\u201cDramatic and unfounded changes in federal policy, funding, and scientific practice have created uncertainty and instability in public health and health care,\u201d said Dr. Erica Pan, CDPH Director and State Public Health Officer. \u201cI am thrilled to work with these advisors to catalyze our efforts to lead a sustainable future for public health. California is stepping up to coordinate and build the scaffolding we need to navigate this moment.\u201d<\/p>\n
Public Health Network Innovation Exchange<\/p>\n
California remains committed to science-driven decision-making, nurturing healthy communities, and protecting individuals\u2019 freedom to make evidence-based health choices. PHNIX is a direct response to the federal dismantling of national disease prevention, protection, and tracking programs, the termination of life-saving health programs and erosion of evidence and science-based policies, and the withdrawal from the global public health community.\u00a0<\/p>\n
With PHNIX, California is taking action to build coalitions across the nation that will work to lead in innovation, collaboration, and communication in public health.<\/p>\n
National expertise and support<\/p>\n
Dr. Monarez, a globally recognized leader in health innovation, biomedical technology, and global health security, is the most recent CDC Director \u2014 appointed by President Trump and confirmed by the U.S. Senate \u2014 and will serve as a Strategic Health Technology and Funding Advisor for PHNIX. In that role, she will lead the development of relationships and collaborations with private sector, technology, and academic partners. These partnerships will advance technological innovations that can be explored in California and potentially scaled nationally to improve public health data integration within the health care system, allowing for more timely and efficient disease monitoring and response. Innovation in technology and funding will promote sustainability of public health amidst the changing landscape for federal support and systems.<\/p>\n
Dr. Houry, a physician, public health executive, and recent CDC Chief Medical Officer under the Trump administration, will serve as a Senior Regional and Global Public Health Medical Advisor for PHNIX. Dr. Houry will engage existing public health alliances and organizations to develop a larger and more sustainable public health network across the local to global spectrum. This collaboration is critical at a time when our public health community needs to coordinate our response to evolving gaps in federal leadership.<\/p>\n
Dr. Katelyn Jetelina, an epidemiologist and one of the nation\u2019s leading scientific communicators, will advise CDPH on the critical need to maintain public confidence in the institutions that keep Californians safe. CDPH is the launch partner for \u201cProject Stethoscope,\u201d a program of Your Local Epidemiologist led by Dr. Jetelina that helps rebuild connections between communities and public health institutions by leveraging expert informed social media monitoring, community-driven insights, and targeted research to understand the health questions and needs of Californians.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am deeply excited to bring my experience in health technology and innovation to support PHNIX,\u201d said Dr. Susan Monarez. \u201cCalifornia has an extraordinary concentration of talent, technology, and investment, and this effort is about putting those strengths to work for the public good\u2014modernizing how public health operates, accelerating innovation, and building a healthier, more resilient future for all Californians.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI am excited to bring my experience in regional, national, and global public-health partnerships and programs to support this work,\u201d said Dr. Debra Houry. \u201cCalifornia will advance practical, scalable solutions that strengthen public health within the state and across states\u2014showing how states can modernize data, share capacity, and work together more efficiently, while remaining focused on protecting people and communities.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re living in a chaotic health information environment, and too often people are left to sort it out on their own,\u201d said Dr. Katelyn Jetelina.\u00a0\u201cIt\u2019s time to step up and transform systems to put people first, starting with California. This means listening to questions and confusion on the ground, partnering with voices communities already trust, and empowering people with the information they need to make evidence-informed decisions for themselves and their families.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Additional information on PHNIX<\/p>\n
PHNIX will focus on innovation, developing advanced technology, and funding frameworks to secure a sustainable future for public health preparedness and response.<\/p>\n
Information infrastructure: Improve systems to detect trends, investigate issues, and protect privacy.
\nTechnology development: Focus on artificial intelligence, information infrastructure, and design for multi-state and global health partnerships with private and academic sectors
\nFunding frameworks: Propose design for multi-state and global health partnerships with private and academic sectors to secure sustainable funding and tools for public health\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u00a0California will continue to build on its collaboration and leadership in evolving regional and global partnerships to develop this larger consortium, including:\u00a0<\/p>\n
The West Coast Health Alliance<\/a>, a group of state and public health officials from California, Washington, Oregon, and Hawaii. California will work with partners to improve communication reach and effectiveness to empower communities to make healthy choices:<\/p>\n CDPH is the launch partner for \u201cProject Stethoscope\u201d with Your Local Epidemiologist led by Dr. Jetelina, a program to re-think how public health departments can communicate and engage directly with communities and stakeholders to empower people to make healthy decisions. Project Stethoscope will use social media monitoring, community-driven insights, and targeted research to better inform the department on the health concerns and needs of Californians.<\/p>\n
\nThe Governors Public Health Alliance<\/a>, a 15-state nonpartisan alliance to coordinate and sustain global situational awareness.\u00a0
\nCalifornia was the first state in the United States to join the World Health Organization Global Outbreak Alert Response Network.
\nOther existing or evolving public health organizations and partners across the nation.<\/p>\n