Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO), Veritas Data Research, and HealthVerity Announce Public Health Data Consortium

February 23, 2026

New York, NY February 23 – The Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO), Veritas Data Research, and HealthVerity today announced their agreement to design and implement a first-of-its-kind Public Health Data Consortium. This partnership marks a pivotal shift in how the healthcare ecosystem collects and utilizes Real-World Data (RWD) and state public health data to improve national health innovation and outcomes.

The consortium’s primary mission is to establish a secure, ethical, and efficient framework for data exchange that bridges the gap between public health data collection, patient care and innovation. By integrating fragmented data sources across the United States, the initiative aims to provide timely information that can support patient care, a more comprehensive view of patient journeys, and treatment outcomes.

The public-private initiative is focused on establishing foundational data flows with a select group of early-adopter states within the next three months.

A Vision for Integrated Public Health

“By launching this Advisory Network and Consortium, we are creating a bridge between public health authorities and private sector agility,” said Joseph Kanter, MD, MPH, CEO of ASTHO. “This novel partnership will leverage private sector resources and expertise to ensure state health departments have access to the high-quality data needed to address urgent challenges, from infectious disease tracking to maternal health and chronic disease prevention.”

“This consortium represents an exciting example of public-private partnerships in healthcare,” said Jason LaBonte, CEO at Veritas Data Research. “Under the governance of ASTHO, state and territorial health agencies can securely pool their data and combine it with national real-world data from HealthVerity to power healthcare innovation and better clinical practice. Veritas is pleased to power these data exchanges using our robust ingestion and delivery tools, and to make select data available to a wider group of stakeholders with approved use cases.”

“We are proud to serve as a founding operating partner, applying our expertise in identity resolution and data privacy to solve the ‘linkage’ problem that has long plagued public health,” said Andrew Kress, CEO of HealthVerity. “Through this consortium, we are enabling a standard of data exchange that respects patient privacy while providing a level of clinical truth that will accelerate research and improve the speed of public health interventions.”

Advisory Network

To support the long-term success of the consortium, ASTHO is establishing an Advisory Network, comprised of organizations dedicated to shaping the future of public health data. Sponsorship of the Advisory Network will be open to a wide range of healthcare and related stakeholders.

About ASTHO

ASTHO is the national nonprofit organization representing the public health agencies of the United States, the U.S. territories and freely associated states, and Washington, D.C., as well as the more than 100,000 public health professionals these agencies employ. ASTHO members, the chief health officials of these jurisdictions, are dedicated to formulating and influencing sound public health policy and to ensuring excellence in public health practice.

About Veritas Data Research

Founded by experts in the data analytics industry, Veritas combines cutting-edge technology and efficient workflow design to close critical gaps in healthcare data. Specializing in high-fidelity mortality and provider affiliation datasets, Veritas provides secure, integrated tools for both research and operational use. By transforming raw data into actionable insights, Veritas is building next-generation vital status monitoring and tracking solutions to power enhanced patient engagement. To learn more about Veritas, visit veritasdataresearch.com and follow us on LinkedIn.

About HealthVerity

HealthVerity is the leader in privacy-protected real-world data exchange, transforming how healthcare and life sciences organizations connect and analyze disparate patient data. By enabling access to the industry’s largest RWD ecosystem, HealthVerity supports critical applications in clinical development, commercial strategy, regulatory decision-making, and public health. To learn more about HealthVerity, visit Healthverity.com and follow us on LinkedIn.