Health informatics is an innovative and evolving sector that intertwines technology, communication, and healthcare. As the number of medical providers who use electronic health records increases, health informatics specialists will be in charge of selecting technology, support efficient design with IT specialists, and promote the understanding of the technology application in the workforce. The first agency that not only benefits from Health Information Technology but also avidly uses it is the Centers for Disease Control [CDC]. An organization that literally works day and night, the CDC protects our nation’s health by implementing recommendations, providing educational material, and conducting research. To succeed in its role, the CDC focuses on preventative care through public health surveillance. Additionally, public health surveillance benefits from the use of health information technology. In fact, the CDC recently published a paper titled, “The Role of Public Health Informatics in Enhancing Public Health Surveillance.” In this paper, the authors discuss the role of informatics analyses and state that health information technology provides the CDC with “advice on methods for achieving a public health goal faster, better, or at a lower cost by leveraging computer science, information science, and technology.” With the ever-changing healthcare industry comes new innovations such as health information technology. It has shown to prevent medical errors, reduce costs, and increase access to healthcare. However, with any public health tool, the implementation takes a multidisciplinary approach such as the support of governmental agencies, funding for research of the data provided, and effective use of human power. Future public health officials such as myself can contribute to this multidisciplinary approach by analyzing the current approach and designing solutions for the future.
