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M.S. IN HEALTH INFORMATICS

M.S. IN HEALTH INFORMATICS

The College of Arts and Sciences offers a Master of Science degree in Health Informatics. The program is offered online and requires students to complete 36 credit hours that include either a capstone or a research project

Exposure to three concentrations:

  •  Population Health Informatics
  • Clinical Informatics
  • Bioinformatics

Designed to ensure graduates are prepared to:

  • Select, implement, use, and evaluate health care information systems such as electronic health records (EHRs) and data management and analytic systems.
  • Lead organizational efforts in health informatics.
  • Apply data analytical skills to transform patient care and the care delivery process.

 

M.S. Health Informatics Program PDF 

Required Courses

Program Description:

The College of Arts and Sciences offers a new academic program, the Master of Science degree in Health Informatics. The program is offered online and is both a thesis and a non-thesis option. The Master’s program requires students to complete 36 credit hours that includes either a capstone or a research project.

The development of the Master of Science in Health Informatics began as a result of the work of the Ochsner Xavier Institute for Health Equity and Research (OXIHER). OXIHER seeks to improve overall community health, reduce health inequities, develop innovative healthcare delivery models, and model equitable and respectful care. The development of this program supports one of the guiding principles of OXIHER: Health Careers and Equity Education. This principle seeks to increase the number of healthcare workers who will lead and innovate in health equity. This program will increase the number of professionals who have an understanding of how to use and analyze health data with the ultimate purpose to improve patient care.

In addition to working with Ochsner Health, this program will also work with other local agencies, including the New Orleans Health Department and the Louisiana Public Health Institute. The Xavier program will also seek to work with the Louisiana Bureau of Health Informatics (LBHI). LBHI serves as the primary hub for many public health-wide data and informatics efforts which includes: coordinating legislative mandates for reporting; managing meaningful use for public health, providing data and visualization services, and managing the Electronic Health Records system for the parish health clinics and other office-wide and external efforts and partnerships.

The Master of Science in Health Informatics program is designed to accomplish the following outcomes:

  • Educate students so that they will be able to manage patient health information and medical records effectively, administer computer information systems, collect and analyze patient data from large datasets (e.g. clinical data warehouse) for decision-making, and use classification systems and medical terminologies.
  • Educate students to understand various coding systems, terminology/ nomenclatures, and relevant health information standards used in analyzing health data and facilitating health information exchange.

Based on the learning objectives and competencies of the  CAHIIM. Program graduates are expected to demonstrate knowledge and skills in the following domains:

  • Health
  • Information Science and Technology
  • Social and Behavioral Science
  • Health Information Science and Technology
  • Human Factors and Socio-technical Systems
  • Social and Behavioral Aspects of Health
  • Social, Behavioral, and Information Science and Technology Applied to Health
  • Professionalism
  • Inter-professional Collaborative Practice
  • Leadership

 

*CAHIIM (Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management) 

  • Fundamentals of Health Informatics (3 credit hours)
  • Explorations of Statistics in Health Science (3 credit hours)
  • Health Information Systems: Design and Decision Making (3 credit hours)
  • Database Architecture and Administration (3 credit hours)
  • Health Data Analysis (3 credit hours)
  • Health Informatics Project Management (3 credit hours)
  • Technology for Population Health (3 credit hours)
  • Privacy and Security: Protecting Healthcare Data (3 credit hours)
  • Capstone or Research Project (6 credit hours)
  • Securing Digital Infrastructure (3 credit hours)
  • Technology for Healthcare Financial Management (3 credit hours)
  • Healthcare Quality and Safety (3 credit hours)
  • Big Data Use and Analysis (3 credit hours)
  • Advanced Topics in Data Warehousing (3 credit hours)

Admissions Requirements

  • Graduate Application
  • Official transcripts that indicate the completion of an undergraduate degree in allied health fields, science or social science, or business from an accredited institution
    • Please note: Applicants must submit a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited college or university with a minimum 2.75 GPA
  • Three Academic or Professional Letters of Recommendation
  • Statement of Interest 
    • Please, clearly express your interest in public health, and why you are pursuing this degree. Also, explain your professional goals, how your goals relate to this degree, and what have you done, either academically or professionally, to guide your interest in public health?
  • Graduate Record Exam Revised (GRE) Test-Optional
    • Note: The median test scores are 280 combined on the GRE
  • TOEFL Score
    • *Students who are not native speakers of English will be required to pass the TOEFL and demonstrate English speaking comprehension skills appropriate for service delivery. A minimum TOEFL score of 600 on the paper-based exam, or 100 on the internet-based exam, must be achieved on a test taken within the last two years. Students may be referred for accent reduction or ESL instruction

Application Steps

  • Submit your online application
  • Pay your $30 application fee
  • Have official transcripts and recommendation letters uploaded to the application or sent to our office via email to ogp@xula.edu or postal mail.
  • Have official transcripts and recommendation letters sent to our office via email to ogp@xula. edu or postal mail to the Office of Graduate Programs at 1 Drexel Drive, Box 250, New Orleans, LA 70125.

Faculty and Staff:

Xavier University of Louisiana currently includes four full-time faculty members qualified in Health Informatics. These faculty members are in Data Science, Public Health Sciences, and Pharmacy
Faculty and Staff
  • Martha Earls, Pharm.D. Health Disparities, Health Equity, Seniors/ Elderly; currently focusing on Vaccine and Health Disparities, and Seniors and Social Isolation
  • Chamika Hawkins – Taylor, Ph.D. Race/Place Disparities, Social Epidemiology, Health Outcomes; currently focusing on Aging in Place & Housing Arrangement, Peripheral Artery Disease and Limb Loss in Black Patients

 

  • Nawa Raj Pokhrel, Ph.D. Statistical Modelling in Cybersecurity and Finance
  • Felicia Wheaton, Ph.D. Gerontology; currently focusing on utilizing a variety of population-based surveys, including the Health and Retirement Study (HRS), to examine health disparities and the impact of psychosocial factors on the health and wellbeing of older adults.

 

Application Deadlines


Fall                                                                                                    Spring
April 1 – Priority  October 1 – Priority
May 1 – General December 1 – General

 

For more information about the Master of Science Degree in Health Informatics please contact the OFFICE OF GRADUATE PROGRAMS: 

Email: ogp@xula.edu

Phone: 504-520-7669