Meet the Board: Adi Gundlapalli, MD, PhD, MS
Dr. Adi Gundlapalli, ABPM’s Clinical Informatics Sub-Board Chair, recently moved to Atlanta to take a new position at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). We asked him a few questions to learn about his new role at the CDC, his background in Clinical Informatics, and what board certification means to him!
What led you to your current position at the CDC?
As an infectious disease physician with a keen interest in public health surveillance and expertise in clinical and research informatics, the opportunity to work at the CDC is like coming home to the mothership!
What is the role of the Chief Public Health Informatics Officer at CDC’s Center for Surveillance, Epidemiology, and Laboratory Sciences?
The Center for Surveillance, Epidemiology, and Laboratory Services (or CSELS) is a cross-cutting center at CDC. We describe ourselves as the “scientific backbone of the U.S. Public Health System.” Our work encompasses public health surveillance systems, laboratory systems, and public health workforce development. As the Chief Public Health Informatics Officer for CSELS, I facilitate informatics collaborations and serve as a liaison for informatics across CSELS, other CDC centers, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and external partners. Importantly, the position advocates for enhanced informatics capability in public health at the local, state, and federal level.
What do you hope to accomplish in this position?
CDC has an amazing breadth and depth of expertise and experience in developing and nurturing public health information systems. Given the importance of healthcare reform for public health goals, I am hoping to bring the provider and health care perspective to this evolving dynamic ecosystem where data flows bi-directionally from health care to public health with minimal or no burden to the providers. My goal is to provide strategic public health informatics leadership to address priority needs of local, state, and federal public health agencies. I am also looking forward to providing leadership to ensure informatics investments in public health are interoperable and standards-based to promote synergy, increase efficiency, and foster re-use.
How did you get into the subspecialty of Clinical Informatics?
Great mentorship, good fortune, and being in the right place at the right time! I was an infectious disease fellow at the University of Utah when the 2002 Winter Olympics were held in Salt Lake City, Utah. With the Olympics being a high-profile target as they were being held just a few months after 9/11 and the anthrax attacks of October 2001, there was increased attention to monitor the Olympics village for unusual events. I had the opportunity to build and deploy a syndromic surveillance system from scratch using available electronic health record data and that started my interest and career in informatics. The Olympics experience was life-changing and I subsequently went on to complete a master’s degree in biomedical informatics from the University of Utah. Subsequently, I had the opportunity to be on the faculty at the University of Utah School of Medicine, serve as the Chief Health Informatics Officer for the VA Salt Lake City Health Care System, co-direct the VA advanced informatics fellowship, mentor fellows and junior faculty, and conduct research using electronic health record data.
Why did you choose to become board-certified in CI, and what do you think the value of board certification is?
Board certification is a pathway that demonstrates excellence and commitment in a clinical specialty or subspecialty. So, when CI board certification was offered, it seemed quite natural for me to pursue this board certification to show my commitment to the field of clinical informatics. The value is in the respect that is engendered when I introduce myself as a board-certified physician-informatician to other physicians and to leadership.
What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?
Spending time and traveling with family, gardening, and watching movies!