Former CDC Officials to Lead Public Health Innovation in California

California is bringing on former Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Dr. Susan Monarez and recent CDC Chief Medical Officer Dr. Debra Houry to launch the Public Health Network Innovation Exchange (PHNIX), a new California-led initiative which aims to modernize public health infrastructure and maintain trust in science-driven decision-making. PHNIX will work to strengthen public health innovation, collaboration, and communication at the state, national, and global level.

On Dec. 15, California Governor Gavin Newsom launched PHNIX with the former CDC officials and Dr. Katelyn Jetelina, founder and CEO of Your Local Epidemiologist. These health leaders will work alongside the governor and the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) to drive public health innovation, strengthen collaboration across states and institutions, and improve how critical health information is communicated. PHNX also will serve as a hub for advancing modern tools, best-in-class science, and coordinated responses to emerging health threats.

“The Public Health Network Innovation Exchange is expected to bring together the best science, the best tools, and the best minds to advance public health,” Newsom said. “By bringing on expert scientific leaders to partner in this launch, we’re strengthening collaboration and laying the groundwork for a modern public health infrastructure that will offer trust and stability in scientific data not just across California, but nationally and globally.”

“Dramatic and unfounded changes in federal policy, funding, and scientific practice have created uncertainty and instability in public health and healthcare,” said Dr. Erica Pan, CDPH director and state public health officer. “I am thrilled to work with these advisors to catalyze our efforts to lead a sustainable future for public health. California is stepping up to coordinate and build the scaffolding we need to navigate this moment.”

Dr. Monarez, a globally recognized leader in health innovation, biomedical technology, and global health security, will serve as a strategic health technology and funding advisor for PHNIX. In that role, she will lead the development of relationships and collaborations with private sector, technology, and academic partners. These partnerships will advance technological innovations that can be explored in California and potentially scaled nationally to improve public health data integration within the healthcare system, allowing for more timely and efficient disease monitoring and response.

Dr. Houry, a physician and public health executive, will serve as a senior regional and global public health medical advisor for PHNIX. Dr. Houry will engage existing public health alliances and organizations to develop a larger and more sustainable public health network across the local to global spectrum.

PHNIX will focus on innovation, developing advanced technology, and funding frameworks to secure a sustainable future for public health preparedness and response.

• Information infrastructure: Improve systems to detect trends, investigate issues, and protect privacy.
• Technology development: Focus on artificial intelligence, information infrastructure, and design for multi-state and global health partnerships with private and academic sectors.
• Funding frameworks: Propose design for multi-state and global health partnerships with private and academic sectors to secure sustainable funding and tools for public health. 

California was the first U.S. state to join the World Health Organization Global Outbreak Alert Response Network. The state will continue to build on its collaboration and leadership in evolving regional and global partnerships to develop this larger consortium, including: 

• The West Coast Health Alliance, a group of state and public health officials from California, Washington, Oregon, and Hawaii.
• The Governors Public Health Alliance, a 15-state nonpartisan alliance to coordinate and sustain global situational awareness. 
• Other existing or evolving public health organizations and partners across the nation.