“The Food and Drug Administration today released its Data Modernization Action Plan (DMAP), emphasizing scalability of data modernization through a three-pronged actionable framework around data use cases, practices and talent.”
“The DMAP expands on FDA’s Technology Modernization Action Plan (TMAP), which the agency released in September 2019. FDA Chief Data Officer Ram Iyer told GovernmentCIO Media & Research that the TMAP provided a technological foundation for the development of FDA’s Data Strategy, and the DMAP will realize the strategy with immediate and longer-term actions.”
“’I think of the TMAP as the lowest level of foundation,’ Iyer said. ‘On top of that, we are building the DMAP, so there is a high level of interconnectivity between the TMAP and DMAP, and then we expect to build additional layers on top so that we get the value out of it.’”
“Of the DMAP’s three elements, the first looks to find data use cases through ‘driver projects,’ Iyer said. These will be quick-turnaround projects to create value around data while building the critical capabilities that FDA will need in the long term.”
“’Driver projects for DMAP are defined as initiatives with measurable value that help multiple stakeholders envision what is possible, allow technical and data experts to identify needed solutions, and develop foundational capabilities,’ the DMAP states…”
“FDA has been developing the DMAP over the past year amid COVID-19, which created a demand for data and need for cross-agency collaboration. Iyer said that the pandemic helped his organization crystallize and validate the DMAP.”
“’There’s no situation like a crisis where people really appreciate the value of sharing, the value of understanding, of the interdependencies between the different agencies within FDA, but even outside of FDA,’ Iyer said. ‘We had to stop a lot of inspections, so we wanted to find a responsible way to begin inspections. We were able to partner with CDC, our HHS department assets, and we were able to roll out some matrix for how to start the inspections in a safe manner in a matter of six to eight weeks, which would have taken much longer before the pandemic. So it really allowed for new types of partnerships and collaboration and appreciation for the need for the Data Modernization Action Plan.’”
“The interagency collaboration and governance strategies Iyer adopted also came from his involvement with the overall Federal Data Strategy, which is in its second year of implementation. The HHS Office of the CIO appointed Iyer to co-chair HHS’s Data Governance Board last year as part of the agency’s compliance actions with the 2020 Federal Data Strategy Action Plan…” Read the full article here.
Source: Inside FDA’s New Data Modernization Plan – By Melissa Harris, March 3, 2021. GovernmentCIO.
