Faculty share expertise in medical journal tech issue

July 23, 2019
Categories: Faculty/Staff Tags: College of Health and Human Services, Faculty and Staff News, Research, Scholarship and Academic Life

The latest issue of the North Carolina Medical Journal (NCMJ) focuses on how technology and big data can impact health care in North Carolina. The issue was co-edited by Michael Thompson, associate chair of the UNC Charlotte Department of Public Health Sciences, and Michael Dulin, director of the Academy for Population Health Innovation.

“We were fortunate to include many colleagues and community partners as authors in this issue to highlight our region’s big data strengths and to give the issue a decidedly Charlotte flavor,” said Thompson.

The intersection of technology and health is an important area in health care and a strength at UNC Charlotte. The Data Science Initiative brings academia and industry together to turn data into knowledge, and knowledge into insight to see what’s possible in the new digital age. The initiative is home to the Health Informatics and Analytics Program, which trains students to advance the field through a thorough grounding in data science, system architecture and health analytics.

“The health system is awash in data yet barely ankle deep in information,” said Thompson. “New analytics techniques, deployed extensively in business applications, are an essential component to transforming our health care system into one that is more effective and efficient, but more importantly, one that is evidence-based, proactive, equitable and value-based.”

Selected Contributions from UNC Charlotte Faculty and Staff

Leveraging Data Analytics to Advance Personal, Population, and System Health: Moving Beyond Merely Capturing Services Provided

  • Michael Thompson, associate chair, Department of Public Health Sciences
  • Michael Dulin, director, Academy for Public Health Innovation

Benefits, Pitfalls and Potential Bias in Health Care AI

  • Douglas Hague, research and industry lead, UNC Charlotte Data Science Initiative

Adopting Social Media for Improving Health: Opportunities and Challenges

  • Jessamyn Bowling, assistant professor, Department of Public Health Sciences
  • Albert Park, assistant professor, Department of Software and Information Systems
  • George Shaw, assistant professor, Department of Public Health Sciences
  • Shi Chen, assistant professor, Department of Public Health Sciences
  • Chuqin Li, Department of Software and Information Systems

The technology issue of NCMJ also includes contributions by representatives from UNC Charlotte partners Premiere Inc., Mecklenburg County Health Department, Tresata and Atrium Health.