Resources
Webinar Slides
Minimum Data Necessary: What Health Department Attorneys Need to Know

Join the Public Health Law Center for a 60-minute webinar on the foundational concept of minimum data necessary. Both a legal requirement and a norm of public health data sharing, the concept of minimum data necessary is a core tenet of public health surveillance and disease investigation. Federal and state privacy laws applicable to public health generally limit disclosures of confidential information to the minimum amount of data necessary to accomplish the permissible purpose for which the data are sought.   

Speakers will discuss the minimum necessary standard in federal and state laws that apply to public health data sharing; provide real world examples of how the concept comes up in their work; and share information about additional relevant resources. 

This session is designed for legal counsel who represent state and local health departments and who are new to public health. It is part of the Public Health Law Center’s 2026 webinar series on foundational concepts for lawyers who advise public health departments on public health data sharing.  

Presenters
Nancy Barrett, Informatics Program Lead, Connecticut Public Health Department
Colin Boes, Attorney and Privacy Specialist, Michigan Department of Health and Human Services
Laura Hayes, Data Scientist, Connecticut Public Health Department
Carrie Waggoner, Public Health Attorney, Carrie Waggoner Consulting
Manel Kappagoda, Senior Staff Attorney, Public Health Law Center