The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA

Abstract #71765

Rita Kukafka, DrPH, Mailman School of Public Health and Department of Medical Informatics, Columbia University, 722 West 168th St, New York, NY 10032, 212 305-9193, rita.kukafka@dmi.columbia.edu

The Institute of Medicine's report, Who Will Keep the Public Healthy, recommends that public health professionals need improved competency in informatics to address the major health problems and challenges facing society. Yet few public health professionals in actuality understand how informatics can be applied to public health research and practice. Public health informatics involves more than automating activities; it enables the redesign of systems using approaches that were previously impractical or not even contemplated. This presentation will provide examples of informatics applications that have been applied to public health practice. Emphasis will be to describe how informatics approaches have enabled solutions to the present day challenges that would have been insurmountable otherwise. With the understanding that informatics is now critical for effective public health practice, this presentation will continue with an overview of public health education in informatics. Such programs are becoming more known to graduate schools of public health, and informatics training is seemingly becoming more widespread. The several initiatives that have been undertaken recently to promote leadership in public health to realize the need for informatics training will be discussed along with a description of selected approaches, courses and curriculums.

Learning Objectives:

• 1)To understand how informatics can be applied to public health research and practice.
• 2)To describe several initiatives that have been undertaken recently to promote leadership in public health to realize the need for informatics training.
• 3)To describe selected approaches, courses and curriculums at the forefront of efforts to join informatics and public health education

Keywords: New Technology, Education

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.