HI 5381 Methods in Public Health Informatics

Course Type: Basic
Credit Hours: 3

This course assists the student in the area of technical writing, the development of 
scholarly and academic writing abilities. Each student will complete the process of 
generating a written document from topic selection through outlining, drafting, and 
revising. Writing in the field of Biomedical Informatics will be addressed and the genre 
of written discourse in informatics will be explored by the student. The elements of the 
recursive writing process and a review of the technical aspects of writing will also be 
considered. Critical reading, thinking and writing will be emphasized in the course. 
Weekly assignments require writing throughout the course.  A course writing project is 
required such as developing a manuscript for review, submission and possible 
publication. 

This course introduces practical methods and techniques used in Public Health Informatics (PHI).  The course will focus on using informatics methods to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of public health protection and delivery.  The course modules are organized into three domain knowledge of PHI methods: 1) Policies and Procedures Framework of Public Health Informatics, 2) GIS and Spatial Analysis, and 3) Knowledge Management and decision making support in PH informatics.  The course is designed to familiarize students with methods for addressing the core concepts & issues confronting public health practitioners and researchers in planning, implementation and evaluation of health info systems.

Prerequisites

None

Additional Information

Course Goals

By the end of the course, the student should be able to:

  • Apply legal and ethical principles to the use of information technology and resources in public health settings.    
  • Evaluate and manage knowledge and projects of public health informatics. 
  • Appropriately employ computing tools and methods (such as GIS and spatial methods) for conducting public health activities, such as health needs assessment, environmental health surveillance and evaluation. 
  • Use information technology to access, analyze, and interpret public health data.  
  • Communicate PHI principles and results using theory and strategy-based communication principles across different settings and audiences, demonstrating effective written and oral skills for communicating with audiences in the context of professional public health activities.