National Genealogical Society Luncheon

Vital Statistics Registrars and Genealogists: 

We Need to Talk!

S431, Saturday, 10 May 2014, at 12:15 p.m.

Patricia W. Potrzebowski, PhD, Executive Director of the National Association for Public Health Statistics and Information, will be the featured speaker at the National Genealogical Society luncheon. The title of her talk is “Vital Statistics Registrars and Genealogists: We Need to Talk!” NGS has selected this topic to emphasis the importance of access to vital records for genealogists. Ms. Potrzebowski’s talk will cover the following key points:

• What do state registrars of vital records and genealogists have in common?

• How can state registrars and genealogists work together more effectively to achieve mutual goals?

• Why privacy, confidentiality, and security of vital records matter to all of us.

Patricia W. Potrzebowski, Ph.D. has been the Executive Director of the National Association for Public Health Statistics and Information Systems since January, 2011.  Information about NAPHSIS can be found at http://www.naphsis.org.

Previously, Trish served as the Director, Bureau of Health Statistics and Research at the Pennsylvania Department of Health, where she worked for more than 35 years.

While there, Trish established the first designated State Center for Health Statistics in the nation, implemented an award winning statewide cancer incidence registry and immunization registry, and directed the state’s vital statistics system.  In 2001 she launched the Commonwealth Universal Research Enhancement (CURE) program with funds from the Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement to provide clinical, biomedical, and health services research grants each year to universities, hospitals, and other research organizations located in Pennsylvania.

Trish earned her Ph.D. in human genetics from the Department of Biostatistics of the Graduate School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh. She is a former President of NAPHSIS and received the Halbert L. Dunn Award in 1991 for her contributions to national and state health statistics systems.  Trish chaired the Panel to Evaluate the U.S. Standard Certificates that created the 2003 revised certificates, and was also a member of the 2011 Model Law Revision Work Group.

UPDATE:  The PowerPoint slides from her presentation have been authorized for  posting to this Blog by NAPHSIS as of 15 March 2017:  NGS family history presentation 5-6-2014

Luncheon tickets can be purchased for $32.00 at http://conference.ngsgenealogy.org/event-registration/ through 22 April 2014. Register now before the luncheon sells out.

Also mark your conference schedule to attend the Records Preservation and Access Committee session, Thursday, 8 May 2014, 4:00 p.m., “RPAC: Access to Vital Records is Under Attack! How Can You Help?”