Introducing the Center for Data Science at DOH

The office of Public Health Outbreak Coordination, Informatics, and Surveillance (PHOCIS) has a new name and a new mission. Born out of a critical need during the COVID-19 pandemic, PHOCIS has evolved to create a permanent office called the Center for Data Science. Its goal is to address public health concerns beyond COVID.

Introducing the Center for Data Science: Data Insights for Better Health

The office of Public Health Outbreak Coordination, Informatics, and Surveillance has a new name and a new mission. Born out of a critical need during the COVID-19 pandemic, PHOCIS has evolved to create a permanent office called the Center for Data Science. Its goal is to address public health concerns beyond COVID.

The epidemiologists, data scientists, informaticians, and engagement experts who are the heart of the Center advance our agency’s efforts in areas of disease surveillance, data analytics, data visualization, and civic design approaches to support real world, data-driven decision making in public health. Helping everyone to understand and use critical data is key to our public health mission of effecting lasting changes within our communities.

The Center is made up of four core groups:

  • Data Democratization focuses on addressing policies, processes, and structures that improve access to public health data for all.
  • Data Visualization provides guidance, expertise, and technical assistance for data visualizations, including dashboards, that meet agency standards and address best practices for accessibility and understanding.
  • Civic Analytics and Surveillance applies problem-oriented analytics to improve evidence-based, public-sector decision making for improved social impacts across our communities.
  • Disease System Modernization provides broad support to the Office of Health Science programs to identify and address evolving system needs and priorities in coordination with the Office of Innovation and Technology.

Meet the team leads

In the three years since the pandemic began, our team has worked to mitigate the devastating impacts the virus has had on our communities. Incorporating hard-learned lessons from the pandemic, the Center for Data Science will continue to support public health professionals and community leaders across the state by providing data insights to drive decisions and actions.

Cynthia Harry, former director of the PHOCIS Office, oversees the new Center for Data Science. She has more than two decades of public health experience at the state, local, and federal levels in the areas of epidemiology, biostatistics, and informatics. She is joined by an amazing team of leaders including:

​​The Center is part of the Office of Health and Science. By strengthening initiatives that support best practices in data access, analytics, service design, and visualization, the Center for Data Science will continue to support agency priorities to assist health systems, develop emergency preparedness and response, and improve overall health for everyone in Washington state.