Ep 6 Regional Differences in Public Health

Hosts Kevin Libuit and Andrew Page discuss public health bioinformatics. - They delve into the regional differences in the implementation of bioinformatics in public health, comparing the U.S. and the U.K. - Kevin shares his experience from the Virginia State Public Health Sciences. In 2016, public health labs in the U.S. began transitioning from traditional techniques to whole genome sequencing. - Kevin was one of the first bioinformatics scientists in Virginia and was part of a small group of state-level bioinformatics scientists. - Challenges faced by states in bioinformatics implementation weren't always easily addressed by federal bodies like the CDC due to state-specific issues. - The group of state-level bioinformatics scientists, including Kevin, formed a consortium named StaPH-B to share their experiences and challenges. - The podcast touches on the roles of federal bodies like the FDA and CDC and the complexities they bring. - Andrew then provides insights into the U.K.'s public health structure, noting the differences between nations like Scotland, England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. - The discussion pivots to the importance and challenges of data sharing, both in the U.S. and Europe. - The hosts also touch on the importance of bioinformatics in solving outbreaks, with a mention of the Artic network which provides expertise during health crises. - The episode concludes with Kevin mentioning projects like the StaPH-B Docker builds and the potential for more collaborations in the future.