The countdown to the 2018 Public Health Informatics Conference has officially begun and we are very excited to bring you another memorable experience. The 2016 conference theme, "Access, Analysis, Action," explored how to procure technology and best obtain data for the end-user and connected attendees with available tools and support to understand the meaning of data. It also encouraged attendees to apply lessons learned about the application of data in their own profession and community to improve health outcomes. Since then, both the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have worked hard to sustain that conversation and drive progress in the field.

CDC continues to lead and support collaborative initiatives to advance public health informatics at the federal, state and local levels. The 2017 NACCHO Annual Conference featured a track dedicated to health informatics and technology. Both of our organizations are partners in the Digital Bridge initiative, which aims to establish effective bidirectional data exchange between healthcare and public health. As we prepare for the 2018 conference, our goal is to deliver rewarding learning experiences and forums that continue to move the needle forward.

As we prepare for the upcoming conference, our dedicated conference planning committee is working hard to develop a conference program that tackles critical issues at the intersection of public health and health information technology. Stay tuned for more information, and if you have any questions while awaiting conference details, please don’t hesitate to reach out to the Public Health Informatics Conference Planning Team. See you in August 2018!

Regards,

Nedra Garrett, MS
Senior Advisor for Informatics
Center for Surveillance, Epidemiology & Laboratory Services (CSELS)
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Oscar Alleyne, DrPH, MPH
Senior Advisor for Public Health Programs
National Association of County and City Health Officials