Overview
The MS in Health Sciences Informatics Research program offers in-depth instruction and training in a range of topics in order to prepare graduates to contribute to innovations in a wide range of health sciences-related fields, including the clinical, nursing, public health, and librarianship domains. The MS in Health Sciences Informatics Research program prepares graduates to address information needs, design and create information technologies, deploy information solutions, and evaluate information management systems. With the ubiquitous deployment of Electronic Health Records (EHRs) and other health information systems, the MS in Health Sciences Informatics Research program also encompasses the application and evaluation of analytic platforms for precision medicine and population health.
The approach of the MS in Health Sciences Informatics Research program at Johns Hopkins University is interdisciplinary. Although housed in the School of Medicine, the MS in Health Sciences Informatics Research program facilitates relationships between students and faculty throughout Hopkins. During rotations and thesis work, MS in Health Sciences Informatics Research students will have the opportunity to learn about and/or research topics such as the following:
- Clinical Decision Support
- Global Health Informatics
- Health Information Exchange (HIE)
- Human-Computer Interaction
- Multi-Center Real-World Data
- Patient Quality & Safety
- Population Health Analytics
- Precision Medicine Analytics
- Standard Terminologies
- Telemedicine
- Translational Bioinformatics
The MS in Health Sciences Informatics Research program invites applicants from a range of disciplines including public health, clinical care, nursing, and biology, as well as from cognate fields such as computer, library, and information sciences.
Admission Criteria
Applicants for the MS in Health Sciences Informatics Research program will be considered with the following degrees and qualifications:
- BA or BS, with demonstrated technical, mathematical, and statistical proficiency;
- BA or BS, and a minimum of three years of professional experience in a relevant field where technical, mathematical, and statistical proficiencies were obtained; or
- MA, MS, MPH, MLIS, MD, PhD, or other relevant terminal degree where technical, mathematical, and statistical proficiencies were obtained or applied
Relevant fields include public health, medicine, dentistry, veterinary science, nursing, ancillary therapies, librarianship, biomedical science, and computer and information science.
The MS in Health Sciences Informatics Research application is made available online through the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine's Admissions online portal. By February 15, the documents listed below must be uploaded and tracked in the Admissions portal:
- Curriculum Vitae (including any peer-reviewed publications or conference presentations)
- Three letters of recommendation
- Official transcript of school record
- Certification of terminal degree
- Statement of purpose
You may also submit a portfolio of published research, writing samples, or samples of website or system development projects to support your application.
NOTES:
- "Technical proficiency" in this context refers to the ability to work with computers and information systems to solve problems or accomplish tasks beyond word processing, order-entry, etc. Familiarity with at least one programming language is strongly preferred.
- "Mathematical and statistical proficiencies" in this context involves the application of math or statistics to real-word problems or research. While evidence of applying these proficiencies within a professional or work setting would be considered ideal for an applicant, college-level course work in math and statistics will suffice.
If you have questions about your qualifications for the MS in Health Sciences Informatics Research program, please contact: JHInformatics@jhu.edu.
Program Requirements
The MS in Health Science Informatics is completed over 24 months of full-time enrollment and includes research and thesis preparation. The curriculum will be customized based on the student's background and needs, in partnership with the student's advisor and the MS in Health Science Informatics Program Director.
Year 1 of the MS in Health Science Informatics curriculum is focused on laying a solid foundation of research and quantitative methods and exposing students to a range of application areas through rotations and electives.
In Year 1, students meet the School of Medicine requirement for training in the Responsible Conduct of Research by completing:
- The online course “Responsible Conduct of Research (CITI)” through MyLearning during the first semester.
- One session of the School of Medicine Research Integrity Colloquia
Year 2 of the MS in Health Science Informatics curriculum is focused on undertaking a research-based thesis under the direction of a faculty advisor. During Year 2, MS in Health Science Informatics students will likely need to take advanced electives related to their thesis research. These advanced electives may address the application of specific analytical methods or emphasize clinical, public health, or informatics topic areas that are the focus of the student's research.
The culmination of the thesis research is a scholarly essay, which must receive approval from the program director before being submitted to the library.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Required Courses | ||
| ME.250.953 | Introduction to Biomedical Informatics | 3 |
| ME.250.771 | Introduction to Precision Medicine Data Analysis | 3 |
| ME.250.957 | Database Querying in Health | 3 |
| ME.250.955 | Applied Clinical Informatics | 3 |
| ME.250.750 | Design Discovery for Healthcare | 3 |
| ME.250.901 | HSI: Knowledge Engineering and Decision Support | 3 |
| ME.250.854 | Health Sciences Informatics Mentored Research 1 | 1 - 18 |
| ME.250.860 | Student Seminar and Grand Rounds 2 | 1 |
| ME.250.861 | Health Science Informatics Research Methods I | 3 |
| ME.250.862 | Health Sciences Informatics Research Methods II | 3 |
| ME.250.863 | Health Sciences Informatics Research Methods III | 3 |
| ME.250.864 | Health Sciences Informatics Research Methods IV | 3 |
| Electives | ||
Complete at least 36 credits from the following list: | ||
| ME.250.959 | Digital Health Laws and Regulations | 3 |
| ME.250.782 | Observational Health Research Methods on Medical Records | 3 |
| ME.250.952 | Leading Change Through Health IT | 3 |
| ME.250.770 | Clinical Data Analysis with Python | 3 |
| ME.250.960 | The Role of Digital Health and the Health Care Delivery System | 3 |
| ME.250.961 | Large Scale Observational Research Preparation | 3 |
| ME.250.785 | Emerging Clinical Applications with Large Lanquage Models | 3 |
| ME.250.777 | Clinical Decision Analysis | 3 |
| ME.250.778 | Implementing Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources | 3 |
| ME.250.783 | Imaging Informatics | 3 |
| ME.250.788 | Observational Research Methods in R | 3 |
| ME.250.790 | Machine Learning with Python for Biomedical Informatics | 3 |
| ME.250.755 | Natural Language Processing in the Health Sciences | 3 |
| ME.250.962 | Prototyping for Healthcare Design | 3 |
| ME.250.784 | Clinical Decision Support (CDS) Application Interoperability | 3 |
| ME.250.780 | Information Sources & Search Techniques for informatics Professionals | 1 |
| ME.250.958 | Digital Health Innovation & Regulatory Science | 1 |
| ME.250.963 | Health Information Technology Startup Generator / Accelerator | 3 |
1 Repeat at least 10 times (i.e., quarters and summers).
2 Repeat at least 8 times (i.e., quarters).
Note: Courses are offered during Quarters 1, 2, 3, 4, and Summer. Course credits are listed as quarter credits; the conversion rate to semester credits is .5 semester credits. For example, a 3 quarter credit Q1 course is 1.5 semester credits.
If you have questions about courses for the Masters in Health Sciences Informatics program, please contact JHInformatics@jhu.edu.
Learning Outcomes
Graduates of the MS in Health Sciences Informatics program will be able to:
- Examine the scope and processes of biomedical informatics across different disciplines pertaining to the biological, patient-centeredness, and health care systems
- Select and apply appropriate research designs for biomedical informatics projects
- Develop technical competencies for applying quantitative methods in analyzing common clinical data sources (e.g., electronic health records, hospital discharge data)
- Evaluate biomedical informatics policies and guidelines (e.g., ethical, privacy, security) intended to improve outcomes among all patients
- Demonstrate the ability to produce and share scholarly evidence (e.g., conference presentations, peer-reviewed publications)