Pandemic data initiative expert forum: Leading With Data

Leading with data has been critical for public officials combating the COVID-19 pandemic and will remain a vital skill when confronting future public health crises.

Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center leaders will be joined by current and former public officials to share their experience and expertise in how best to efficiently manage public health data to drive effective government action. Data has been critical for policymakers and community members to make informed decisions about mitigation efforts to diminish transmission of the SAR-CoV-2 virus. Speakers will explore successes and shortcomings that arose during the COVID-19 pandemic, as government officials sought to rapidly collect, confirm, and share data about COVID-19 in near real time.

Register here.

Host:
Lainie Rutkow is project lead for the Johns Hopkins University Coronavirus Resource Center, a professor in Health Policy and Management at the Bloomberg School of Public Health, and senior adviser to President Ronald Daniels.

Panelists:
Beth Blauer is the associate vice provost for public sector innovation at Johns Hopkins, executive director and co-founder of the Centers for Civic Impact, and data lead for the Coronavirus Resource Center. Blauer and her team transform raw COVID-19 data into clear and compelling visualizations that help policymakers and the public understand the pandemic and make evidence-based decisions about health and safety.

Amanda Daflos is the inaugural executive director of the Bloomberg Center for Public Innovation in the Centers for Civic Impact at Johns Hopkins. Previously she served as chief innovation officer for the city of Los Angeles during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Letitia Dzirasa is Baltimore City health commissioner and the city's chief public health advocate. She has worked with Johns Hopkins throughout the pandemic to develop sophisticated data mechanisms to aid her agency's work.

Joshua Sharfstein is the vice dean for public health practice and community engagement at the Bloomberg School of Public Health. Sharfstein brings a breadth of public sector experience that spans the local, state, and federal levels. Prior to his position at Johns Hopkins, he served as Baltimore City health commissioner, Maryland State health secretary, and deputy commissioner of the FDA.