Advancing Health Equity Through Data Standards Training

ERG is proud to support the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MDPH) in using an equity-centered, data-driven approach to promote health equity for all Massachusetts residents. To promote health equity, MDPH relies on accurate, meaningful data reflecting the full diversity of the state’s population. 

A cornerstone of this effort is MDPH’s Health Equity Data Standards. These standards outline population-specific best practices for data collection, analysis, interpretation, reporting, and communication. Implementing the standards supports public health decisions that address the needs of all Massachusetts residents, including those with structurally and culturally oppressed identities and circumstances. 

To support this initiative, ERG collaborated with MDPH staff and external partners to design, develop, and implement a comprehensive training series on the standards. This series includes four interactive multimedia eLearning modules covering the relevance, importance, and application of the Health Equity Data Standards and best practices for working with race, ethnicity, language, rurality, sexual orientation, and gender identity data — with more topics to come. ERG also developed fact sheets on specialized data topics and a case study webinar showcasing how to use the standards throughout a project lifecycle. 

ERG designed the training series to be engaging, relevant, and effective for MDPH’s workforce and external partners. Design strategies include animated sequences featuring diverse characters, real-world examples spanning a range of job roles and public health topics, video testimonials, and interactive knowledge checks. ERG also prioritized accessibility, building in captions, audio description, and other accessibility features throughout. 

With MDPH’s equity framework at its heart, the training highlights how the standards align with the department’s racial equity and data modernization efforts. MDPH is making the eLearning modules available on its internal and external training platforms, empowering both its workforce and external parties to apply these standards in their work. 

"Development of this training series was a highly inclusive, participatory process involving people throughout MDPH and beyond,” said Valerie Overton, ERG Vice President and project director. “It was a joy and privilege to witness how the data standards and this training will inform public health decisions to improve outcomes for all Massachusetts residents—thereby bending the arc a little further toward justice."

ERG is honored to support MDPH’s mission by helping create tools that advance equity and strengthen public health for all.