and commitment to being data-driven. But what did

Minnesota’s e-health initiative and informatics in action at the local level

Published: November 17, 2016

While I was at the NACCHO Annual Meeting this past July, I saw a presentation about Minnesota’s e-health initiative. Cathy Gagné from the Saint Paul-Ramsey

Vivian Singletary on informatics and “One Public Health”

Published: October 24, 2016

Last month I sat down with Vivian Singletary, who began her tenure as PHII’s Director in May 2016. Vivian has an MBA and spent

Chicago’s demonstration project for STI electronic case reporting

Published: September 14, 2016

In August, I attended the Public Health Informatics Conference in Atlanta, GA. I attended many great presentations, and one term I heard a lot

Health information systems and their role in advancing health equity

Published: August 17, 2016

How does national policy impact the health information available at the point of care? What role do electronic health records play in advancing health

Call-in show with Dave Ross

Published: June 30, 2016

Dr. David Ross is back, and this time, he’s answering questions from you, our audience! Dave is the President and CEO of the Task

Working toward health equity using information systems

Published: May 27, 2016

I was fortunate to attend the American Immunization Registry Association (AIRA) National Meeting last month in Seattle, WA. I attended a lot of great

Mary Beth Kurilo’s professional path

Published: April 27, 2016

Last time on the podcast, Mary Beth Kurilo helped us explore immunization information systems (IIS). I’m always interested to learn how people get involved in

Exploring immunization information systems with Mary Beth Kurilo

Published: March 1, 2016

In a world where information—weather updates, live breaking news, traffic reports—is available with one tap on a smartphone screen, some people may take access

Dave Ross on data sharing and informatics success stories

Published: February 11, 2016

The newest episode of our podcast “Inform Me, Informatics” is now available on SoundCloud and iTunes! In this episode, PHII director Dr. Dave Ross

Dave Ross on his journey from rocket science to informatics

Published: January 25, 2016

Today marks the release of the first ever episode of “Inform Me, Informatics,” a podcast all about public health informatics. You can listen to