What we do
- Link data from within the Department of Public Health (DPH) and across state and county agencies to create a reliable population health database that informs policies and programs to reduce morbidity and mortality and keep people healthy.
- Design and conduct studies that provide actionable recommendations to best target resources for addressing Massachusetts public health priorities.
- Provide secure and appropriate access to the data to enable researchers, academics, program planners, and others to address key issues and improve public health.
PHD lead
Within the Department of Public Health Office of Population Health, the Data Science, Research, and Epidemiology Division is responsible for the day to day operations of the PHD including working with data providers, managing data documentation and stewardship, and conducting data analyses.
Our partners
The PHD is managed by DPH’s Office of Population Health, Data Science, Research, and Epidemiology Division, which relies on many public and private partners to inform and extend our work. Partners include colleges and universities, other state agencies, healthcare delivery systems, consulting agencies, foundations, private companies, and think tanks. These partners help us identify pressing topics, answer key questions, and recommend public health policy changes.
To ensure that the work of the PHD is meeting the needs of priority populations, DPH has established a Community Advisory Board that will provide a forum for community voices and perspectives to equitably help guide PHD data collection and analysis.
Related: How to collaborate with us
Our structure
Four primary cornerstones support the PHD:
- Governance: ensures a sustainable inter-agency data warehouse by establishing guiding principles, organizational structure for decision-making, and stakeholder access and roles.
- Legal: establishes accountability for a secure data environment and the collaborative framework in which data contributors and users operate.
- Technical: provides expertise for defining the technical architecture, linkage algorithms, data configuration and the overall analytic principles for the environment, and develops a roadmap for PHD future expansion to account for new computing environments.
- Operations: oversees the funding and implementation strategy for program sustainability, and provides ongoing support for the management of PHD daily functions.
Authority and purpose
M.G.L c. 111 s. 237 authorizes the Commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health to assemble and maintain data systems necessary to collect, record, and analyze data and population health trends. The Commissioner may identify and determine public health priorities for the reduction of morbidity and mortality in the Commonwealth.
Contact for Public Health Data Warehouse (PHD): Overview
Online
Address
| Date published: | September 1, 2018 |
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| Last updated: | May 15, 2023 |