$3.68 millon grant to boost public health 'in...( Bethesda Md. June 7--Without strong s...),Health

Bethesda, Md., June 7--Without strong systems for gathering, using, and sharing information, federal, state and local public health offices cannot adequately detect disease outbreaks, notify the public of emerging health problems or promote sound health practices. Recognizing the importance of this issue, the National Library of Medicine (NLM) will administer a $3.68 million grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) to develop tomorrow's public health leaders in the science of public health informatics.

Public health informatics is the practice of integrating state-of-the-art computer technology for managing knowledge and information to enhance the work of public health professionals and others. The Foundation for the National Institutes of Health will receive the money from RWJF. The National Library of Medicine, a part of the National Institutes of Health, will administer the grant program. NLM has a longstanding history of training the country's biomedical informatics researchers and professionals.

The program funds educational training sites at four universities--Columbia University, the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, the University of Utah, and the University of Washington. Students at the sites will receive training in basic information science and public health principles, focused preparation in applying informatics to public health problems, and on-site experience with public health agencies. All four sites currently host informatics training programs supported by NLM, and the new public health program, which begins July 1, 2005, will build on this existing base of experience.

"The health of our communities is threatened if we cannot effectively analyze and share critical information among public health agencies, hospitals and community health providers," said Risa Lavizzo-Mourey, M.D., M.B.A., president and chief executive officer of the RWJF. "This collaboration will help prepare new leaders to be the arch
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Contact: Robert Mehnert
publicinfo@nlm.nih.gov
301-496-6308
NIH/National Library of Medicine
10-Jun-2005

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