Public health informatics uses technology and analytics to find modern solutions for public health problems. Through the use of public health data, software, and information systems, public health content and data analysis findings are transformed into compelling descriptions of public health problems, health disparities, and trends in disease rates. This information can be used for disease prevention, preparedness, and improving the general population’s health. Informatics can be focused on internal data use at public health agencies but can also include visualizations of data for public consumption.
Public Health Informatics
Discover how informatics can help you create a public health career with great potential.
What is Public Health informatics?
Why Public Health Informatics?
Public health informatics plays a critical role in population health by improving health and healthcare outcomes of individuals and communities. As a public health informatics professional, you will have the opportunity to leverage technology to enhance disease surveillance, outbreak management, and health promotion efforts. The field of public health informatics was pivotal during the COVID-19 pandemic. Analyzing public health data and display of these data in dashboards, maps, and communications helped to bring people important messages about this new disease. The field of public health informatics is rapidly growing due to the increasing demand for healthcare data management and analysis. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment of healthcare IT professionals, including those in public health informatics, is projected to grow by 8% from 2019 to 2029, which is much faster than the average for all other occupations. Due to the high demand for skilled public health informatics professionals, the salaries are typically very competitive. According to the Health Information Management Systems Society (HIMSS), the median salary for public health informatics professionals is $97,000 per year.
A career in public health informatics offers a rewarding opportunity to make a significant impact on public health while also enjoying competitive salaries and opportunities for growth and advancement.
What career opportunities exist in the field?
Within the field of public health informatics, there are a wide range of careers in both the private and public sectors, including public health informatics in public health agencies or private sector work and consulting.
Job opportunities can range from more technology heavy skills, to data analytics, to setting up dashboards for public awareness and advocacy. The same skills used in public health informatics are also applicable in healthcare or medical settings. Regardless of the type of career, the fundamental skills needed are the same. Essential skills include data analytic skills, understanding of public health, analytical thinking, knowledge of programming, spatial skills, and problem-solving including the application of technology. These skills are in high demand by employers in many industries. An internship (paid) will help in finding a public health informatics job.
CCPHIT Courses
Spring Term 2024
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Introduction to Public Health Informatics and Technology
This course provides an introduction to public health informatics and technology. Students will gain an understanding of the basic concepts of public health, including the history and structure of public health in the United States. An overview of public health information systems and data will be explored and how they support public health.
Bakersfield College via an online platform.
For more information, review the steps to enroll website and class schedule.
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Emerging Technologies for Public Health
This course is to familiarize students with principles, methods, & techniques necessary to apply GIS in public health settings. Weekly readings, discussions, case studies are presented to introduce application of GIS technologies; maps for visualizing clusters, mobile phone-Apps for data collection, & spatial analyses such as proximity analysis or site suitability. Course includes assignments aimed & acquiring experience on the use of GIS for infectious disease control, disease cluster detection, environmental justice, health services data mapping, & spatial risk assessment. Culminating project: Story Map where students use maps they’ve created as well as additional narrative text images & optional videos for community health education or policy.
UC Berkeley via an online platform.
For more information, review the class schedule.
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Applied GIS for Public Health Practice
PBHLTH W277 is an 8-week graduate-level course.
This course will familiarize students with the principles, methods, and techniques necessary to apply Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in diverse public health practice settings. Case studies will be presented to introduce the application of GIS technologies for rendering disease surveillance maps, developing effective spatial data visualization, creating compelling and credible spatial risk maps, and acquiring and processing positioning information for health applications.
UC Berkeley via an online platform.
For more information, review the class schedule.
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Public Health Maps and Spatial Analysis for Health Equity
PBHLTH 177A is a 16-week undergraduate-level course.
Students will acquire geospatial skills and apply them in the context of structural inequity, health disparities, and racial justice. Geospatial skills will be applied to public health problems that continue to demonstrate differences in health exposures, risks, and adverse outcomes for BIPOC living in the US, as well as to contribute to much poorer outcomes in the US than in other high income countries. The main learning objective in the course is to understand the importance of place in the display, analysis, and reporting of health data at local, national, and global scales. Each week, case studies will provide context for the specific ways in which place matters when thinking about public health and health services delivery.
