Dana Bernson, MPH is an Epidemiologist and the Director of Special Analytic Projects (SAP) within the Office of Population Health at the MA Department of Public Health (DPH). SAP leads DPH’s efforts to use big data, data linkages, advanced analytics, and data visualization techniques to guide public health planning and respond to emerging and ongoing public health concerns, including substance use, maternal & child health, the COVD-19 pandemic, and the impact climate change on health. Dana has over 10 years of applied public health experience and for the past several years, she has been involved in DPH's response to the opioid overdose epidemic. She has held key leadership and analytic roles on an interdisciplinary team tasked with compiling, linking, and analyzing data related to the epidemic under the “Chapter 55” authorization. Dana’s team is now responsible for operationalizing and conducting analyses using the Public Health Data Warehouse (PHD), a national model for public health data sharing, linkage, and analysis. She is a recognized expert on linking administrative data and using data to guide action. She serves as a technical expert on various advisory panels and speaks extensively on these topics. Dana holds co-investigator and key personnel roles on several NIH funded grants. Prior to joining DPH, Dana worked in clinical research at Boston Children’s Hospital. She received her Master of Public Health in Epidemiology and Bachelor of Arts in Political Science degrees from Boston University.
Ms. Bernson has been a longtime volunteer for both the American Cancer Society (ACS) and the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN). She is currently the ACT! Lead for the 4th Congressional District in Massachusetts.