WELCOME TO HIIT

Health Informatics Information Technology (HIIT) Group

HIIT Core Values

1. We are committed to maintaining the highest standards of ethics, integrity, honesty, openness, respect, responsiveness, accountability in public health and the community, and assuring quality health care for all.

2. An appreciation and respect for the diversity of our partners and the public.

3. We hold each other accountable for upholding our core values.

HIIT Mission

The APHA health informatics information groups mission is to improve the public health and facilitate prevention through innovative and effective approaches of information technology and informatics.

The APHA health informatics information group vision is to promote, enhance public awareness, and formulate policy on best application methods of information technology informatics for the public health.

HIIT Goals

1. Collaborate with public health institutions, foundations, medical and allied health institutions, and organizations that impact public health and social justice.

2. Influence Health informatics/Information technology policies that impact public health.

3. Provide Health Informatics/Information Research and Development activities for disease prevention and health promotion.

4. Support of knowledge development and dissemination through data gathering, research, and Health Informatics/Information standards or information exchange.

5. Collect, assemble, analyze, and make available information on the health of the community, including statistics on health status, community health needs, and epidemiologic and other studies of health problems.

6. Assist with the assessment of health needs within the state based on data collection, support local service capacity, disparities solutions of problems.

7. Promote the use of monitoring, surveillance of local health problems and needs of resources for public health.

In the early 1990’s Diane L. Adams, MD, MPH, founder of the Health Informatics Information Technology (HIIT) Group, envisioned a prominent role for information technology in the American Public Health Association (APHA). Over the course of eleven years Dr. Adams, in collaboration with Lillian Tom-Orme, PhD, MPH, RN, FAAN, Assistant Professor, Department of Family Practice and Prevention, University of Utah, explored how a technology group could be established within the APHA. Drs. Adams and Tom-Orme encountered many challenges during their quest to realize their goal, however, their unwavering commitment has led to the inaugural meeting of the HIIT Group during the 132nd Annual Meeting and Exposition. It is at this 2004 event where the vision of these two dynamic women will be realized. This impending meeting of the HIIT Group has already attracted multidisciplinary professionals from around the globe.

In her job as Senior Medical Officer in the Office of Science and Data Development (later known as the Center for Information Technology), Dr. Adams organized and coordinated the first forum on computer technology at the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research (AHCPR) now known as the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). The Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services showed special interest in the AHCPR’s forum. On December 10, 1993, “Computer Technology in Health Care (A Health Care Information Infrastructure: Clinical Concepts)" was held at AHCPR. Forum panelists included: Christopher Chute, MD, DrPH, FACP, Head of the Section of Medical Information Resources at the Mayo Foundation; James J. Cimino, MD, Assistant Professor of Medicine at the Center for Medical Informatics at Columbia University; Stanley M. Huff, MD, Director of Medical Informatics at Primary Children's Medical Center, Utah; and Simon P. Cohn, MD, MPH, FACEP, Clinical Information System Coordinator for Kaiser Permanente in California. Speakers highlighted technology applications in health through electronic patient records (codes-ICD & CPT, vocabularies, patient data structures) in several areas: data driven clinical guideline development, outcomes assessment, clinical decision support; and electronic Medical Record-standards and information exchange.

Dr. Adams coauthored a book published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention entitled, Data Elements for Emergency Department Systems, Release 1.0, and was noted by the National Library of Medicine as one of their top Pacesetters in Technology. At the same time Dr. Adams was working in information technology at AHCPR she, along with Dr. Lillian Tom-Orme, helped APHA understand the importance of information technology within its organization.

Each year Dr. Adams, a Commissioned Officer of the U. S. Public Health Service (USPHS) and an active member of the APHA, met with Dr. Tom-Orme at the Annual APHA conferences to continue the work of starting a technology group within APHA. They convened the first workshop sessions for APHA in the areas of telehealth/telemedicine and information technology along with Brenda A. Leath, President and CEO of the National Consortium for African American Children. While Dr. Adams, the lead author of an article on telemedicine/telehealth published in Word Medical Technology Update 1997/1998--- a peer reviewed journal of Kensington Publications in conjunction with The Royal Academy of Engineering, Dr. Tom-Orme was busy in the U.S. developing distance learning workshops on telemedicine/telehealth for the Native American populations. In many of the activities Sandra A. Worrell, Program Manager with the University of Connecticut provided technical assistance and support.

