Graduation

Fourteen students graduated from the MSHI program in August. This picture was taken prior to the UAB Master’s Commencement Ceremony.

HI Team Takes 2nd at HIMSS Competition

On December 12, Health Informatics students, Candis Riggs, Jonathan Patterson, and Peyton Muskett - along with Jimmedda Mills as the analyst - placed second in the second annual HIMSS Case Competition.

This is the second year in a row that a team of HI students has placed at the HIMSS Case Competition. Last year, Riggs teamed up with Jason Bains and Jeffrey DeGarmo to place third.

These are the first two HIMSS Case Competitions and so far we are two-for-two in placing and improving every year!

Cyber Security Simulation

In August, the Office of Interprofessional Simulation for Innovative Clinical Practice i (OIPS) collaborated with the Master of Science in Health Informatics (MSHI) program to organize a cyber simulation with second-year MSHI students. This simulation highlighted cybersecurity awareness and action. In healthcare, there is no room for putting out the "we are closed sign" because cybersecurity has been breached. With safety as the primary goal, operations must be maintained. This simulation used four real-world examples in a tabletop simulation format to allow students an environment to apply their knowledge and skills. Each simulation concluded with a debriefing.

Monica Henderson, a second-year MSHI student, summed up the thoughts of many saying: " The cyber simulation was a great and an innovative exercise that engaged us to not only apply our coursework but also to think outside of our normal scope. Understanding that we need to balance IT with clinical care is pertinent to our training to become future healthcare leaders." Sue Feldman, RN, MEd, PhD, Director of Graduate Programs in Health Informatics was very pleased with the simulation saying, "Health Informaticians can benefit from being in environments where they can practice, discuss, and debrief what is learned in the classroom before an event happens. This experience is valuable when called upon to lead a team through a cybersecurity event." Special thanks to Gary Warner-Director Research in Computer Forensics, UAB, and Rob Ferrill- Chief Information Security Officer, UAB Health System, for their expertise.

MSHI program partners with Miles College to offer accelerated master’s degree

Each year, UAB’s Master of Science in Health Informatics program will accept a select number of students in Miles’ Computer and Information Sciences or Management Information Systems undergraduate programs for this new initiative. The initial students will begin the accelerated program in the fall 2018 semester.

This is UAB’s first partnership with a historically black college or university for an accelerated master’s program. “We are very excited about this unique program and look forward to building this relationship with Miles College and its students,” said Sue Feldman, Ph.D., director of Graduate Programs in Health Informatics. “The students from Miles receive a very solid foundational education that, when combined with the MSHI program at UAB, will prepare them for a career in health informatics.”

Capstone Projects

To complement the didactic coursework and fulfill the MSHI degree requirement, MSHI students complete an applied capstone project where they use what has been learned in the program to solve a real-world issue using health informatics. See our “Students in Action” section for a complete listing of capstone projects and sponsors.

Scholarships

This fall we are pleased to be able to award two scholarships to current MSHI students:

• The Alabama HIMSS President’s Endowed Award in Health Informatics is awarded to a student with solid academic promise and has demonstrated leadership potential and high ethical standards. This year, the award was given to Shawn Mithani.
• The Terrell W. Herzig Endowed Award in Health Informatics is given in honor of Mr. Herzig’s commitment to training leaders in health informatics and security. This year’s recipient is Jennifer Nall.
• We are pleased to announce a $2500 contribution by the Alabama Chapter of HIMSS to the AL HIMSS Travel Scholarship which supports student travel to the Annual National HIMSS Conference.