PUBH 5800 - Community Health Informatics

3 credit hours

The course will introduce students to the field of health informatics and its application to public health. Students will learn fundamental principles of computer science and computer information technology. They will apply these principles to understanding proper use of healthcare data and its inherent pitfalls concerning privacy, security, ethics, and data interoperability. The course will also provide an overview of the use of networking technology in the collection and distribution of health information, with emphasis on electronic and personal health records. Focus will be given to clinical application of informatics tools in evidence-based medicine, epidemiology, bioinformatics, imaging, and research. Students will also utilize publicly available information systems, such as national vital statistics, pertaining to morbidity data and environmental public health.