Health Information Management

The Master of Public Health (MPH) program offers students the opportunity to complete their online degree with a specialization in Health Information Management (HIM). The HIM specialization ensures that our MPH graduates can transform data into valuable information that will impact the quality of prevention and care across.

When designing the HIM specialization, we worked very closely with the Canadian Health Information Management Association (CHIMA). In November 2024, our MPH program became Canada’s first program of its kind to receive accreditation by the Canadian College of Health Information Management (CCHIM). Jeff Nesbitt, CEO and Registrar of the CCHIM and the CHIMA stated, “This accreditation highlights the growing need for advanced expertise in health information, ensuring that public health professionals are equipped to drive meaningful change and enhance the health of Canadians.”

Our HIM specialization has been strategically developed so our MPH students are prepared appropriately to challenge the CCHIM national certification exam with the intention to become a certified Health Information Management Professional. This course-specific tailoring is intended to meet the needs of public health professionals, health practitioners and recent post-graduate students by providing the theoretical understanding and practical knowledge required to create, develop, design and evaluate public health strategies that will have a meaningful social impact at the local, nation and global levels.

The MPH program also offers a Graduate Micro-Program (GMP) in Health Information Management. The GMP is comprised of three MPH courses designed to boost your specialized HIM knowledge and skillset, accelerate your learning journey, and expand your career opportunities. These courses include:

  1. Health Data Governance (MPHA 5P19)
  2. Health Information Systems and Technology (MPHA 5P29)
  3. Health Information Management and Analytics in Practice (MPHA 5P39)

Upon successful GMP completion, students earn a notation on their official Brock University transcript. While our GMP in HIM can be completed as a stand-alone program, students who desire to complete our graduate degree can apply these three courses toward admission to our full MPH degree program. For more information on linking this GMP to a Master’s degree, learn about our Bridge to Masters Degree. Below is the program plan for MPH students completing the HIM specialization.

MPH Specialization in HIM (3 terms)

Required (11 courses):

  • MPHA 5P01 – Quality Health Systems Through Collaboration and Partnership
  • MPHA 5P02 – Qualitative Research: Interviewing and Beyond
  • MPHA 5P03 – Epidemiology
  • MPHA 5P04 – Foundations of Public Health
  • MPHA 5P05 – Biostatistics in Public Health
  • MPHA 5P06 – Policy and Practice: Critical Evaluation and Synthesis in Program Planning
  • MPHA 5P19 – Health Data Governance (HIM focus)
  • MPHA 5P29 – Health Information Systems and Technology (HIM focus)
  • MPHA 5P39 – Health Information Management and Analytics in Practice (HIM focus)
  • MPHA 5P11 – Public Health Practicum I (HIM focus)
  • MPHA 5P21 – Public Health Practicum II (HIM focus)

Elective (select 1 course):

  • MPHA 5P07 – Microbiology in Infection Prevention and Control
  • MPHA 5P08 – Public Health Emergency Preparedness
  • MPHA 5P09 – Measuring Health Equity
  • MPHA 5P10 – Social Marketing and Health Communication
  • MPHA 5P12 – Environmental and Occupational Health
  • MPHA 5P13 – Economics for Public Health
  • MPHA 5P14 – Leading Change in Public Health
  • MPHA 5P15 – eHealth Innovations and Trends
  • MPHA 5P16 – Indigenous Health
  • MPHA 5P17 – Artificial Intelligence: Theory and Managerial Application
  • MPHA 5P18 – Foundations of Program Evaluation in Public Health
  • MPHA 5P27 – Foundations of Infection Control
  • MPHA 5P37 – Healthcare Quality, Safety and Risk
  • MPHA 5P99 – Public Health Independent Project