PHDA testimonials

If you would like to specify which course(s) you would like to see testimonials for, you may do so by selecting the course(s) from the list below and hitting the APPLY filter button. You may select more than one course. Otherwise, the testimonials are listed below, in random order.

PHDA 03 Population Health and Geographical Information Systems

"This course is a rich and nuanced exploration of the interplay of spatial associations between population health and exposure to multiple risk factors including pathogen/toxin load, socio-economic influences and ‘built environment’ indices. Well-paced and supported ‘labs’ move from mapping skills and associated ethics to the use of spatial statistics in assessing distribution in population health. Required readings are current and wide-ranging. The final project provides a wonderful opportunity to use acquired tools to explore in depth a personal research project of interest.

I highly recommend this course to all in population health – from analysts and city planners to physicians and veterinarians. The power of GIS to put “place” into the population health equation is a powerful tool. This course illuminates this exceptionally."

PHDA 01 Working with Administrative Data

"The Working with Administrative Data was one of the courses that provided me with the greatest benefits. As I was completing the PHDA 01 course, my workplace, the New Brunswick Institute for Research Data and Training, was just receiving its first health data set. Having had the opportunity to use BC’s administrative datasets such as the Discharge Abstract Database (DAD) provided me with a first glance at what our provincial data would look like, and how I could manipulate and analyze them."

> read full testimonial

PHDA full testimonial

How did you learn about the program and what motivated you to enroll in the PHDA course(s) you chose?: I learned about the PHDA program through researching continuing education certificates focused on population-level health administrative analysis. I was motivated to do so as I am particularly interested in health services research during the end-of-life phase.
Tell us about your course experience. What skills did you develop and which courses provided the greatest benefit to you?: Overall, I had a positive program experience. I greatly appreciated the asynchronous format as it allowed me to develop my skills without risking my other professional commitments. I found PHDA05 (Longitudinal Analysis and Multi-level Modelling of Population Health Data) to be the most rewarding as it exposed me to higher level quantitative analyses. In addition, I found PHDA03 (Population Health and Geographic Information Systems) very interesting as it provided applicable GIS uses for health services research.
How do you plan to apply your new skills in your work/research?: I believe the skills I have learned through this program will be directly relevant to my current research interests. Also, I plan on increasingly incorporating GIS analyses in my health services research, in order to understand another dimension of care accessibility during the end-of-life phase.
What do you think were the strengths of the course(s) you completed? Please provide examples.: The collaborative activities throughout the various courses were greatly appreciated, despite the asynchronous format!
Would you recommend PHDA courses to others? If so, what recommendations/suggestions would you give those interested in completing these courses?: Absolutely – the PHDA program is a great program for anyone who is interested in further exploring population-level analyses. For prospective students, I recommend honing on your SAS skills prior to program completion. While not necessary, having prior experience using SAS is beneficial to successfully completing courses.
Any additional comments that you would like to add?: Overall, my experience was largely positive. The instructors are very knowledgeable and accessible to students, and the program staff are always helpful!

PHDA full testimonial

How did you learn about the program and what motivated you to enroll?: I was browsing for some relevant programs that would complement my current job as an epidemiologist. This one caught my eye (and I went to UVic in the past) – the courses looked good, particularly the GIS ones which I wanted to learn as it hadn’t been part of my education up to that point.
Tell us about your course experience. What skills did you develop and which courses provided the greatest benefit to you?: It was really good. The coursework was comprehensive but not too time consuming. The GIS courses were fantastic and provided great information, and the other courses were also relevant to my work (the program evaluation course and the working with admin data course).
How have you been able to (or how do you plan to) apply your new skills in your work/research?: Yes – I signed up to learn GIS, and I have been able to use some of those skills in my job.
What do you think were the strengths of this program? Please provide examples.: I liked the method of instruction – videos that walked you through the steps of an assignment accompanied by PDF’s, which I thought helped me learn efficiently.
Would you recommend this program to others? If so, what recommendations/suggestions would you give those interested in applying to this program?: Yes – in fact I have… I recommended this to colleague of mine at another health unit in Ontario who recently got hired as an Epidemiologist. She hadn’t had much education in the area and was looking for good programs so I mentioned this one, and she signed up.
Any additional comments you would like to add about the program or ways we can improve the educational experience?: Great program overall – all very relevant to my profession.

PHDA 05 Longitudinal Analysis and Multi-level Modeling of Population Health Data

"The courses I found to be of greatest benefit to me and my work were PHDA 01 (Working with Administrative Data) and PHDA 05 (Longitudinal Analysis and Multi-level Modeling of Population Health Data). These courses provided practical skills that I find I apply regularly to my job, and made me much more comfortable with using data analytic programs like SAS."

Search

PHDA testimonials

Sign up for e-news and keep up to date with what's new at PopData, including the latest on data access, data available and upcoming events.