Texas Health Informatics Alliance hosts third annual conference at UTHealth Houston

UTHealth Houston, along with the University of Texas at Arlington (UTA), and the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UTSW), will host the third Annual Texas Health Informatics Alliance (THIA) Conference in the fall of 2023. The conference will be held in person at the Denton A. Cooley, MD and Ralph C. Cooley, DDS University Life Center on UTHealth Houston’s campus on Friday, Sept. 15, 2023. The theme will be “ALL IN: Addressing Health Disparities, Barriers, and Inequities through Health Informatics.”

The mission of THIA is to “build informatics ties across Texas through partnerships in the following areas: research, data, policy, education, standards, and workforce development.” Anyone with health informatics interests is invited to join the alliance and attend the conference. This includes researchers, developers, health professionals, information management professionals, data and information scientists, and students.

“As a member of the conference planning committee, I truly look forward to hosting this year’s conference on our campus in Houston,” said Susan H. Fenton, PhD, professor and associate dean at McWilliams School of Biomedical Informatics at UTHealth Houston. “This year’s conference addresses a critically important issue in the healthcare field and I am eager to hear what solutions will be shared by my colleagues, fellow informatics professionals, and students.”

The conference will feature keynote speakers, presentations, a networking lunch, a poster session, and a closing reception. The keynote speakers are Chief Medical Officer for Prevention for the American Heart Association Eduardo Sanchez, MD, MPH, FAAFP  and Lorne Bain Distinguished Professor in Public Health and Medicine, Director, Center for Health Promotion and Prevention Research at UTHealth Houston School of Public Health Maria E. Fernández, PhD.

“Health informatics can be a powerful tool in addressing health disparities, barriers, and inequities by facilitating the collection and analysis of data, improving access to care, enhancing patient engagement, customizing healthcare, and reducing bias and discrimination,” noted Co-Director of the Multi-Interprofessional Center for Health Informatics at UTA Gabriela Mustata Wilson, PhD. “We are so excited to showcase some of the most innovative initiatives addressing these issues across Texas.”

 Beyond participating as attendees, THIA invites individuals from the health informatics community to submit abstracts for presentations. Abstracts are due by May 31. Abstract submission details are available on the THIA 2023 website at https://michi.uta.edu/conferences/thia-2023/abstract-submission-information/.

Registration for the conference is now open and closes on Friday, Aug. 25.