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Graduate Certificate in Public Health Informatics

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Program Description

The Public Health Informatics Certificate is designed to enable students to acquire the core knowledge that applies to the fundamentals, principles, and practice of public health informatics. This certificate option consists of 18 credit hours of graduate level courses which are presented using on-line technology.

If after taking courses in the certificate program, a certificate-seeking student decides to pursue the M.S. degree, the student must submit a new and complete application to become a degree-seeking student, and must meet all requirements for admission to the M.S. program. Previous coursework taken as a certificate seeking student does not guarantee acceptance into the M.S. degree-seeking program. If accepted into the degree program, credits with the prefix MI taken as a certificate seeking student will be automatically applied towards the degree.

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Curriculum

Students must successfully complete:

No. of Credits: 3

Pre-Requisite: None

Description: This on-line, interactive course is an introductory survey of the discipline of biomedical informatics. This course will introduce the student to the use of computers for processing, organizing, retrieving and utilizing biomedical information at the molecular, biological system, clinical and healthcare organization levels. The course is targeted at individuals with varied backgrounds including medical, nursing, pharmacy, administration, and computer science. The course will describe essential concepts in biomedical informatics that are derived from medicine, computer science and the social sciences.

Learning Objectives:

  • Demonstrate in writing and verbally a basic understanding of the learned concepts of biomedical informatics and their direct application to healthcare.
  • Demonstrate the ability to compare, select, apply and integrate multiple technologies in and across a healthcare organization.
  • Discuss key legal and ethical issues that must be considered when implementing biomedical technology and supporting information systems.
  • Differentiate multiple methods to evaluate the costs versus benefits of implementing biomedical information systems.
  • Produce evidence of a forward thinking ability to stay current in biomedical informatics.

No. of Credits: 3

Pre-Requisite: None

Description: This course covers from basic to intermediate knowledge of the concept, the design and the implementation of database applications in healthcare. Students will study tools and data models for designing databases such as E-R Model and SQL. The course also covers Relational DBMS systems such as SQL Server, Access, Oracle and mySQL. Besides, database connectivity design (essential in data-driven web development) and database administration will also be introduced.

Students will practice designing, developing and implementing a test relational online health IT database application (myHealth) through a comprehensive project that contains the above topics.

Learning Objectives:

At the end of the course, student will be able to:

  • Identify the key elements of database management system and applications in healthcare.
  • Plan, document, and design a medical informatics database application.
  • Identify and model healthcare database application using ER Model and query against the database with SQL.
  • Identify the key concepts and process in order to SQL server, Access, Oracle or mySQL DBMS systems to build up a data-driven web application.
  • Identify the basic concepts of database administration and data warehouse for decision support system (DSS).
No. of Credits: 3

Pre-Requisite: None

Description: 

This course focuses on the principles and reasoning underlying modern biostatistics and on inferential techniques commonly used in public health research. Students will be able to apply basic inferential methods in research endeavors and improve their abilities to understand the data analysis of health-related research articles.

Learning Objectives:

  1. For a given study the students will be able to formulate the research question(s) and the corresponding statistical hypotheses.
  2. Describe the roles biostatistics serves in the discipline of public health.
  3. Describe basic concepts of probability, random variation and commonly used statistical probability distributions.
  4. Describe preferred methodological alternatives to commonly used statistical methods when assumptions are not met.
  5. Distinguish among the different measurement scales and the implications for selection of statistical methods to be used based on these distinctions.
  6. Apply descriptive techniques commonly used to summarize public health data.
  7. Apply common statistical methods for inference.
  8. Apply descriptive and inferential methodologies according to the type of study design for answering a particular research question.
  9. Apply basic informatics techniques with vital statistics and public health records in the description of public health characteristics and in public health research and evaluation.
  10. Apply sample size and power calculation techniques.
  11. Interpret results of statistical analyses found in public health studies.
  12. Develop written and oral presentations based on statistical analyses for both public health professionals and educated lay audiences.
  13. Learn the rules of research with human subjects by taking the Citi course.
  14. Using computing statistical packages such as JMP, SAS and EpiInfo, the students will be able to apply the biostatistical methods producing results and interpreting the computer output in an appropriate.
No. of Credits: 3

Pre-Requisite: None

Description: 

Examines basic principles and methods of modern epidemiology used to assess disease causation and distribution. Students develop conceptual and analytical skills to measure association and risk, conduct epidemiological surveillance, evaluate screening and diagnostic test, as well as investigate disease outbreaks and epidemics.

