Preparing a technologically savvy public health workforce: an academic-industry partnership

To realize the potential of using information technology (IT) and data to inform public health, it is critical that the US dedicates resources to preparing a robust workforce skilled in leveraging IT, informatics, and data science towards the advancement of public health. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, several innovative educational partnerships have emerged to fulfill this mission. In this paper, we present indicators of the successful implementation of an academic-industry partnership.

Students enrolled in the Public Health Informatics & Technology (PHIT) program completed surveys and interviews during and immediately following participation in a paid Health Informatics internship embedded within the program. Data were summarized annually and used to refine implementation of the PHIT internship.

PHIT internships were hosted primarily by non-profit (53%) and health IT (22%) organizations. Over 4 years, 149 students completed the summer internship program (79% female, 21% Hispanic, 57% first-generation college students). Satisfaction with the program was high, and students' satisfaction with positive aspects of the internship remained stable over time and concerns about negative aspects of the internship decreased over time (p < 0.05).

The PHIT program successfully integrated training efforts across two academic disciplines (Informatics and Public Health) and industry partnerships. The program has yielded several cohorts of trained professionals ready to enter the public health workforce proficient at applying analytic methods to large health datasets. Improvements over time in students' evaluations of the internship demonstrated the value of ongoing program evaluation with timely feedback provided to program managers.