After a twenty-year career with the USPHS, Dr. Adams retired in June of 2000, and devoted her time to the further development of information/informatics technology as an APHA priority. Trained in Family Practice, Preventive Medicine and Public Health, Dr. Adams knew the importance of getting others involved in technology and was committed to this cause in APHA.

In 2002, Dr. Georges Benjamin, Executive Director of the APHA directed Tiffany Emami to work with Dr. Adams and her mentee Jayfus Tucker Doswell, a PhD Candidate at George Mason University in Information Technology, in their efforts to create a technology group within APHA. Meetings were held with Frances Atkinson of the APHA Membership Department and Tiffany Emami, Office of the Executive Director. There were many conference calls between Tiffany Emami, Dr. Adams and Jayfus Doswell.

In 2003 meetings were held at APHA Headquarters between Dr. Diane L. Adams, Jayfus Doswell, Frances Atkinson and Tiffany Emami. Also, joining the meeting was Dr. Eileen Parish, Medical Advisor, FDA's Food Safety and Security Staff expressed an interest in promoting a technology component within APHA. Dr. Adams spoke several times to Dr. Dave Ross of the Public Health Informatics Institute, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation who pledged his support. Dr. Adams also met with Dr. William Yasnoff of the National Health Information Infrastructure, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Secretary who pledged his support for such a group within APHA, stating such a group was long overdue.

Dr. Benjamin approved for Dr. Adams and Mr. Doswell to present before the APHA Executive Board in San Francisco, CA Annual Conference on Friday, November 14, 2003 that outlined the purpose, goals, and structure of the proposed APHA technology group. Their presentation in November 2003 was well received by the Executive Board. Following the presentation, Dr. Jay Bernhardt, a member of the APHA Executive Board, agreed to work with the HIIT Group in an Advisory Capacity. Other members of APHA who shared an interest in the technology group were Laura Larrson, Clinical Faculty, Health Services, SPHCM, University of Washington; Ludmilla Scott, Doctorate of Public Health Student at Morgan State University; Dr. Polly S. Turner, Director of the Graduate Program in Health Care Administration, Texas Southern University; and Byron Sogie-Thomas, Health Policy Associate, National Medical Association.

In 2004, conference calls were held with Dr. Bernhardt and a new member Dr. David Potenziani, Director of Instructional an Information Systems department at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, School of Public Health to discuss action items and milestones for the HIIT Group. On October 7, 2004, Dr. Adams and Jayfus Doswell met with Dr. M.C. Roco, Senior Advisor, Nanotechology and Chair, Subcommittee on Nanoscale Science, Engineering and Technology, U.S. National Science and Technology Council who agreed to serve on the Advisory Committee.

On Sunday, November 7, 2004 from 10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. the first Health Informatics Information Technology Business meeting of APHA was held in room 156 at the New Convention Center in Washington, DC. The keynote speaker at this historic event was Dr. Sohi Rastegar, Nanobiotechology Expert from the National Science Foundation. Dr. Rastegar's topic was, What is Nanotechnology? Students from the Washington Metropolitan area representing area elementary, secondary, and post-secondary schools have been invited to the program. Among those invited include representation from the newly established Washington, DC Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Partnership and the Anne Beers NASA Explorer's School. Sponsor of the HIIT Group was Universal Nursing Services, Inc., Akron, Ohio.

The HIIT Group plans to launch its first website in early 2005. We are pleased to acknowledge the contribution of Mrs. Gertrude T. McClairen from Southern California as the primary sponsor for the development of the website. The HIIT Group evolved because of teamwork and commitment. One of my favorite quotes is from Vince Lombardi… “Individual commitment to a group effort-that is what makes a team work, a company work, a society work, a civilization work.”