Learning Objectives

  1. Identify and define the core concepts and terminology of Epidemiology
  2. Define and calculate measures of disease frequency and mortality including incidence, prevalence and mortality rates (crude and adjusted)
  3. Contrast the concepts of association and causality and explain the “criteria for causality.”
  4. Understand and apply the basic measures of the exposure-disease association: absolute, relative and attributable risk
  5. Identify the descriptive study designs and discuss their applications and limitations
  6. Compare and contrast the designs of case-control and cohort studies, including relative strengths and weaknesses
  7. Describe the design of interventional studies including clinical trials.
  8. Become familiar with data sources used in epidemiology and describe the utility and components of disease surveillance systems
  9. Understand the principles of disease screening and define the objective performance measures associated with screening tests (including sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive value)
  10. Identify the types of, and demonstrate methods to control for non-random error in investigations (bias and confounding)
  11. List the steps in an investigation of a disease outbreak
  12. Utilize the information learned to critically evaluate an epidemiologic study

No. of Credits: 3

Pre-Requisite: None

Description: Public health informatics is the systematic application of information and computer science and technology to public health practice, research and learning. This course focuses on developing the knowledge and skills of systemic application of information, computer science, and technology to public health practice. Students will acquire a basic understanding of informatics in public health practice, and be able to apply the skills of using some informatics tools in public health practices.

Learning Objectives:

  • Define public health informatics, and its role in public health practice at local, state, national, and international levels
  • Illustrate at least three examples of how public health informatics supports disease surveillance.
  • Report on informatics applications that enhance vital statistics and registry maintenance
  • List structure and content of data sources commonly available to public health professionals
  • Distinguish the roles of HL-7 and Snomed CT in helping to achieve system interoperability
  • Characterize available public health information systems applicable to local and state public health practice
  • Prepare GIS maps using freely available software and data sources
  • Use an open-source Content Management System to create dynamic website pages with public health content
  • Examine potential case clusters relevant to public health practice using temporal and spatial scanning software
  • Compare and contrast change management and project management as critical administrative tools in public health informatics

No. of Credits: 3

Pre-Requisite: None

Description: This course will introduce students to geographic information systems (GIS) to map and spatially analyze public health and demographic data. Students will learn the fundamentals of the ArcMap software system and ways to integrate cartography into biomedical informatics practice. Beyond use of GIS for cartography, this course will also examine ethical issues and methods of analyzing demographic and spatial health patterns using GIS and demography analysis methods. The versatility of GIS in a public health setting will be examined and will include exercises involving GIS applications in health marketing, demography, epidemiology, and health care systems. For example, we will look at how different socioeconomic groups use urban spaces differently in terms of transportation and how these differences in navigation impact contact points for health marketing. Other issues covered in the class will be the ethics of GIS, manipulation of data, sources of data, and understanding some commonly used public health datasets such as the YRBS, BRFSS, and US Census.

Learning Objectives:

  1. Describe spatial aspects to health behaviors, health marketing, and medical care.
  2. Create maps using existing basemaps.
  3. Create new basemaps using existing basemaps.
  4. Describe key ethical concerns to mapping health care data.
  5. Access and describe key public health data sets.
  6. Use the fundamentals of the ArcGIS software to create maps.
  7. Analyze spatial data correctly.
  8. Design finished layouts meeting cartographic design standards.
  9. Produce location and thematic maps.

Admission Requirements

  • Completed application form
  • Non-refundable application fee of $50
  • Official transcripts of all undergraduate, graduate, and professional education (Must have a bachelor's, master's, or doctoral degree from a regionally accredited college or university)
  • Official course by course evaluation of all foreign transcripts. Agencies that can complete this evaluation can be found here.
  • Applicants whose native language is not English are required to demonstrate English proficiency. One of the following standardized tests listed below will currently satisfy the university's English requirement for nonnative English speakers:
    • Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) 213 on the computer-based test; 79-80 on the Internet based test.
    • International English Language Testing System (IELTS) 6.0 on the test module.
    • GMAT score of 450; GRE score of 1,000 (old format); GRE score of 306 (new format).
    • Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT) with a score of at least 500 in the reading section, or the American College Test (ACT) with a score of at least 20 on the verbal section

Test results must be sent directly from the testing agency to the center you applied. Proof of English language competency can also be in the form of successful completion of a degree at an approved U.S. institution of higher education.

Program Length

Students have a maximum of five years to complete the program. The expected average completion time is 2-4 terms.

Tuition and Fees

Tuition is $714 per credit hour for the 2018-2019 academic year. A Health Professions Division student access fee of $145 is required each year. An NSU student service fee of $500 is charged each term that a student is registered for 4 or more credits. Students registered for less than 4 credits are charged $250. Tuition and fees are subject to change without notice.

Estimated Expenses

Books and supplies for 18 credit hours are estimated at $4,152. Room and board is estimated as follows:

  • Off Campus: $22,132
  • Living With Parents: $4,081
  • On Campus: $19,636
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