Data Science and Informatics (DSI)
The Data Science and Informatics team provides expertise to the Public Health Institute at Denver Health (PHIDH), the Center for Addiction Medicine (CAM), and Denver Health (DH) in analytics, epidemiology, geographical information systems (GIS), Tableau, statistical analysis, data management and interpretation, and EPIC electronic health record data extraction. Our strengths include understanding the intricacies of data, summarizing and displaying information in a meaningful way, integrating disparate data from different sources, understanding public health disease dynamics, problem solving, and developing analytical studies to support research, operations, and administrative functions within the organization.
- DSI Vision: Healthy communities supported by innovative technology and data-driven decisions
- DSI Mission: Inform decisions that affect population health through data science
Current Efforts
SPEAR (Strategic Projects & Evaluation Activities Resource) was founded in 2024 with the purpose of pursuing advanced analytical analyses and evaluation efforts.
SPEAR Vision: High quality data science products that:
- Improve public health
- Facilitate collaboration
- Advance health equity
The role of SPEAR in supporting Denver Health, PHIDH, public health, CAM and partners is to:
- Visualize data through dashboards and maps
- Extract and integrate data from various, oftentimes novel data sources
- Summarize and analyze data to support clinical operations and grant requirements while addressing public health topics where possible
- Create reports to inform and assist in decision-making
- Provide evaluation services to support clinical processes and objectives
Significant Achievements
The DSI team has been recognized by the CDC and other public health agencies for outstanding Public Health informatics expertise many times over. Recognition includes receiving the HIMSS Davies Award of Excellence in Public Health in 2010 and several NACCHO Model Practice Awards.
In 2013 the inaugural NACCHO Local Public Health of the Year award was presented to PHIDH in recognition of several informatics achievements. In addition, the DSI team has partnered with CDC Public Health Informatics fellows and students from the CU School of Public Health for many years to provide education and experience in a data-rich environment.
DSI is proud to have pioneered development and deployment of the first electronic health record within Denver Health. This system was implemented using tablets - a concept rarely being considered at that time. Implemented in 2005, HealthDoc, was used in the Denver Sexual Health Clinic for more than ten years before being replaced by an organization-wide system, EPIC.
A more recent achievement includes the development of the Opioid Continuum of Care Model. This model, along with the accurate data and definitions identifying and tracking DH patients with opioid use disorder and their retention in care, became a key factor for Denver Health establishing the Center for Addiction Medicine.
The DSI also had numerous opportunities to shine during the COVID-19 pandemic. The ongoing geographical portrayal of cases, test results, hospitalizations, deaths, and vaccinations by various demographic and regional factors provided critical information in directing outreach efforts to focus on specific neighborhoods where they needed to occur. Team members also took a lead role in orchestrating COVID-19 Data Monitoring activities for Denver County during the height of the pandemic including the creation and development of numerous public-facing interactive websites and maps – something that had not been piloted prior to the pandemic.