UC Berkeley via an online platform.
For more information, review the class schedule.
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Public Health Maps and Spatial Analysis
PBHLTH 277A is a 16-week graduate-level course.
Students will acquire geospatial skills and apply them in the context of structural inequity, health disparities, and racial justice. Geospatial skills will be applied to public health problems that continue to demonstrate differences in health exposures, risks, and adverse outcomes for BIPOC living in the US, as well as to contribute to much poorer outcomes in the US than in other high income countries. The main learning objective in the course is to understand the importance of place in the display, analysis, and reporting of health data at local, national, and global scales. Each week, case studies will provide context for the specific ways in which place matters when thinking about public health and health services delivery.
UC Berkeley via an online platform.
For more information, review the class schedule.
Fall Term 2023
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Introduction to Public Health Informatics and Technology
This course provides an introduction to public health informatics and technology. Students will gain an understanding of the basic concepts of public health, including the history and structure of public health in the United States. An overview of public health information systems and data will be explored and how they support public health.
Bakersfield College via an online platform.
For more information, review the Summer 2023 and Fall 2023 class schedule.
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Public Health Informatics: The Role of Data
Students will gain an understanding and application of public health informatics and technology with a focus on health/healthcare disparities. Students will procure, create, clean, manage, and analyze data to answer public health questions. Health informatics standards will also be introduced.
CSU East Bay and CSU Long Beach via an online platform.
For more information, review the class schedule.
Requires an introductory course: PBHSB26 – Introduction to Public Health Informatics and Technology. This course can be taken at different locations.
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Emerging Technologies for the Public Health
Take this unique one-time special topics course taught by a group of top experts on using technology and informatics holistically for health, namely public health. Learn how to use AI, smart devices, social media, apps, HL7, FHIR, and cloud technology for better and more equitable health outcomes by looking at our environments, lifestyles, social determinants, and medical care in concert.
Prerequisites: Data 8 or any Introductory statistics course
Logistics: Friday lecture 10 am–12 pm and lab 12–2 pm; In-person if you’re on the Berkeley campus, Simulcast online if remote.
View this course on the Berkeley Academic Guide website.
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Foundations of Public Health Informatics and Technology (Not for Credit)
The pandemic has exposed gaps in our public health reporting and data analysis. Federal and state governments as well as community health organizations are investing in robust data collection to support research and response. Foundations of Public Health Informatics and Technology (FPHIT) is a fully online program of courses and projects across key topics that prepares you for an entry-level career and continued education at the intersection of public health and data analytics.
Futuro Health via an online platform, Coursera.
To register for this course, please email phinformatics@berkeley.edu.
Summer Term 2023
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Introduction to Public Health Informatics and Technology
This course provides an introduction to public health informatics and technology. Students will gain an understanding of the basic concepts of public health, including the history and structure of public health in the United States. An overview of public health information systems and data will be explored and how they support public health.
Bakersfield College via an online platform.
For more information, review the Summer 2023 and Fall 2023 class schedule.
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Applied GIS for Public Health
The course is to familiarize students with the principles, methods, & techniques necessary to apply GIS in public health settings. Weekly readings, discussions, and case studies are presented to introduce the application of GIS technologies; maps for visualizing clusters, mobile phone apps for data collection, and spatial analyses such as proximity analysis or site suitability. The course includes assignments aimed at acquiring experience in the use of GIS for infectious disease control, disease cluster detection, environmental justice, health services data mapping, & spatial risk assessment. Culminating project: Story Map where students use maps they’ve created as well as additional narrative text images & optional videos for community health education or policy.
Some topics covered during the semester-long course may not be covered during the summer term.
UC Berkeley via an online platform.
For more information, review the class schedule. 177 or 177A/ 277 or 277A.
