As the APHA Annual Meeting is rapidly approaching, the Health Informatics Information Technology Section’s program will deliver dynamic HIT-focused sessions. Whether you’re interested in HIT policy, stages of Meaningful Use, Health Information Exchange, HIT Workforce Programs, Beacon Communities, mobile health, privacy & security, cloud computing, or the relationship between HIT and population health, the HIIT track has sessions to pique your interest and engage you in thought-provoking and meaningful dialogue within the HIT landscape. I encourage you to take advantage of poster sessions, roundtable discussions, panel discussions, and the newly-established HIIT Technology Center. I also invite you to visit HIIT’s booth to find out how you may become more involved with the HIIT Section. I look forward to seeing you in Washington, D.C., at the Annual Meeting!

Sincerely,

Christopher D. Williams, MPH, CPEHR, CPHIT
HIIT Chair

Special Session

The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology and APHA-HIIT will convene a special session, at the APHA Annual Meeting, on Wednesday Nov. 2, 2011 from 12:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.. Details are forthcoming. Don’t miss the opportunity to attend this enlightening event.

Digital Health Communication Extravaganza

(From the creator of the CDC’s National Conference on Health Communication, Marketing, and Media)

DON’T MISS THE DIGITAL HEALTH COMMUNICATION EXTRAVAGANZA (DHCX)!

Website: http://dhcx.org

Facebook: http://dhcx.fbjoin.me

Twitter: http://twitter.com/dhcxconf

When & Where: Feb. 15-17, 2012 at the Peabody Orlando Hotel in Orlando, Florida

What: Information and communication technology is revolutionizing how health information is created, shared, accessed, and applied. DHCX will explore cutting-edge digital health methods, products, and services and will include interactive presentations by internationally renowned speakers. Come join us for a deep dive into the digital age as it relates to health communication, education, information, monitoring, marketing, mobile, and new media.

Who: This unique “Extravaganza” will bring together advanced health professionals, practitioners and scientists, along with entrepreneurs and visionaries, for two days of in-depth discovery, collaboration, and networking centered on the future of digital health communication. Participants will include a diverse group of leaders and professionals from a variety of industries and sectors, including government agencies, academic, nonprofit, and for-profit companies representing public health, healthcare, health promotion, communication, and information technology.

Why: Together we will discover, discuss, and develop new methods to effectively and efficiently apply digital resources in community and healthcare settings to realize optimal behavior changes and health outcomes.

SPACE IS LIMITED SO REGISTER NOW!

Sponsored by the University of Florida Center for Digital Health and Wellness

Director: Jay M. Bernhardt, PhD, MPH (jaybernhardt@ufl.edu)

Associate Director: J. Don Chaney, PhD, MCHES (dchaney@ufl.edu)

PHACT: Call for Federal Public Health Funds at Work in Your State

In addition to attending town hall meetings this year, APHA would like for you to share a story about why public health funding is important in your community or state. Preferably, the funding would come from one of these three sources:

1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

2. Health Resources and Services Administration

3. Prevention and Public Health Fund

Examples can provide:

An approximate estimate of the amount of the funding received

Location of the program (city, state)

A summary of the program/intervention (PH issue and intervention being used)

Any examples of positive outcomes to date

Make all submissions to: http://www.apha.org/advocacy/tips/stories.htm or email us at phact@apha.org.

Thanks for taking action to protect public health!

APHA’s Advocacy Track at the Annual Meeting

APHA will host a one-day advocacy track of sessions during the 2011 Annual Meeting in D.C. on Monday, Oct. 31, 2011, and all APHA members are encouraged to attend to enhance their public health advocacy skills. For more detailed information regarding the particular sessions, refer to the 2011 online program (http://apha.confex.com/apha/139am/webprogram/start.html ) and enter the session number to see the list of planned speakers and topics to be covered. Attendees will be eligible for CE credit.

Ø “Nailing your policy: Creating APHA’s policy buddy system,” Session 3007.0, 8:30 a.m.-10 a.m.

Ø “Media Advocacy: Breaking through the crowded news cycle,” Session 3119.0, 10:30 a.m.

Ø “The Who, What & How of Advocacy,” Session 3216.0, 12:30-2 p.m.

Ø “Mobilizing a public health campaign,” Session 3318.0, 2:30-4 p.m.

Ø “The Role of Social Media in Public Health,” Session 3417.0, 4:30 p.m.

