Building a More Diverse Public Health Informatics Workforce: Preliminary Results

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Health Informatics
• Data Science Workforce Development

Background:

• The US public health infrastructure, particularly public health informatics, has been historically underfunded.
• The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted deficiencies and the need for a diverse public health workforce to address disparities.
• A significant funding initiative was launched to bolster the public health informatics and technology (PHIT) workforce.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the effectiveness of a national training program aimed at increasing diversity in the public health informatics and technology workforce.
• To evaluate methods used to train and engage minority and underserved populations in public health informatics.
• To determine the impact of short-term, non-degree training integrating public health and data science.

Main Methods:

• Awarding $73 million to 10 organizations for public health informatics and technology (PHIT) workforce training.
• Implementing the Gaining Equity in Training for Public Health Informatics and Technology (GET PHIT) award.
• Utilizing bootcamps and internships to train and engage minority and underserved populations.

Main Results:

• Evaluations of bootcamps and internships demonstrated generally positive results.
• Participants acquired valuable skills in public health informatics and technology.
• Overall participant experiences were positive, indicating program success.

Conclusions:

• Short-term, non-degree training experiences integrating public health and data science can yield positive outcomes.
• The GET PHIT initiative shows promise in developing a more diverse and skilled public health informatics workforce.
• Investing in targeted training programs is crucial for strengthening public health infrastructure and addressing health disparities.