This course introduces the principles and applications of health informatics in public health practice, focusing on data acquisition, management, analysis, and visualization. Students will learn how to harness information technology and digital tools to improve health outcomes, enhance decision-making, and facilitate interdisciplinary collaboration. The course covers topics such as electronic health records, telemedicine, mobile health, big data analytics, health economics and artificial intelligence. Emphasis is also placed on ethical considerations, data privacy, and security challenges in the context of public health informatics. Through practical assignments and case studies, students develop the skills needed to integrate informatics effectively into public health research, building public health polices and interventions.

CILO-1: Explain the fundamental concepts, principles, and applications of health informatics in public health practice, research, and decision-making. CILO-2: Utilize health information systems, telemedicine, mHealth, and health communication technologies to improve health outcomes and enhance healthcare delivery. CILO-3: Analyze and visualize health data effectively using techniques such as big data analytics, Geographic Information Systems (GIS), artificial intelligence, and machine learning. CILO-4: Address privacy, security, and ethical concerns related to health informatics while ensuring data quality, consistency, and interoperability across systems. CILO-5: Evaluate the effectiveness, cost-effectiveness, and impact of health informatics interventions, incorporating health economics principles into informatics projects and decision-making.