Published: Nov. 28, 2022

Leeds School of Business and the University of baby直播app听College of Nursing roll out听a new Healthcare track within the MS Business Analytics degree.听

A woman in blue scrubs leads a presentation to a team of professionals in a conference room.

Nurses, facing challenges to providing high-quality care to their patients, will now be able to improve outcomes by using data to inform pivotal decisions. The Leeds School of Business at the University of baby直播app Boulder and the University of baby直播app College of Nursing on the Anschutz Medical Campus have come together to offer a Master鈥檚 Degree in Business Analytics (MSBA), with a specialized track in healthcare.

For Kristi Ryujin, associate dean of Graduate Programs at Leeds, the partnership provides an exciting opportunity for both Leeds and College of Nursing students to enter a burgeoning field and make a difference. 鈥淒ata helps inform decisions that save lives,鈥 she says, speaking to students鈥 passion for patients.

The new MSBA Healthcare track prepares both nurses and non-healthcare students for careers in healthcare analytics, where they will turn big data into actionable insights that can improve outcomes for more patients.

Using data for good

鈥淗ealthcare analytics is really starting to explode. We need people who can look at big data across healthcare, manipulate it, and use it to make systematic changes that improve population health,鈥 says Sharon Giarrizzo-Wilson, PhD, RN-BC, CNOR; specialty director of the healthcare informatics program and assistant professor at the College of Nursing; and a practicing nurse herself.

She adds that with the MSBA Healthcare track, students can rise to leadership roles, improve the quality of care for many more patients, build better infrastructures, and influence government decision-making through advocacy and working on related contracts and grants. She points out that people with these abilities are hard to find and thus, in high demand.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a complex specialty,鈥 acknowledges Kelly Stamp, PhD, NP-C, RN, CHFN, FAHA, FAAN; associate dean of academic programs听and associate professor at the College of Nursing. But it allows students to lead positive change and help more patients than they ever could before, she says.

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鈥淲ith this new track in the MSBA, graduates will become pioneers in healthcare analytics.鈥

Sharon Giarrizzo-Wilson, director, Anschutz College of Nursing

Swapping skills

The degree was designed so that business and nursing students could essentially take each other鈥檚 classes. Business students interested in the healthcare field can learn about healthcare technology and the environment by taking two of the College of Nursing courses; while nurses can learn business analytics through Leeds鈥 10-month master鈥檚 program.

鈥淲ith data analysts from both nursing and business, it鈥檚 going to introduce a whole other level of collaborators that will help us see the vision of what is needed in healthcare. Together, they can solve great problems,鈥 says Giarrizzo-Wilson.

Courses are taught by top baby直播app from both schools. The 鈥渙nline+鈥 format, built with high-quality video content and remote synchronous lab time, allows students to engage with baby直播app and peers, cover technical skills, and learn from each other while receiving immediate baby直播app feedback and support. For nurses, the remote format means they can continue caring for patients, while also applying their new insights on the job.

This isn鈥檛 the first time Leeds and the University of baby直播app Anschutz Medical Campus have partnered on education. In 2019, the University of baby直播app School of Medicine and Leeds rolled out the MD/MBA degree for physicians. By teaching medical students business foundations, they鈥檙e empowered to positively impact patient care and health care delivery鈥攁 shared goal with the new MSBA in healthcare.