Welcome to the Institute for Public Health Informatics and Research, a unique partnership between the Duval County Health Department and the University of Florida, College of Medicine-Jacksonville.
VISION:
A local public health system that optimally uses all public health related sciences to inform, enhance and maintain the health of the community.
MISSION:
To increase the community's capacity to perform core public health functions and essential public services through the use of technological support and innovation of applied public health and quality health care research, evaluation and informatics.
OVERVIEW:
The Institute for Public Health and Informatics Research (formerly the Institute for Health, Policy and Evaluation Research) was formed in September 2001 as a Division of the Duval County Health Department.
The Institute has a highly competent staff. The Institute Director has a MSW and extensive research training as the doctoral level in addition to key experience evaluating community-based programs and community health program administration. The Institute also has two MPH trained coordinators with various backgrounds and an administrative assistant. Part time staff includes a PhD level psychologist, a master's level statistician and community outreach research assistant. Senior researchers affiliated with the Institute through the University of Florida include one physician (MD) researcher with an MPH degree and a PhD level Public Health Scientist. The Institute provides the community and state with a substantial quantitative and qualitative research capacity, combining the surveillance and assessment functions of a local health department with the research assets of an Academic Medical Center. This highly applied research capacity enables the community to address population and community health issues, normally beyond the scope of either institution's traditional boundaries.
The Institute is well equipped to accomplish both research and assessment missions with the requisite software to perform a broad range of quantitative and qualitative analysis, including: SPSS, SAS, SUDAAN, Atlas TI, ArcGIS, Instant Atlas and Microsoft Professional Office packages. In addition to software, the Institute has multiple secure servers to house large amounts of confidential data with highly restricted access by designated people. The supporting equipment includes two scanners with automatic document feeders to input primary data collection. The Institute also has compatible voice recording software for data transcription to support four digital voice recorders that are used to assist with in-person, focus group and telephone interviews.