The CDC & The Center of Excellence in Public Health Informatics (CEPHI)
In September of 2005, the University of Washington was one of two institutions awarded a grant by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) to establish a Center of Excellence in Public Health Informatics. Since then, the Center of Excellence in Public Health Informatics (CEPHI) has operated within the Center for Public Health Informatics (CPHI) at the University of Washington.
The CEPHI grant has been a major source of our funding. It funds a multidisciplinary research program consisting of two public health informatics research projects supported by the three research cores.
The two projects are:
1. Surveillance Integration & Decision Support
2. My Public Health
Each project depends upon our three research cores:
1. Administrative Core (Core A)
2. Epidemiology & Statistics Core (Core B)
3. Technology & Design Core (Core C)
Administrative Core (Core A) Provides the overall administrative framework for the center and its projects through centralized functions for efficient operation, including initial setup of the Center, overall administrative framework, establishment of Steering Committees, development of a structure for coordination and comprehensive overview of existing and developing public health informatics activities at the University of Washington.
Epidemiology and Statistics Core (Core B) Develops instruments and methodologies for an integrated public health surveillance system for detection of aberrations, determines appropriate tests statistics, provides data summarization strategies and visualization. Core B also ensures that the data needs of the public health workforce are adequately represented in all research projects, guaranteeing the utility of the system by all facets of the public health workforce.
Technology and Design Core (Core C) Provides the computing and informatics needs of the Center and its projects through advanced, high-speed networking and high-performance desktop computing hardware and software. Integrating technology with the health care world requires sophisticated software development and oversight, such as geographic information systems (GIS). Among the many technological requirements, public health informatics calls for advanced authentication/security technology to protect patients and health care providers, and advanced surveillance equipment, such as aberration detection algorithms and data mining programs.
