When the health care workforce is culturally competent, we all fare better. This is why I helped create a Master of Health Informatics degree program at Norfolk State University as part of the Public Health Information Technology (PHIT) Workforce Development program. The program makes NSU the first HBCU in Virginia to offer this kind of degree. NSU is one of 10 universities selected by the Biden administration to help bolster the public health workforce through the American Rescue Plan.
Health informatics is about using computer and information sciences to benefit and advance the health care industry, public health and individual patient care. Professionals in this field work to store, organize, protect, retrieve and analyze health care information from a variety of sources to meaningfully impact the delivery of health care. They apply analytic and visualization skills to learn from data, design information systems and use technology to solve public health problems.
While the focus is data science, the program is about much more than numbers. With health care disparities continuing to plague our communities, it is crucial that the health care informatics workforce is broadly inclusive to ensure cultural competence in the field. Data increasingly shapes health care, and understanding of the unique qualities and strengths of our communities is essential to using that data to benefit everyone.
Graduates of the informatics program are known as PHIT — pronounced “fit” — professionals, and their presence will expand the public health workforce and increase its responsiveness to communities.
The students I have had the pleasure of working with are passionate about solving problems. This training gives them skills to tackle issues such as disparities in health care, unequal social determinants of health, future pandemics and even climate change. Much of the PHIT curriculum is focused on developing quantitative reasoning and data literacy skills that are essential to addressing these issues.
PHIT professionals are in demand at a wide variety of organizations such as hospitals, private health care practices and pharmaceutical companies. Students in the NSU Master of Health Informatics program engage with health care practitioners and expand their experience through paid internships. When they complete the program, they are positioned for a variety of career opportunities, and they will be able to combine their newly developed skills and unique perspectives to address pressing issues.
Community partners to the NSU master’s degree program ensure real-world connections for students. Hampton Roads Community Health Center and Virginia Department of Health help develop the curriculum, and these partners provide internships and career contacts.
The PHIT program is a great option for undergraduate students who wish to pursue a career in health IT; professionals with a bachelor’s degree who are already in the workforce and want to advance their careers; first responders who wish to expand their leadership skills by acquiring informatics skills; and nurses who did not receive formal informatics instruction as part of their nursing education. With the exception of the in-person internship, all courses in the curriculum are taught online.
To learn more, visit the Masters in Health Informatics webpage at the Norfolk State website, nsu.edu.
Marie St. Rose, Ph.D. is the director of the Norfolk State University Public Health Informatics and Technology program and the director of Allied Health in the Department of Nursing and Allied Health. This project is supported by the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under grant number: 90PH0002; Public Health Informatics & Technology Workforce Development Program (The PHIT Workforce Development Program) for $5,088,354. This information or content and conclusions are those of the author and should not be construed as the official position or policy of, nor should any endorsements be inferred by ONC, HHS or the U.S. government.
