Oral

Public health professionals have historically been early adopters and proponents of health information technologies to ensure accurate awareness of the health of often large and disparate groups. Countries have invested in electronic disease surveillance systems and other web-based disease-reporting methods to facilitate the collection of public health data. However, health information systems throughout the world continue to be fragmented, lacking in coherence and in their ability to support decision making by public health workers or the monitoring or related quality improvement by health policy makers. Recognizing the challenges, this session focuses on innovative methods in health informatics information technology to both advance the field and encourage adoption and use of these various technologies. As social media continues to accelerate throughout society, its benefits to public health are often unknown. A significant focus of this panel is the use of social media and social networking and its utility in public health, with a specific focus on social justice and sexual health. Additionally, information about the design, development and implementation of the North Carolina Bio-Preparedness Collaborative and its use for proactive surveillance will also be discussed.

Session Objectives: 1. Discuss the utlity of social medial and networking for public health management 2. Explain how social media and networking can be used to reduce health disparities 3. Identify how the components of cloud computing and open-source technologies can be used to develop surveillance systems.

CE Credits: Medical (CME), Health Education (CHES), Nursing (CNE), Public Health (CPH)