Public Health Data Strategy Workforce Acceleration

The Workforce Acceleration Initiative (WAI)

Across the nation, many of today’s public health systems are running on yesterday’s technologies and out-of-date information and data connections. 

Improving this digital infrastructure is going to require updated equipment, new policies and the addition of skilled technical professionals at all levels.

Career Opportunities for Tech and Data Professionals

This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to use your skills to make a real difference in public health and people's lives.

As a WAI placement hire, you can work at organizations on projects that will help:

• Predict disease outbreaks
• Enhance surveillance and strengthen response
• Improve data sharing and reporting
• Produce actionable reports on health equity
• Foster more timely and efficient public health decision-making
• Improve communication between patients, communities and health care professionals

Explore CDC FOUNDATION JOBS at public health agencies

Workforce Acceleration for Public Health Authorities

WAI also presents an opportunity to help agencies fuel information system improvements and strengthen their technological workforce. With more modern and integrated systems, public health authorities will be better equipped to rapidly detect and respond to new threats; make more informed and timely decisions; and deliver healthier outcomes for the populations they serve. 

All participating public health authorities have been selected and are preparing to hire their new WAI placements.  See the full list of participating public health authorities at the official launch announcement.

Why Data Modernization Matters

The COVID-19 pandemic revealed cracks in America’s public health data infrastructure, including overwhelmed systems, limited access to critical data and the need for additional technical workforce to improve systems that detect and minimize the impact of real-time threats.  This has fueled a national effort to modernize public health information systems, updating and integrating data systems to enhance the collection, analysis and sharing of health information.

Examples of information system improvement projects include:

• Streamlining public health data from multiple datasets into one analytic tool
• Replacing paper-based data management with electronic systems
• Implementing data systems like electronic case reporting (eCR) platforms to improve data exchange between public health agencies and organizations
• Migrating data from simple “flat files” (e.g., Excel) to enterprise-level database technologies
• Building automated interfaces, such as dashboards, to make public health data more accessible to decision-makers
• Migrating data to the cloud or incorporating cloud-based technology to enhance efficiency and scalability

For more information, contact WAI@cdcfoundation.org.