(l to r): James Bentley of the American Hospital Association; Dr. Darrell Kirch of the Association of American Medical Colleges; HRSA Administrator Duke; and Kristine Sande, HWIC deputy director.

Dr. Michael Eric Dyson

HRSA Administrator Duke (front row, right, in blue jacket), OHIT Associate Administrator Cheryl Austein-Casnoff (far left), and OHIT staff accept the award.

February 5: At a press conference at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., HRSA Administrator Elizabeth Duke helped the University of North Dakota School of Medicine and Health Sciences launch the Health Workforce Information Center, a new Web site for accessing research and resources on the nation’s health professional workforce.

The new “information gateway” houses the latest on health workforce programs and funding sources; workforce data, research and policy; educational opportunities; best practices; and related news and events. Information specialists are available by phone or e-mail for customized assistance.

“HRSA is pleased to have UND as a partner in creating the center,” Duke said. “As shortages of physicians, nurses and allied health personnel worsen, information available through the center will help lawmakers, hospitals and schools develop strategies to meet future workforce demands.”

For more information, see Inside HRSA’s January HWIC newsletter article and the February 5 HWIC press release.

January 8: A standing-room-only crowd turned out for the 35th annual observance of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday in the Parklawn Building, where they heard the keynote address delivered by Dr. Michael Eric Dyson, professor of sociology at Georgetown University and author of April 4, 1968: Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Death and How It Changed America.

January 6: During an HHS awards ceremony in the Humphrey Building, HRSA’s Office of Health Information Technology (OHIT) received the Hubert H. Humphrey Award for Service to America.

OHIT was among 15 different groups and three individuals recognized for “contributions to the health, safety and well-being of the nation,” specifically for “outstanding performance in promoting the adoption and effective use of health information technology in the safety-net community.”