HDI Affiliate
Health Data Initiative & Health Datapalooza
The Health Data Initiative was launched by the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Institutes of Medicine (IOM) in 2010. Now run by the Health Data Consortium, the Health Data Initiative is a public-private collaboration that encourages innovators to utilize health data to develop applications to raise awareness of health and health system performance and spark community action to improve health.
Driven by the relentless promotion of "data liberacion" (i.e. making health data available for innovative uses) by US CTO and former HHS CTO Todd Park, the initiative has taken off. It brings together established and new players in the health and human services field, from government agencies, health care providers, health insurances and producers to entrepreneurs and developers. The field comes together every year at the Health Data Initiative Forum in Washington, D.C., also affectionately known as the Health Datapalooza. The event has turned into a great showcase of innovation in health data (and health in general). Read my take-aways from last year's Health Datapalooza here.
Health Data Initiative Affiliate Network
At the Health Datapalooza 2012, HHS announced the creation of a Health Data Initiative Affiliate Network. I am honored to be part of the network; I will organize meet-ups and other events to support the mission of the initiative in Washington State and provide venues for data owners and data users to meet, learn about each other’s activities, and discuss new initiatives around health data. Leveraging the power of data and information to improve health can be applied on the global just as well as on the national and local level. Since Seattle is the new Global Health hub (rivaling Geneva), we will look at the global perspective along with local aspects.
You can find more information on the network and the other affiliates here.
Health Data Innovation Meetups
Starting in August 2012, we will have bi-monthly (i.e. every other month) meetings to discuss health data and innovation. Short presentations, discussion, brainstorming ... if you'd like to join us, email me at peter.speyer@gmail.com.
