iSchool Assistant Professor Gretchen Stahlman is helping transform how public health dashboards are designed and used. On June 3–4, 2025, she helped organize the “Forum on Advancing the Science and Practice of Actionable Public Health Data Dashboards” in New Brunswick, New Jersey. The forum brought together researchers, dashboard creators, and community partners to discuss how dashboards can support public health decisions. 

Colleagues at Rutgers University’s School of Communication & Information collaborated and were supported by the Rutgers Wood Johnson Foundation. Participants developed a research agenda to support the design of actionable public health dashboards. 

The forum was motivated by the ongoing research Stahlman has been conducting with collaborators Dr. Itzhak Yanovitsky and Dr. Charles Seneteio. Their work examines how dashboards are designed and evaluated, their long-term sustainability, the stakeholder groups they serve, and the partnerships needed to maintain them.  

“By bringing together dashboard creators, funders, and community partners, this event provided a holistic meeting of minds and a valuable opportunity to share different perspectives, overall bridging research and practice and informing our activities moving forward to support and facilitate dashboard actionability,” Stahlman said. 

Beyond the data, Stahlman believes dashboards are decision support tools capable of shaping real-world outcomes. She highlights that the quality of the data, as well as the institutional context behind dashboards, are important factors that influence the effectiveness of public health decisions across different sectors. 

“Dashboards are also important tools for promoting data literacy and telling meaningful stories through data,” Stahlman said.  

One of Stahlman’s key takeaways from the forum was the need to reflect on how dashboards are created. Rather than relying on “creator-driven” models, she emphasizes the importance of collaborative design processes that include community members. 

“Without strong, evidence-informed collaborations involving communities in the design process, dashboards are at risk of underserving their stakeholders or fading away due to lack of use and usefulness,” Stahlman said.  

The forum also served as a steppingstone for future research and collaboration. Insights gathered from presentations, panels, and breakout sessions are now guiding the next phase of the project. Stahlman and her collaborators plan to facilitate small-scale research initiatives designed by forum participants to turn ideas into practical solutions. Stahlman hopes participants left the event with new perspectives and opportunities for collaboration. The forum also helped begin building a broader community of practice around dashboard design, to maintain momentum beyond the event. 

“It is incredibly exciting to participate in this work, and I am grateful to the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and my collaborators at Rutgers for this opportunity!” 

To explore the Forum Proceedings, click here. More details about the forum and additional publications can also be found on the project’s website: https://ph3d.rutgers.edu/2025-forum/ and https://ph3d.rutgers.edu/research-resources/.