- How did you learn about the program and what motivated you to enroll?
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My thesis supervisor told me about the program. My thesis project involved the analysis of Alberta Health’s administrative data on influenza vaccination and I needed to have a working knowledge of the tools of administrative data.
- Tell us about your course experience. What skills did you develop and which courses provided the greatest benefit to you?
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The courses were quite intensive but they provide the analytic tools that were complementary to the course experience I gained in my graduate program. I gained evaluation, spatial analytic and advanced analytical skills for modelling health outcomes data. Health Services Program Monitoring and Evaluation, Longitudinal Analysis and Multi-Level Modeling of Population Health Data, and GIS and Population Health were the courses that provided the greatest benefits to me.
- 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 actually used the skills I gained in the administrative data course to analyze my thesis data. I am currently working on a research project in which I am trying to incorporate the advanced analytical skills I gained in the ‘ Longitudinal Analysis and Multi-Level Modeling of Population Health Data’ course to specify my models. In the near future, I plan to incorporate some elements of spatial analysis into my research work.
- What do you think were the strengths of this program? Please provide examples.
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The strengths of this program include:
Excellent, experienced instructors for each of the courses. Use of fellow students as peers to give feedback on assignments was a particular strength of the PHDA06 course in Health Evaluation and Program Monitoring. Also, discussion forums that promoted exchange of information amongst students using real life examples.
- 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 recommend the program to working professionals, researchers, and graduate students.
My suggestions for individuals entering the PHDA program would be to prepare for a very intensive program and to avail yourself of the full range of excellent resources that are available for the program, including the reading materials, the discussion forum, the instructors, the program coordinators, the program lead and the IT online help desk. I found all of them essential to achieving a successful outcome.
