INTRODUCTION
The practice and process of health care are inextricably intertwined with the management of information. Information technologies have become increasingly necessary for modern practices in medicine, efficient and effective management of health care, and health professions education. Health professionals recognize an urgent need for skilled scientists who are knowledgeable about both medical environment and information technologies.
The Master of Science program in Biomedical Informatics and our special Certificate Programs in Health Care Informatics prepare student in the applications of computer and information sciences to support and manage all health care activities ranging from those pertaining to the care of the sick, to health promotion and disease prevention, medical and health professions education, health sciences research, and management efforts directed toward solutions of problems in the delivery of health care, including resource optimization and cost effectiveness.
Examples of areas where such applications are rapidly increasing include: health care and hospital management systems, laboratory automation, quality assurance, financial management and resource allocation, health services and biomedical research, clinical decision making, treatment monitoring, networking and registration systems, information storage, retrieval and database management systems, simulation and modeling, pattern recognition, biomedical signal and image processing, and health professions education, research and support systems.
CURRICULUM
Biomedical informatics is a scientific discipline. As a field of study, biomedical informatics incorporates the knowledge of the health science (medicine, dentistry, nursing and allied health sciences) with computer science, management and decision science, biostatistics, and engineering and information technologies. Biomedical informatics involves the integrated use of several approaches and techniques from these sciences to solve problems relevant to health care delivery, health sciences research, health sciences education and clinical/medical decision making. This integration culminates in new knowledge and tools that become the foundations of biomedical informatics. The course work includes the theoretical foundations as well as the current range of applications of biomedical informatics within contemporary medical and health care delivery systems.
CONTENTS & CONCEPTS
The program emphasizes algorithms, design and utilization of efficient logic, computer-based methodologies and information technologies for cognition and representation of biomedical knowledge, management of health care/hospital systems, clinical decision making, biomedical imaging, design and development of interactive and intelligent teaching systems, and research solutions in biomedical sciences. The following are specific examples of curriculum contents included in the program courses:
In addition to core courses, electives and directed research projects, the students are able to pursue an in-depth study in any of the following areas:
Obtain