Surveillance modernization
Leading procurement and rollout of a next-generation electronic disease surveillance platform, and expanding it beyond infectious disease into newborn screening and medicolegal death investigation.
Public Health Informatics
Benjamin D. Schram, MPH
Public Health Informatics & Data Modernization Leader
Surveillance modernization leader working at the intersection of epidemiology, technology, and strategy — building data systems that are practical for the people who use them and durable enough to serve public health over the long term.
- Role
- Director, Data Modernization Office · ND HHS
- National
- Co-Chair, CSTE Surveillance Policy Subcommittee
- Based in
- Bismarck, North Dakota
About
Six years building public health’s data infrastructure.
Public health informatics and surveillance modernization leader with six years managing statewide disease surveillance systems, interoperability initiatives, and public health technology strategy.
I lead North Dakota’s Data Modernization Office, where I direct informatics, analytics, and data governance for the Public Health Division. My background spans the full stack of public health data work — from writing the Python that automates a surveillance pipeline to chairing the governance committees that decide where it should go next.
Current focus
Data governance
Chairing North Dakota’s Data Modernization Advisory Committee and Data Stewardship & Governance Workgroup to keep modernization durable and accountable.
National policy
Co-Chairing CSTE’s Surveillance Policy Subcommittee and contributing to CDC core-surveillance and minimum-data-necessary efforts.
Stack
Tools & domains I work in.
Surveillance & Interoperability
- Maven / NDEDSS
- HL7 v2
- FHIR
- ELR
- eCR
- Rhapsody
- Reportable conditions
- CDC notifiable case reporting
Data Engineering & Analytics
- Python
- SQL
- R
- ETL automation
- Azure data warehouse / data lake
- Power BI
- Data quality
Leadership & Strategy
- IT governance
- Vendor procurement
- Federal grants (ELC · PHIG · DMI)
- Data governance
- Workforce development
Trajectory
Recent roles
Director, Data Modernization Office
North Dakota Department of Health & Human Services · Public Health Division
Direct data modernization strategy, informatics, and data governance for the Public Health Division; lead a team of informatics and analytics staff against budgets funded through ELC, PHIG, and Data Modernization Initiative grants.
Electronic Surveillance Systems Manager
North Dakota Department of Health & Human Services
Ran statewide operations of North Dakota’s disease surveillance system (Maven) through the COVID-19 response.
Let’s talk surveillance, interoperability, or modernization.
Open to conversations with public health, health-IT, and informatics peers.