Three CDC programs will present their collaboration efforts with the Informatics R&D lab, their perspectives on the value of an entity such as the R&D Lab, as well as the value of technology research to advance public health practice. Presentations will be provided by scientists from NIOSH, NCHHSTP, and LSPPPO.

The mission of CDC’s Informatics Research and Development Unit (IRDU) is to advance the field of public health informatics through applied research and innovation. The informatics research and development laboratory (R&D Lab) within IRDU was created in 2007 to provide CDC and the public health community an optimal (i.e., flexible and scalable) environment for the rapid development of prototype public health informatics solutions for testing and evaluation purposes. Once demonstrated to be of value, new informatics solutions or techniques are transitioned to the appropriate public health program for formal deployment and implementation.

IRDU has been working closely with its partners to develop prototypes, evaluate their impact, and gain insights into new informatics tools and technologies to augment their public health capability. Three CDC programs will present their collaboration efforts with the Informatics R&D lab, their perspectives on the value of an entity such as the R&D Lab, as well as the value of technology research to advance public health practice Presentations will be provided by scientists from the National Institute for Occupational safety and Health (NIOSH), The National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention (NCHHSTP), and from the Laboratory Science, Policy and Practice Program Office (LS3PO).    Examples of prototypes will include the NIOSH Facepiece Respirator Guide for the iPhone, a clinical decision support tool focusing Prolonged Partial Thromboplastin Times (PTT) for iPhone, and the 2010 STD Treatment Guidelines for iPhone.