Data. Exclamation Point.

It's official. I've been to my first datapolooza. Two weeks ago, people from Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana met to celebrate all things health data at our very own regional health data forum.

You might expect a data forum to be sort of a niche event, but this certainly wasn't. There were more than 300 people representing all types of organizations and sectors. Yes, there was a fair share of "data wonks," but there really was a good mix of people in the audience: computer programmers, public health professionals, philanthropists, entrepreneurs, and direct service providers. All these folks in one room, talking about one common goal: using data to improve health.

You may be asking yourself what a datapolooza looks like. We started the day with a virtual welcome from Todd Parks, the Chief Technology Officer at the Department of Health and Human Services. (check out Todd's blog here), and a keynote from Bob Kocher. Then we hit the ground running with a day full of presentations about some of the innovative things folks in our region are doing with health data. Jennifer already hit on some of the examples of innovation we saw at the conference. If you haven't already, I encourage you to take a little bit of time to go check them out. I won't repeat them, but I will share a few of my own observations from the day:

• Data are the little black dresses of the 21st century – invest in a couple of good data points, and you'll be prepared for any occasion.
• Data sharing is the new norm and we need to get all sectors in the game. Government, nonprofit and corporate partnerships around data will drive innovation.
• We've only seen the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the power of social networking in health care. Technology offers a new connectedness that can change and save lives, but we need to be willing to rethink some of our assumptions and practices in order to fully benefit from it.
• There really are some cool things happening in Cincinnati. Our region is poised to be a leader in data, technology and health improvement. That should make us very proud.