Data, Storytelling, and Community Impact Take Center Stage at Data Day 2026
What happens when people stop looking at data as spreadsheets and start using it as a tool for understanding, storytelling, and action? That question was at the heart of Data Day 2026, where nearly 50 public health professionals, including local health department administrators and program staff from across Kansas, gathered in Derby to explore how to collect better data, understand their audiences, and communicate information in ways that inspire change.
Hosted by the Kansas Association of Local Health Departments (KALHD), WSU’s Community Engagement Institute and the Kansas Chapter of the Local Health Department Academy of Science (LHD AoS), the event focused on helping public health professionals strengthen both their data collection efforts and their ability to communicate findings in meaningful ways.
The day began with an overview of resources available through the LHD AoS, including survey templates, Alchemer support, office hours, and monthly collaboration opportunities. For health departments facing limited capacity and competing priorities, these shared tools can help save time, reduce costs, and improve consistency in data collection across communities.
Dr. Sarah Jolley of Wichita State University’s Community Engagement Institute opened the educational sessions with Survey School: Knowing Your Audience. Her message was simple but powerful: before developing a survey, organizations should take time to consider why they are collecting information, who they need to hear from, and how the results will be used. While it can be tempting to focus on what questions to ask, effective data collection starts with having a clear purpose and understanding the audience behind the data.
“Dr. Sarah Jolley is a gem,” shared Shalei Shea, Director and Health Officer in McPherson County. “She set us up perfectly for the events that followed. It’s important to understand and set a foundation prior to executing a survey. As a local health department Director with little survey experience, I couldn’t recommend utilizing the WSU CEI resources like Survey School enough.”
Later in the morning, Kansas Health Institute presenters Samiyah Para-Cremer Moore and Avanthi Chatrathi introduced attendees to the Data Walk model, an interactive approach that uses data storytelling to encourage discussion, reflection, and action. Rather than simply hearing about the process, attendees participated in a data walk themselves, moving through data displays and discussing what they noticed, what surprised them, and what questions the information raised.
The experience highlighted an important lesson for public health professionals: data is often most effective when people can engage with it, discuss it, and connect it to their own experiences. Participants explored how data walks have been used across Kansas to strengthen community conversations and build momentum around local issues.
Following lunch, the KHI team led attendees through practical steps to practice creating their own data stories. Through hands-on activities, participants identified goals, audiences, key messages, and visualization strategies while considering how to make data meaningful and accessible to others.
“Data is for everyone. Successful data storytelling draws more people into the conversation of why something is happening and generates momentum for future collaboration,” Para-Cremer Moore said. “With this model, community members shape both the interpretation of the data and resulting actions.”
The afternoon concluded with a discussion on facilitating productive conversations about data. Participants explored strategies such as leading with curiosity, embracing diverse perspectives, and creating space for community dialogue—reinforcing the idea that meaningful change happens when data and conversation work together.
Data Day 2026 provided participants with practical tools, new ideas, and valuable connections—but perhaps most importantly, it reinforced that data becomes most powerful when it helps people learn, engage, and act together.
For more strategies on how local health departments can put community engagement into practice, stay tuned for the upcoming launch of KHI’s Community Engagement in Practice course this summer.