Defining the Role of NCPHI in Global Public Health Informatics

The United States spends billions of dollars each year globally to advance health improvements, protecting Americans from infectious and other hazards, and further health diplomacy.  CDC is a primary U.S. government implementer of these programs having offices in over 40 countries.  The achievement of this mission of health protection in today's globalized, interconnected, increasingly complex, and rapidly changing world, where diseases know no borders, requires international cooperation, sharing of information among global partners, and the utilization of technology.  It also includes the scientific field of public health informatics.  However, many information-related challenges exist, hindering progress.  These include poor use of informatics standards; variability in reliability, validity, usability and timeliness of data; inadequate capacities; silos of data, systems and tools; and concerns about security and confidentiality.  The National Center for Public Health Informatics (NCPHI) established a Global Public Health Informatics Program (GPHIP) within the Office of the Director to guide and support CDC's global goals and meet the informatics needs of its global programs.  GPHIP aims to coordinate NCPHI and CDC global public health informatics efforts; establish and administer a (proposed) World Health Organization (WHO) Collaborating Centre for Public Health Informatics; provide informatics support to countries and CDC's global programs; collaboratively develop and apply informatics innovative solutions with global community to improve domestic and international public health programs; and advance best informatics science, principles, standards, strategies, and practices.  There are unprecedented opportunities to work with the global community to standardize, strengthen, integrate, exchange, share, and interoperate disparate data, tools, and services ensuring rapid access and sharing of information to respond effectively to routine and emergent public health threats.  GPHIP's proposed goals, structure, regulatory drivers, strategic framework, and stakeholders in light of current global informatics challenges and opportunities will be described and discussed.