"I found PHDA 05 (Longitudinal Analysis and Multi-level Modelling of Population Health Data) to be the most rewarding as it exposed me to higher level quantitative analyses."
PHDA testimonials
PHDA 05 Longitudinal Analysis and Multi-level Modeling of Population Health Data
PHDA full testimonial
- How did you learn about the program and what motivated you to enroll?
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I learned about the PHDA program through browsing on web and was motivated to get more training in population health data analysis while working full-time.
- Tell us about your course experience. What skills did you develop and which courses provided the greatest benefit to you?
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Although the course load was a bit heavy at times, I think I’ve learned a lot and developed hands-on experience in analyzing population health data using SAS and ArcGIS.
- How have you been able to (or how do you plan to) apply your new skills in your work/research?
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I have not yet had a chance to utilize all the knowledge and skills I’ve gained in my current work, but definitely have a better understanding of results that are analyzed using ArcGIS.
- What do you think were the strengths of this program? Please provide examples.
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The strengths of this program include: good organization of coursework, exposure to variety of relevant topics, hands-on experience using several analytical software, excellent support and feedback by instructors, and a flexible schedule.
- Would you recommend this program to others? If so, what recommendations/suggestions would you give those interested in applying to this program?
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I would definitely recommend colleagues and others to take this program for further professional development.
- Any additional comments you would like to add?
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My program experience has been great and thank you for all the support I received from instructors and staff members in the PHDA program.
PHDA 03 Population Health and Geographical Information Systems
"I developed an understanding of not only how descriptive statistics can be geographically interpreted, but also how inferential statistics can be geographically interpreted. It taught me how to begin thinking spatially in-terms of patterns of health outcomes – neighbourhood make up, neighbourhood location, infrastructure, environmental concerns, etc."
PHDA Overall program/course experience
"The program’s strength emerged from how the courses were offered sequentially (eg: PHDA 03 and then PHDA 04) and the incorporation of Lab work into the course curriculum which provided the opportunity for more practical knowledge to be gained. Another strength is the friendly learning environment and willingness of the instructors to go an extra mile to assist students to understand concepts and course materials."
PHDA Overall program/course experience
"I think the highly trained, expert instructors, who are approachable and provide excellent feedback are a major strength. Certainly, the small class sizes allow for that individualized feedback and a continual dialogue with instructors in the discussion boards as well. I think the Moodle course site is very easy to use, and in general, the courses were very well organized.
Through the program, I came to learn about the enormous benefits of using already-collected administrative health data, and the process for doing so. I think my skills with SAS and ArcGIS will be the most useful to me, but the larger concepts of data integrity, (PHDA 01), what type of analysis is used in certain situations (PHDA 02), and considerations when doing spatial analysis (PHDA 04) are immensely important as well."
University of British Columbia, 201-2206 East Mall, Vancouver BC V6T 1Z3
Health Data Research Network Canada (HDRN) member
International Population Data Linkage Network (IPDLN) member
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