The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' (HHS) Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) awarded $73 million in cooperative agreements as part of its Public Health Informatics & Technology Workforce Development Program (PHIT Workforce Program).
Announced earlier this year and funded through the American Rescue Plan, the program aims to strengthen U.S. public health information technology (IT) efforts, improve COVID-19 data collection and increase representation of underrepresented communities within the public health IT workforce. ONC will support the overall administration of the program.
The 10 awardees, comprising Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs), Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs), other minority-serving institutions (MSIs), and other institutions of higher education, will form multiple consortia to collectively train more than 4,000 individuals over a four-year period through an interdisciplinary approach in public health informatics and technology. The consortia will develop curricula, recruit and train participants, secure paid internship opportunities, and assist in career placement at public health agencies, public health-focused non-profits or other public health-focused organizations.
This program supports the Administration's efforts to hire public health workers from the hardest-hit and highest-risk communities, as well as ensure a steady stream of diverse talent across the U.S. public health system to equip our nation for future public health emergencies.
PHIT Workforce Program Awardees:
- Bowie State University, Bowie, MD
- California State University, Long Beach Research Foundation, Long Beach, CA
- Dominican College of Blauvelt, Inc., Orangeburg, NY
- Jackson State University, Jackson, MS
- Norfolk State University, Norfolk, VA
- Regents of The University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN
- The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX
- University of Massachusetts at Lowell, Lowell, MA
- University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA
- University of the District of Columbia, Washington, DC
