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Office Closure in Observance of Thanksgiving Day
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In observance of Thanksgiving, our office will be closed this Thursday,
November 28. We wish all of our community members a safe and joyful holiday with family and friends. We will resume normal hours on Friday, November 29.
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Calling All IIS Data Coders and Query Writers!
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AIRA is excited to announce the first ever Code Library Amazing Race! This two-week competition is your chance to help populate AIRA’s new Code Library - a comprehensive resource designed for the IIS data analyst community. Teams are organized by region (see map below). The winning team will receive special recognition at the AIRA 2025 National Meeting and some major bragging rights!
When: December 2–13, 2024
How to compete: Use the submission form to submit code you have written. Share as much code as possible across the various categories. The more you submit, the more points your team earns! The leaderboard will be posted on the IIS Data Analyst Forum (IDAF) on Wednesdays and Fridays during the race! Data enthusiasts can check out the scoring rubric if curious about how submissions are scored.
Get ready to showcase your skills and lead your team to victory!
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- Region 1 includes American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Micronesia, the Marshall Islands, and Palau.
- Region 5 includes Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.
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Mark your Calendars for the December Discovery Session
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Join us on Monday, December 16, from 4 to 5 p.m. ET for the final AIRA Discovery Session of the year, with presentations by Terence Ng and Lauren Shaw (CDC) on the 2024 Immunization Information Systems Annual Report (IISAR).
This annual assessment captures key insights from all 64 immunization program awardees, covering the 50 states, five major cities, D.C., and eight territories. With the IISAR launching in January 2025, now is the perfect time to get an inside look at the survey tool, understand what’s new this year, and get answers to your questions.
This session is essential for anyone involved in IIS work or anyone interested in learning about this vital data collection process. Don’t miss out on this chance to get a jump-start on the upcoming IISAR. We hope you’ll join us on December 16!
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Once you register, you will receive a confirmation email with links to add the meeting to your calendar. If you’re unable to attend, this session will be recorded and available in the AIRA Repository.
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Register and book your hotel room!
Registration for the AIRA 2025 National Meeting is open, and you can now also reserve your hotel room. This year’s National Meeting will be held at the Davenport Grand Hotel, 333 W. Spokane Falls Boulevard, Spokane, WA 99201, just steps from Riverfront Park and downtown attractions.
This year, the AIRA National Meeting is kicking off a day early with an exciting opening plenary featuring our keynote speaker, engaging workshops, and a lively networking reception on Monday. We can’t wait to see you in Spokane for a perfect mix of IIS, scenic beauty, and vibrant city life! 🌲
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AIRA is participating in the upcoming HIMSS25 Global Health Conference & Exhibition. HIMSS25 is Monday, March 3 to Thursday, March 6, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada. HIMSS25 is a health information and technology event, where professionals throughout the global health ecosystem connect for education, innovation, and collaboration.
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AIRA and the Immunization Integration Program (IIP) have several in-person events planned for HIMSS25. One highlight is the AIRA networking event, “Improving Immunization Data Quality and Interoperability Through Cross-Sector Collaboration,” on March 5 from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Wynn Hotel on the Convention Promenade. You can connect with colleagues, meet new partners, and learn about AIRA’s current initiatives and priorities. Join us as we discuss efforts to improve immunization data quality and interoperability and learning about your innovative approaches to health information exchange across EHRs, HIEs, pharmacy systems, and IIS. You can register for the networking event by completing the pre-registration form.
Find more information and register on the HIMSS25 website. AIRA members receive a discount. Select American Immunization Registry Association as a HIMSS Collaborating Organization and use the code GC25AIRA during registration. We hope to see you there!
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The Board Spotlight provides both AIRA staff and the IIS community the opportunity to learn a little about each AIRA Board member. Every month, we will feature a different board member! We are kicking this series off with AIRA Board President, Melissa Mickle-Hope, the director of the Citywide Immunization Registry, the IIS for New York City.