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Foundations of Public Health Informatics and Technology (Not for Credit)
The pandemic has exposed gaps in our public health reporting and data analysis. Federal and state governments as well as community health organizations are investing in robust data collection to support research and response. Foundations of Public Health Informatics and Technology (FPHIT) is a fully online program of courses and projects across key topics that prepares you for an entry-level career and continued education at the intersection of public health and data analytics.
Futuro Health via an online platform, Coursera.
To register for this course, please email phinformatics@berkeley.edu.
CCPHIT Virtual Series
The California Consortium for Public Health Informatics and Technology (CCPHIT) is offering learners an online, self-paced, instructor moderated, hands-on learning course covering the fundamentals and foundations of Public Health Informatics and Technology. It also covers an experiential learning of mapping and analysis techniques.
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CCPHIT Virtual Series #1 IMA: Informatics, Mapping & Analysis Bootcamp & Internship
Develop your skills with our 80-hour online, self-paced, CCPHIT Virtual Series Bootcamp: July 15–September 15, 2023 (9 weeks).
The target audience includes: Existing enrolled students of Informatics, Public Health, Health Informatics & Technology (HIT) and related disciplines; Recently graduated students from the above disciplines; Current workers looking to up-skill in PHIT.
Your learning experience will include Mapping & Analysis.
Learn more
Frequently Asked Questions
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Who are we?
Our program includes California state community colleges, Cal State campuses, and University of California together in complementary roles to form the CCPHIT in partnership with Health partners, including Departments of Public Health, public health community clinics and associations. We also engage community-based partners, such as health advocacy organizations, health industry providers, insurers, and technology/service organizations. Two of these key partners are: 1) Futuro Health, a community-based non-profit that focuses on the largest network of credentialed allied health workers in the nation, and 2) IEEE, which is at the apex of digital transformation globally, the world’s largest technical professional organization dedicated to advancing technology for the benefit of humanity.
Regional health departments and relevant private industry partners are committed to providing paid experiential learning opportunities for participants. CCPHIT can successfully contribute to meeting workforce placements and apply our collective strategies to creating a sustainable, ongoing pipeline of a diverse PHIT workforce to assist in addressing future Public Health challenges. The consortium is 3-tier in its educational institutions with the community colleges as our frontline of engagement with communities. The educational institutions in the consortium will sustain the teaching of the new PHIT courses and motivate other educational institutions outside our consortium to do the same.
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Are there any prerequisites to start?
No! There are no prerequisite courses. However, having a basic understanding of data science fundamentals is helpful.
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What additional resources are available to support my learning experience?
UC Berkeley D-Lab provides resources, training, and support to students, faculty, and researchers across campus to help them acquire, manage, analyze, and visualize data, and to use data in innovative ways to address complex social problems. D-Lab offers a variety of workshops, courses, and research opportunities in areas such as data analysis, visualization, mapping, text mining, machine learning, and more.
D-Lab’s Python Fundamentals series for the Fall 2023 semester will begin on Monday, August 14th. This is a great resource to help develop or advance the data science skills needed for PHIT courses. Python Fundamentals is run five times throughout the semester and events are announced through this newsletter.
D-Lab hosts a variety of different data science workshops and series which are both interesting and extremely useful! For more information on their upcoming offerings, see the D-Lab website.
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What type of internships will I be able to complete?
As part of the PHIT coursework, students are placed into paid internships where they can apply their skills in a practical and professional setting. Students will be able to apply the skills they learn in their courses in a professional setting. They will work with a variety of organizations, from public, private, government and academic agencies, such as local health departments and non-profits. Internship responsibilities are created by the student, employer, and course instructor.
Are you interested in Public Health Informatics?
CCPHIT Virtual Series is part of the CCPHIT program. The CCPHIT for Workforce Development program is supported 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 number 90PH0006/01-05 and title “The PHIT Workforce Development Program” for grant amount $10,232.066.00 and 0% financed with nongovernmental sources. This information or content and conclusions are those of the authors/speakers of the Virtual Series 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.