The coronavirus pandemic has put tremendous pressure on public health officials. Despite our best efforts, antiquated data systems and flawed state dashboard formulas have hindered access to public data and undermined confidence in state-reported COVID-19 trends. Public health data is too often stored and processed in ways that limit its usefulness.

We recognize that resources for responding to this crisis are limited. We want to help.

We are foremost caring Iowans who want our state and our nation to recover from this pandemic as quickly as possible. But we are also a team of highly skilled public health and IT professionals. We are volunteering our time and our expertise to save lives and livelihoods. We are working to:

• Rebuild trust in public data
• Inform local decision-making by colleges, businesses and houses of worship
• Accelerate economic recovery

This recent Atlantic article summarized the history of the pandemic in Iowa and many of the concerns this group has been raising.

Founding members:

Dan Diekema, MD, MS
Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology, Iowa City

Michihiko Goto, MD
Asst. Prof. of Infectious Diseases
UI Carver College of Medicine

Patrick Hansen, MPA
Principal Consultant
novéInsights

Dana Jones, DNP, ARNP
Nurse Practitioner
Iowa City

Eli Perencevich, MD, MS
Prof. of Internal Medicine
UI Carver College of Medicine

E. Rosalie Li Rodenborn
Graduate Teaching Assistant
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

HyungSub Shim, MD
Clinical Assistant Professor,
Neurology, University of Iowa

Megan Srinivas, MD, MPH
Infectious Disease & Internal Medicine
Fort Dodge

Kaitlin Wilcox, MS
Associate Director of Analytics
Grinnell College

Sara Anne Willette
CIO & Director
IowaCOVID19Tracker.org