Do you PHIT? Why A Career in Public Health Informatics Might Be for You and How to Get the Training You Need

From the Public Health Informatics &Technology (PHIT) Workforce Development Program     (NAPSI)—Are you looking to pursue a career in health care but don’t think direct patient is right for you? Perhaps you like analyzing trends and utilizing the latest technology? Or maybe you’re passionate about making a difference in your community? A career in public health informatics could be for you!     Public health informatics is an exciting and rapidly growing field that brings together public health and data science to improve people’s lives. Professionals in this field know how to connect people, technology and information to inform decision making that improves health outcomes across communities.     Career Paths     Public health informatics offers a pathway to making an impact in health care. By pursuing an education in this field, you can be at the forefront of the latest digital tools and trends, while also helping to improve the lives of others.     According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the related field of health information technologists and medical registrars has a job-growth outlook of 16% over the next 10 years, which is much faster than average. Various employers, from health IT start-ups to hospitals to public health departments and community health centers, need specialists trained in health data science.      Do you PHIT?     Are you interested in joining the movement to advance public health? There are opportunities to pursue an education in public health informatics in your local community.      The University of California, Irvine, offers multiple pathways for undergraduate students, graduate students, and working professionals to gain training and experience in public health informatics and technology. Find more information at: phit.uci.edu.     The California Consortium Public Health Informatics and Technology (CCPHIT) Workforce Development Program, led by California State University at Long Beach, is developing for-credit and not-for-credit PHIT courses, a virtual series, seminars and certificate programs for associates, undergraduates, graduates, adult learners and working professionals, offered at a variety of locations—mainly virtually. Find out more information at: csulb.edu.      • These projects are funded by the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under grant numbers 90PH0006 and 90PH00010; Public Health Informatics & Technology Workforce Development Program (The PHIT Workforce Development Program) for $10,232,066 (CSU) and $7,232,583 (UCI). This information or content and conclusions are those of the author and should not be construed as the official position or policy of, nor should any endorsements be inferred by ONC, HHS or the U.S. government.