If you could invent something to make your life easier, what would it be?
I regularly think about having the ability to teleport. I would love to step into some sort of portal and instantly arrive at my destination.
If you could instantly become an expert in any skill, what would it be?
I would want to be an expert in finance. This would include accounting and investments. I’ve tried to learn some of those skills on my own, but I’m far from being an expert.
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What’s one thing on your bucket list that you haven’t done yet?
On the top of my bucket list is visiting Brazil. I studied that country and its history during undergrad, so I’m excited to take a trip there.
If you could eat only one cuisine for the rest of your life, what would it be?
I would actually eat seafood for the rest of my life. I love all types of seafood, but my favorite would be crab. I love it in all forms, from crab cakes to chowder.
Please share a person or experience that influenced your career in a positive way.
Amy Metroka served as the IIS manager for New York City before me. She was very active in AIRA and encouraged me to work on the board.
What’s your favorite part of being on the AIRA Board?
Having a great support system. We’re all having the same issues, and we can give each other advice. That’s definitely the best part.
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What’s one thing you have learned from an AIRA workgroup or committee?
It wasn’t a committee or workgroup, but at the AIRA National Meeting, I really took a lot away from Dr. Saundra Dalton Smith’s opening plenary about stress. I downloaded her book Sacred Rest: Recover Your Life, Renew Your Energy, Restore Your Sanity, and I’m doing a lot of those techniques. It’s really helping.
Is there anything new your organization is working on/toward that you would like to share?
In NYC we now offer QR codes for the full immunization record via our public portal. The public now can carry their full immunization record wherever they go.
What is one thing you would like to say to the IIS community?
Take advantage of new funding opportunities in IIS and data modernization to really plan for the future.
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2025 SnapShots Schedule Out Now!
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The 2025 SnapShots schedule is now available. SnapShots, AIRA's newsletter about the progress, best practices, and accomplishments of IIS across the country. Be sure to review the schedule and add the content due dates to your calendar!
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Important Changes Ahead: Smarty License Upgrade
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Important changes are coming to the Smarty address cleansing service license currently provided by AIRA to members through a partner agreement. Beginning late November 2024, AIRA’s license will be upgraded from the legacy Standard Edition of the US Address Verification service to the Core Edition of the US Address Verification service. This transition to the Core Edition provides additional benefits, including enhanced matching and access to 20 million non-USPS addresses. Non-postal addresses are locations where people live and work. These addresses are places where USPS does not deliver mail but where packages can be delivered.
Once the license upgrade is complete, Smarty users will need to update their API call to Smarty. We will share more detailed information in the coming weeks so please stay tuned for more updates as we begin the transition to the updated service! Please contact Tesha Lucas with any questions or concerns at Cette adresse e-mail est protégée contre les robots spammeurs. Vous devez activer le JavaScript pour la visualiser..
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In Case You Missed It: M&I Discovery Session: Patient Matching | A Town Hall Recording Now Available
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On November 18, AIRA hosted an M&I Discovery Session on Patient Matching | A Town Hall. During this Discovery Session, Valentin Sostaric, Eric Larson, and Damon Ferlazzo discussed the next steps for Patient Matching – HL7 as part of AIRA’s Measurement and Improvement (M&I) Initiative.
If you or a staff missed the live event, don’t fret! The session recording and presentation slides are now available in the AIRA Repository.
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AIRA Employment Opportunities
AIRA has a need to increase its organizational capacity for the 2024–2025 fiscal year and is seeking individuals with various backgrounds and skills. Please view the Request for Résumés for details.
Opportunities for Independent Contractors
To be notified of future contracting opportunities, please sign up here.
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Check out the AIRA Calendar for upcoming events!
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Stay up to date on upcoming AIRA committees, board meetings, webinars, events, and more.
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We'll take that to-go, please! 🛫
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American Immunization Registry Association
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Suite 1025
Washington, DC 20006
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© Copyright 2023, American Immunization Registry Association
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