A public health institute is a multi-sector entity that stimulates innovations in public health practice by convening sectors and disciplines for the purpose of improving community health. Institutes provide significant value to the public health system by designing and managing programs, providing technical assistance, conducting research and evaluation, and gathering evidence to inform policy. Institutes are also meant to bring agility, cross-cutting capacity, and facilitative leadership to the public health system, as a complement to government agencies and community-based direct service providers. In 2009, the Institute for Public Health Innovation became an emerging member institute of the National Network of Public Health Institutes (NNPHI), and in 2012, IPHi received recognition as a full member of NNPHI.
IPHi fills a critical niche in the DC-Maryland-Virginia region. Widely considered the most resourced country in the world, the U.S. has a life expectancy that ranks only 38 among industrialized nations, and life expectancy in many parts of the region falls well below the U.S. national average. Within the region as elsewhere in the U.S., an individual's zip code is a better predictor of health than his or her genetic code, with life expectancy and quality of life varying dramatically by neighborhood and population group. To advance equitably the health of people in our region, the delivery of quality health services must be complemented with innovative, prevention-oriented approaches to improve the health of individuals and entire communities. IPHi's vision is to advance the capital region as an example for the nation for how to create a healthy society. This bold vision will require the best in ideas, partners and resources, and IPHi endeavors to facilitate interconnections and fill critical gaps so our system of public health activities can achieve more than the sum of its parts.
IPHi fills a critical niche in the DC-Maryland-Virginia region. Widely considered the most resourced country in the world, the U.S. has a life expectancy that ranks only 38 among industrialized nations, and life expectancy in many parts of the region falls well below the U.S. national average. Within the region as elsewhere in the U.S., an individual's zip code is a better predictor of health than his or her genetic code, with life expectancy and quality of life varying dramatically by neighborhood and population group. To advance equitably the health of people in our region, the delivery of quality health services must be complemented with innovative, prevention-oriented approaches to improve the health of individuals and entire communities. IPHi's vision is to advance the capital region as an example for the nation for how to create a healthy society. This bold vision will require the best in ideas, partners and resources, and IPHi endeavors to facilitate interconnections and fill critical gaps so our system of public health activities can achieve more than the sum of its parts.