Project — When Informatics Promotes Innovation

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As the role of public health in our nation’s health care system is broadening and overlapping, we now have more connectivity than ever before. What used to be the domain of public health is now shared by fellow problem-solvers wanting to use their skills and tools to improve health. Computer search engines, social media, apps, and other wearables are contributing to new data streams. Much of this technology was not designed to track health, but is the byproduct of the ubiquity of innovation—and innovation must be a part of the public health landscape as well.

To improve surveillance and advance our mission, CDC created a forum for innovation to stimulate and test new approaches to traditional public health surveillance. The forum, CHIIC, funds select informatics and health information technology (HIT) projects, makes them available as reproducible tools and models, and shares lessons widely. It also helps CDC stay well-informed about current national HIT standards and policies. Many of the tools from these projects can be reused or extended to other surveillance systems or activities. They are paving the way for greater interoperability within the agency and beyond.

Learn more about CHIIC and the innovative projects being explored at CDC.

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