NORFOLK, Va – A new program has just started at Norfolk State University, and some believe it will help the local healthcare system. It’s a Master of Health Informatics program which is taught online.
According to NSU, it will be the first public Historically Black College or University (HBCU) in Virginia to offer a Master of Health Informatics (MHI) degree program.
In this 13-month program, students will study the processes and tools used to record, store, and analyze healthcare information. The university says the program is designed to bolster the ability of the public health workforce by using data to ultimately save lives. A spokesperson tells News 3 it comes in the wake of weakness in the healthcare field, revealed during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Dr. Marie St. Rose is the Director of Allied Health Programs at NSU.
“We want a public health workforce with diversity representation, and Norfolk State University is in a unique position because most of the students we have are minority students,” explained St. Rose. “They have the opportunity to enter the program so they can be the next generation of people in the workforce to represent diversity. Diversity representation is very good because it improves health equity, it improves health outcomes, and you have a [wider] pool of inputs and insights.”
NSU says the goal is to increase the number of professional employees in the public health workplace from underrepresented populations who have expertise in information, computer science, and technology.
It’s being developed with support from the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology.
It includes an internship coordinated with the Virginia Department of Health and Hampton Roads Community Health Center.
One student in the inaugural class is Hassan Rabbani. He is originally from Pakistan. He’s always been interested in the medical field, but put that dream on hold when he came to Norfolk 23 years ago. Since then, he’s worked in retail and in hospitality, but gravitated toward NSU where he recently earned his bachelor’s in health services management.
Now, he decided to take his education further by getting a master’s in health informatics.
“Good decisions come from good data, and I think that’s the best way to give back to the community- knowing where something is needed the most so you actually, effectively deploy the correct resource for that,” explained Rabbani.
Rabbani says it is important to him to be part of delivering better health outcomes to the most vulnerable.
“Ultimately, we’re as strong as the weakest one amongst us,” Rabbani said. “I’ve been here 23 years and you get to see how the area has changed, how the demographics have changed, and how many of the things have still remained the same for the people who actually need them to change the most.”
The Fall semester started on August 21; however, according to Dr. St. Rose, students can apply starting this September to enroll for Fall of 2024. For more on the program and admissions requirements, click here.