Drexel University Online

APHA is pleased to announce a new collaboration with Drexel University Online. Under this program, APHA members and their families are eligible for special tuition discounts of up to 25 percent when they enroll in any of Drexel’s online courses. Drexel University Online offers a wide range of courses in a flexible online format, including CEPH-accredited programs in biostatistics and epidemiology. Please see the APHA partnership page for more details (http://www.drexel.com/APHA ).

Any agreement entered into between Drexel University Online and an APHA member, employee or family member, is with Drexel University Online and not with APHA. APHA does not endorse any products or services displayed or referred to in conjunction with this partnership and is not responsible for the actual content of Drexel University Online programs.

Let APHA Host Your Public Health Career Day at the Annual Meeting

Employers, this is your opportunity to meet thousands of public health professionals and qualified candidates for hire. Job seekers, here is your chance to market your resume, meet recruiters and sign up for a professional career coaching session, either an individual or group session. Advance your public health career and find new prospects with APHA’s Public Health CareerMart. Find out more: http://www.apha.org/about/careers/am_careers2011.htm.

APHA’s Public Health Buyer’s Guide Links Users to Industry Products

http://publichealthbuyersguide.com is designed specifically for public health professionals, allowing easy search of vendors from a link on the APHA website’s home page, www.apha.org. Within the Public Health Buyer's Guide, public health professionals will be able to easily locate products and services unique to our industry without the clutter of general Internet search engine results.

Public Health and Equity Principles for Transportation

APHA has recently released a list of 10 Public Health and Equity Principles for Transportation. These policies recognize the various impacts that transportation policies can have on public health — they can lead to an increased risk of heart disease, asthma, obesity and mental health disorders — especially on vulnerable populations, including the elderly, the poor and individuals with disabilities. We believe that if transportation policies are reviewed and evaluated with these principles in mind, we will be better able to ensure that health and equity are well-represented. By holding transportation policies to a stated set of standards, we can encourage a transportation system that supports health, and direct funds to programs that improve health, equity and well-being. It is essential that other organizations — at the national, state and local level — demonstrate their support for these principles by joining us as signatories. Please sign on to show your organization’s support for these essential principles.

APHA Annual Meeting

From Oct. 29 – Nov. 2, 2011 join us in Washington, D.C., for the APHA 139th Annual Meeting and Exposition. Our section will have a strong presence at the meeting. View the sessions sponsored by our section by visiting the interactive Online Program (http://apha.confex.com/apha/139am/webprogram/start.html ). Search the program using keyword, author name or date. Don’t forget to stop by our new Section and SPIG Pavilion (Booth 3073) in the Public Health Expo next to Everything APHA. For more information about the Annual Meeting visit www.apha.org/meetings/AnnualMeeting.

Win a Free Annual Meeting Registration!

Forward the contact information for new companies or organizations that you would like to see included as exhibitors at the Annual Meeting to Priya Bose, Meetings and Exhibits Coordinator, at priya.bose@apha.org. Anyone submitting a qualified lead for potential new exhibitors will be entered into a drawing for a free full registration. Get to know our exhibitors before the meeting on our Virtual Expo!

APHA Mid-Year Meeting-Chicago

The APHA Midyear Meeting was convened June 23-25, 2011 in Chicago. The theme of the meeting was “Implementing Health Reform- A Public Health Approach.” The opening session established the framework and set the tone for the Midyear Meeting. Specifically, presentations by Dr. Georges Benjamin, APHA’s executive director, and Dr. Linda Rae Murray presented cogent analyses of the current state, and future implications for health reform for public health. Former Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm expanded on policy implications for Public Health. Breakout sessions that were particularly relevant to HIIT were as follows: Technology Implications for Public Health, Achieving Prevention and Wellness, and Engaging Policymakers and Other Leaders. A common thread among the presentations was the pivotal role that HIT plays in the implementation of health reform in the context of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

HIIT 2010-2011 Leadership

HIIT 2010-2011 Officers

Founder and Chair Emeritus

Diane L. Adams, MD, MPH, CHS-III founderemeritus@pubhiit.org; and dla8315@aol.com

Former Senior Health Policy Fellow & Consultant to the Georgia Centers for Advanced Telecommunications Technology (now known as Center for Advanced Communications Policy);

(301) 570-0387

Chair

Christopher Williams, MPH, CPEHR, CPHIT- cwilliams@eqhs.org

eQ Health Solutions

(225) 938-8905

Immediate Past Chair

Sandra Worrell, MS (Chair, 2009-2010)

University of Connecticut- sandraworrell@sbcglobal.net

Chair-Elect

Jiunn-Jye Sheu, PhD, MSPH, CHES

jiunnjye.sheu@utoledo.edu

University of Toledo