Wanted: Credible Health Information in an Ever-Changing Society
Keynote Speaker – Janice Phillips, PhD, RN, CENP, FADLN, FAAN, Assistant Director, Illinois Department of Public Health
Dr. Phillips will discuss current trends and issues underscoring the need for credible health information. Public health and information professionals are attempting to combat the prevalence of misinformation, threats to traditional sources of information, and distrust of medical information. The Illinois Department of Public Health is dedicated to providing sources of credible health information to all users across the state, addressing their mandates for language access services for our multicultural and multilinguistic society. Dr. Phillips will highlight the invaluable role librarians play in today’s society and suggest possibilities for navigating the information landscape together.
Dr. Janice Phillips is an experienced clinician, researcher, educator, nurse regulator, author, and public policy advocate in the health care arena. Janice is the recipient of the Martin Luther King Jr. Humanitarian Award, the University of Illinois College of Nursing SAGE Award, The National Black Nurses’ Association Lifetime Achievement Award, four distinguished alumni awards and others. In 2000, Janice was inducted into the American Academy of Nursing for her distinguished contributions to addressing breast cancer disparities nationally and internationally. Dr. Phillips holds a BSN from North Park College, an MS in Community Health from St. Xavier School of Nursing, and a PhD from the University of Illinois College of Nursing. On July 10, 2023, Governor Pritzker appointed Dr. Phillips to serve as the Assistant Director of the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) and she received Senate confirmation the following year. As Assistant Director, she leads efforts focused on improving health outcomes across the state through establishing new and strengthening existing collaborations between IDPH and external community partners. This includes 97 certified local health departments throughout Illinois.
Dr. Phillips will speak during the virtual portion of the conference on Tuesday, November 11.
