Office of Health Equity Partner Webinar Series: Health Equity Science and Data for Action

In 2023 CDC’s Office of Health Equity (OHE) launched the Health Equity Partner Webinar Series to showcase the power of partnerships in reducing health disparities and advancing health equity. The series features presentations from OHE leaders, experts, and partners on topics that address emerging public health issues, health equity research, communication, and training.

On March 28th, OHE hosted its third webinar in the partnership series.  A total of 1738 people registered for the webinar and 733 people joined the webinar to learn how to implement Health Equity Science and Data for Action.

OHE’s Associate Director for Science, Ana Penman-Aguilar, PhD, MPH, discussed Principles of Health Equity Science for Public Health Action. These principles guide the development, implementation, dissemination, and use of effective health equity science.

“If we take health equity into all of our science, we’re really going to have a tremendous downstream impact on all we do,” said Dr. Penman-Aguilar.

Her presentation set the stage for CDC and partners to share how to implement equitable data and science practices to ensure full and accurate representation of diverse populations.

CDC’s Office of Public Health Data, Surveillance, and Technology, Senior Advisor on Data for Health Equity, Kristie Clarke, MD, MSCR, FAAP, spoke about  CDC’s Data Modernization Initiative (DMI). These efforts focus on effectively using data to empower effective decision-making.

“Populations overlooked in the design of data systems are more likely to be underserved in public health practice,” shared Dr. Clarke.

Bonnielin Swenor, Director of Johns Hopkins Disability Health Research Center, addressed the importance of data to identify and address health inequities. Swenor spoke about the value of perspectives from diverse communities, including people with disabilities, at all levels and stages.

“[We use the] disability data dashboard [to] assess how equitable and accessible policies, practices, or programs are for disabled people and then publicly share the resulting data and information in accessible formats, to democratize data, drive systemic change, and create infrastructures promoting community empowerment.”

Chantelle (Tellie) Estea Matagi, Director of Health Innovation and Initiatives for Papa Ola Lōkahi, spoke about the need to prioritize health equity in science and data collection, especially for Native Hawaiians, Pacific Islanders, and other groups.

“When these communities do not see themselves accurately represented in the data, it hinders efforts to address their unique health needs and disparities effectively. Without accurate data, it is challenging to identify and understand the specific health concerns and challenges faced by these communities,” said Matagi.

Collaboration with diverse communities is key to advance health equity. OHE and its partners are committed to address the needs of groups that have been historically marginalized.

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How can you use health equity science and data to help reduce health disparities and advance health equity in your community?

For more resources on health equity science and data materials:

• Health Equity Science and Data for Action slides
• Data Modernization Initiative (DMI) Basics
• Office of Health Equity
• Health Equity Fact Sheet
• Health Equity Video Series
• Health Equity in Action
• Conversations in Equity blog