2020 Year In Review
Let’s be honest: 2020 hasn’t been easy for any of us. Social distancing has strained the connections we all have with family, friends, coworkers and neighbors. However despite this distance, our team here at Visible Network Labs has been able to accomplish a great deal in a new, virtual and remote working environment. Here’s our 2020 year in review of all we’ve done together through the power of collaboration – we could not have done it without your help and support!
January: We launched our Brand New Website and Platform Interface.
This year started with the launch of a brand-new VNL website. With a robust Research Library, new product and service pages, and our popular Visible Us Blog, it has everyone you need to start learning more about network science all it has to offer. We’re still always adding new resources, webinars, infographics and more. Register for our newsletter if you haven’t already so you don’t miss a thing!
February: We Became a Best for Colorado Company.
Best for Colorado is a program of the Alliance Center that promotes sustainable business practices in environmental, social and economic impacts. We made a series of organizational pledges to reduce our negative impact and do more to support healthy, strong communities in the state of Colorado. Click here to read more about our commitment to the future and help keep us accountable.
March: We Adapted PARTNER for COVID-19 Contact Tracing.
Back in March, we got hit by the pandemic completely by surprise just like everyone else. We immediately met as a team to discuss what we could do to help. We adapted our PARTNER Platform with lightning speed to operate as contact tracing software to help public health officials respond to the crisis effectively. Click here to learn more about this quick shift in our offerings, and why our contact tracing software is so powerful and effective.
April: We Are Named a TIE Denver Spotlight Company.
TIE Denver is part of an international network of entrepreneurial support groups, providing resources, contacts and information to startups and growing companies. We were excited to be named TIE Denver’s April Spotlight Company, highlighting our work around COVID-19, social connectedness and organizational strategy. Click here to learn more about TIE Denver and see our Spotlight for yourself!
May: We Hosted the First Annual Network Innovation Summit.
Another COVID pivot for us was our Network Innovation Summit on May 18th. Originally planned as an in-person event in Denver, we shifted to plan a 100% virtual format in light of the ongoing pandemic. We also changed our them to focus on Network innovation in a time of crisis, responding the plethora of ways COVID is exacerbating existing health inequities and improve social impact. Click here to more about all we learned and explored together during the NIS.
June: The 8th Annual Network Leadership Training Academy Began.
Following the NIS, we focused on preparing for the 8th annual Network Leadership Training Academy. Once again, we pivoted to a virtual format, gathering once a month for six monthly sessions in place of our normal, in-person three day program. More than 100 network leaders explored a range of skills and knowledge for building, managing and evaluating networks. Click here to learn more about the Network Leadership Training Academy
July: Pooja Pendharkar, Director of Customer Experiences, joined the Team!
Pooja joined our team this summer to support our client experiences, including our community management, sales journey and support. With a wide-ranging background in community advocacy, community-building and product management, she brings a great deal of experience to support PARTNER at Visible Network Labs. Click here to learn more about Pooja Pendharkar and the rest of our team.
August: Tobie Tschuzki, Full Stack Engineer, joined the Team!
In August our team took another step forward as Tobie Tsuzuki joined our Engineering Team as a Full Stack Engineer. He will work with our other engineers to develop the PARTNER Platform and PARTNERme, A Person-Centered Network Tool. He hopes he is able to help lay down a framework that will be used to connect network science to a user. Click here to learn more about Tobie Tsuzuki and the rest of our team.
September: Jake Watts, Data Science Intern, Joined the Team!
VNL is no stranger to interns. This September we welcomed Jake Watts, a CU Boulder math student, joining us as a Data Science and Analysis intern. He worked with our Projects Team on numerous evaluations and network analysis projects to clean, code, analyze and visualize data for networks. He’ll be leaving us at the end of the year to continue working on his degree. Click here to learn more about Jake Watts and the rest of our team.
October: We Received HIPPA Certification for our Software & Team.
With the launch of PARTNERme, A Person-Centered Network Tool, our team went through an in-depth training and certification process to verify our compliance with the Health Information Protection and Accountability Act. We’re proud to demonstrate our commitment to protecting the data of those we serve, including all users of our PARTNER Platform, a community partner relationship management system.
November: We won the Prime Health Innovation Challenge for PARTNERme.
Over the fall, we participated in the Prime Health Innovation Challenge, a series of pitch competitions and coaching sessions designed to identify the top health care innovations in Colorado ready to scale, with a focus on health inequity and marginalized communities. Our newest network science solution, PARTNERme, won first place and thee People’s Choice Award. Click here to learn more about this achievement and what we’re doing with our prize funding of $75,000.
December: We Received a Systems for Action Research Grant
To finish the year, we learned that VNL is a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Systems for Action Research Grant recipient. Working with the Glasser Schoemberg Human Services Center, we’ll be assessing the capacity of community social services organizations and their partners to meet the needs of new clients identified through the emerging social determinants of health (SDOH) screening and referral tools used by medical providers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Click here to learn more about this project.
We're Excited to See Where 2021 Goes!
2020 was a busy year that threw a lot of challenges our way. We’re excited for 2021 to see where VNL and PARTNER ends up next. We wish you and your family a great new year with health, happiness and strong connections to your communities.
About the Author: Alex Derr, M.P.A.
Director of Marketing & Communications
Alex joined VNL in 2017, originally supporting our events. He now helps manages our communications and marketing strategy and content development work. Alex creates blogs, infographics, reports, and other content while managing our web and social media presence. He also runs our email marketing campaigns, tracks analytics, and conducts market research to drive our strategy. He supports our entire team with copywriting, graphic design and research, and helps with events, webinars, demos, and other online learning. When he isn’t at work Alex spends his time climbing 14ers (30 done, 28 to go!) and blogging on his own website, The Next Summit Blog.
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