NERDS: A CDC National Center’s Education Related to Data Science Program to Rapidly Upskill for an Ever-Evolving Public Health Technology Landscape

Presentation Time: 03:30 PM - 05:00 PM

Abstract Keywords: Teaching Innovation, Education and Training, Participatory Approach/Science, Population Health
Working Group: Public Health Informatics Working Group
Primary Track: Applications
Programmatic Theme: Public Health Informatics
Moderator: Faisal Reza, MS, PhD, FAMIA
US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

Advancing data science skills and practice of public health staff is a critical, yet underserved, need that influences how we use data for inclusive and effective decision-making to improve population health. To successfully engage the existing and emerging public health challenges, the informatics workforce must strengthen data science skills and be proficient at working in an ever-evolving technology landscape, including rapid advances in generative artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), and data engineering.

NERDS is the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases (NCIRD) Education Related to Data Science Program. The NERDS Program serves as a replicable model for rapidly upskilling the workforce in the Data Modernization Initiative (DMI) at CDC. This model succeeded in building a stronger community of practice in data science, analytics, modeling, and informatics in the short-term, and a highly skilled workforce that applies state-of-the-art data skills and tools towards longer-term goals.

The Program interweaves multiple educational scaffolding elements at the intersection of public health and informatics technology, including Data Science Dojo Sessions, Office Hours, a Knowledge Base, and Community Conversations.

This panel presents an ideation-to-implementation roadmap, current state deep dive, and evaluation and future state forecasts of this model program, which can be embedded within mid-/large-scale organizations. It includes practical strategies to utilize generative AI tools to recommend personalized upskilling content. The panel will share lessons learned and best practices so that other healthcare/public health organizations can implement needed education related to data science programs in an ever-evolving technology landscape with complex challenges.

Speaker(s):
Danielle Henderson


Jina Dcruz, MSW, PhD
US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

Arunkumar Srinivasan, PhD
CDC

Faisal Reza, PhD, MPH, FAMIA
US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

Author(s):
Faisal Reza, PhD, MPH, FAMIA - US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC); Danielle Henderson, MPH - CDC; Jina Dcruz, MSW, PhD - US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC); Suchita Patel, DO, MPH - US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC); Arunkumar Srinivasan, PhD - CDC; Troy Waddington, MBA - US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC); Agha Nabeel Khan, MD, MPH, MBA - US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC); Trevor Allen, MSc - Leidos, Inc (Contracted to CDC); Vamsi Boyapati, PhD - Peraton (Contracted to CDC);