Marquette University’s Graduate School has launched a new health care data analytics program that will start in fall 2018. The online interdisciplinary program combines mathematics, statistics, computer science, ethics, health care environment, regulations, industry, and process improvement. This combination is designed to bring the latest in the health care industry and the delivery of care and service, together with the tools of analysis and technology.
The Health Care Data Analytics program was developed based on the demand within the health care and auxiliary industries for professionals with advanced training in data analytics.
“Every day clinicians are entering data into health information technology systems like EHRs when taking care of patients. Clinicians are looking for a dividend on the data they are entering. What lies in that data are the cures to diseases, improved patient outcomes and more efficient health care organizations. To get there we need data analytics professionals with the skills and expertise to make sense of the data,” said Russ Hinz, vice president, health informatics at Aurora Health Care.
Career opportunities go beyond just hospital systems and apply to areas like health care technology companies, health insurance agencies, software consulting companies, IT services, actuary firms, pharmaceutical companies and more — which makes the job outlook incredibly positive, especially because Marquette University is located where many of the top 40 employers in the Milwauke area are in the health care industy or related industries.
According to a recent article in Advance for Health Information Professionals, the outlook for data scientists is “on the rise, particularly within the health care industry. While the demand for this position grows, the supply of qualified individuals is lacking.” Additionally, a McKinsey study predicted that by 2018, “the U.S. could face a shortage of 140,000 to 190,000 people with deep analytic skills as well as 1.5 million managers and analysts with the know-how to use the analysis of big data to make effective decisions.”
The program offers a unique focus on ethically driven data analytics, where data science is looked at through the lens of the ethical and social issues surrounding them. Those issues provide a critical and greatly underappreciated context that offers a meaningful bridge between individuals, big data and the health care industry.
The Helen Way Klingler College of Arts and Sciences and the College of Nursing are sponsoring the program. More information, including application requirements and deadlines, can be found online.