Role of InfoAids in a Competency-based Informatics Fellowship Program

The Public Health Informatics Fellowship Program (PHIFP) is a 2-year, competency-based training program for professionals with backgrounds, experience, and training in information and computer sciences and technology and public health or related domains (e.g., medicine and nursing). Implemented as part of the PHIFP curriculum, InfoAids are short-term projects, typically lasting 2–3 weeks, implemented by PHIFP as a response to requests for technical assistance from CDC national centers, state and local health departments, and international public health agencies. InfoAids provide fellows with opportunities to acquire and enhance skills and knowledge under competency domains that include leadership, systems and organizations, information technology, and basic public health science. PHI fellows work in teams, use and combine knowledge and skills from their diverse backgrounds, collaborate with other stakeholders, and actively apply public health informatics to real-world problems. Through InfoAids, PHI fellows gain exposure to public health activities, particularly those requiring information management, at different levels of the enterprise — from country-level strategic assessments to helping county health departments effectively use limited resources for preparedness activities. Meanwhile, requesting agencies benefit from solutions and recommendations provided by informatics fellows. Examples of InfoAid benefits to stakeholders include (1) gaining understanding of organizational information ecosystems; (2) informing decision-makers at critical points during systems development; (3) development of informatics capacity; and (4) facilitating the work of systems integration and systems interoperability. The value InfoAids bring to stakeholders can be observed through (1) repeat requests from the same agencies, leading to implementation of multiphase InfoAids, and (2) funding provided by requesting agencies to enable fellows to travel to requesting agency locations, both local and international. In this session, the speaker will discuss key steps to take for interested agencies to request InfoAids.