The new degree program is offered through the Graham School of Continuing Liberal and Professional Studies. Aimed at working adults in the healthcare field — such as physicians, nurses, pharmacists, researchers and IT professionals — the degree program was designed with the evolving technology and healthcare landscapes in mind.
“It’s becoming easier for clinicians, researchers and technicians to user powerful informatics tools to analyze data, yet it’s never been more important for healthcare professionals to understand those tools and methods,” said Samuel Volchenboum, MD, PhD, associate professor of pediatrics and director of the Center for Research Informatics at the University of Chicago. “By going through this program, physicians, nurses and others in healthcare will be able to use and analyze data much more effectively — resulting in improved medical care.”
The curriculum covers the gamut in biomedical informatics training, from EHR functionality to medical research.
Additionally, the program seeks to fill part of the talent gap in the medical informatics field. A news release from the University cites statistics from the American Medical Informatics Association indicating the U.S. faces a shortage of qualified workers in medical informatics, and the demand for such talent is projected to grow twice as fast as the rate of employment.
The University of Chicago is accepting applications for the biomedical informatics program on a rolling basis for the spring and autumn 2016 quarters.
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