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Bethesda, MD – The American Medical Informatics Association (AMIA), the leading professional association for informatics professionals, is pleased to announce the appointment of Joseph Kannry, MD, as Chair of the 2018-2019 AMIA Public Policy Committee (PPC). Dr. Kannry will join 14 additional AMIA members on the PPC, which is responsible for recommending advocacy issues and activities, as well as identifying critical areas for AMIA's strategic policy engagement in Washington, D.C. 

AMIA’s PPC considers the present and near-term policy landscape to develop principles and positions across select, priority domains, which are essential to the emergent realm of public policy referred to as Health Informatics Policy. Like Environmental Policy, Education Policy, and Social Policy, Health Informatics Policy is a distinct policy domain which seeks to optimize care delivery and care experience, improve population and public health, and advance biomedical research through the collection, analysis and application of data.  AMIA has identified eight initial pillars as core to Health Informatics Policy, including:

  1. Patient Empowerment
  2. Health IT Safety
  3. Workforce and Education
  4. Data Sharing in Research
  5. Health IT Standards & Interoperability
  6. Informatics-driven Quality Measurement
  7. Population and Public Health Informatics (Currently under development)
  8. Cybersecurity (Currently under development)

Dr. Kannry will be joined on the committee by Michael Cantor, MD, NYU; Christopher Chute, MD, DrPH, Johns Hopkins; Catherine Craven, PhD, MA, MLS, Mt. Sinai; Theresa Cullen, MD, Regenstrief, Inc.; Paul Fu, Jr., MD (Immediate Past Chair), Harbor-UCLA; Harry Hochheiser, PhD, University of Pittsburgh; Susan Hull, MSN, RN-BC, NEA-BC, Wellspring Consulting; Thom Kuhn, MA, American College of Physicians; Laura Heermann Langford, PhD, RN, Intermountain Healthcare; David Liebovitz, MD, University of Chicago; Meg Marshall, Cerner; Carolyn Petersen, MS, MBI, Mayo Clinic; Larry Ozeran, MD, Clinical Informatics, Inc.; and Tony Solomonides, PhD, MSc., NorthShore University.

“I am privileged to be able to lead this committee, and build upon the great work Chair Paul Fu, Jr., did in the previous term,” said Dr. Kannry. “Whether the policy is focused on the use of health IT, the conduct of clinical research through informatics, or the development of our national informatics workforce, the 2018-19 PPC will further bolster AMIA’s profile as a trusted thought leader for federal policymakers.”

AMIA’s PPC will have ample opportunity over its term to influence the creation and implementation of federal policy.

“In the next year, we expect the government to release a range of provisions for comment, such as those related to the 21st Century Cures Act,” said AMIA Board Chair, Peter J. Embi, MD, MS, FACP, FACMI, President and CEO, Regenstrief Institute, Inc. “The collective breadth and depth of expertise on this committee will allow AMIA to craft the thoughtful, evidence-based responses for which AMIA is well known. Their work will be critical to ensuring robust, data-driven solutions for our nation’s health, and I’m looking forward to working closely with this committee.”

“It is only through the expertise of our members that AMIA can be successful in Washington, D.C.,” said AMIA President and CEO Douglas B. Fridsma, MD, PhD, FACP, FACMI. “The members of this committee not only represent AMIA expertise, but also the passion of the informatics community that Washington needs now, more than ever.”

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AMIA, the leading professional association for informatics professionals, is the center of action for 5,500 informatics professionals from more than 65 countries. As the voice of the nation’s top biomedical and health informatics professionals, AMIA and its members play a leading role in assessing the effect of health innovations on health policy, and advancing the field of informatics. AMIA actively supports five domains in informatics: translational bioinformatics, clinical research informatics, clinical informatics, consumer health informatics, and public health informatics.