Dr. Benedict Jikong– Health Data Analytics Program Coordinator

The Health Data Analytics degree is a combination of five courses from the Health Services Administration MS program and five courses from the Advanced Data Analytics MS program at UNT. The program is hybrid in nature such that the five Data Analytics courses will be offered face-to-face while the five Health Services courses will be offered online. This program is a good fit for international graduate students by offering them a STEM graduate degree that provides 3 years of OPT post-graduation.

Data analysts who are knowledgeable of healthcare settings are highly marketable. Health data analysts play a crucial role in the healthcare industry by collecting, analyzing, and interpreting health-related data to help improve patient care, operational efficiency, and healthcare outcomes. Their main responsibilities include: 

1. Data Collection and Management: They gather data from a variety of sources, such as electronic health records (EHR), patient surveys, and clinical databases. Ensuring the data is accurate, complete, and up-to-date is vital. 

2. Data Analysis: They use statistical methods and tools to analyze healthcare data, looking for trends, patterns, and insights that can inform decisions. For example, they might identify which treatments lead to better patient outcomes or where improvements can be made in healthcare delivery. 

3. Reporting and Visualization: Health data analysts present their findings to healthcare providers, administrators, and policymakers. This often involves creating visual reports, dashboards, and presentations that make the data easier to understand and act upon. 

4. Improving Efficiency: They analyze the performance of healthcare systems, identifying inefficiencies or bottlenecks, and suggesting improvements. This could involve optimizing resource use, reducing waste, or streamlining processes. 

5. Ensuring Compliance: Analysts help ensure that healthcare organizations comply with regulations (like HIPAA in the U.S.) by monitoring data security and privacy standards, and making sure that sensitive information is handled appropriately. 

6. Predictive Analytics: In some cases, they may use advanced analytics to forecast future trends, such as patient admissions or disease outbreaks, which can help with planning and resource allocation. 

This program is designed to meet an identified need for graduate trainees who are familiar with data analytics as they pertain to the needs of healthcare organizations.  Graduates of this program will be eligible for jobs as health data analysts in a variety of healthcare delivery environments that include hospitals, health insurance, pharmaceuticals, clinics, and other healthcare organizations.