Which degree should you study for a career in AI and healthcare? | Top Universities
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Which degree should you study for a career in AI and healthcare?

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Chloe Lane

Updated Mar 09, 2023
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Which degree should you study for a career in AI and healthcare?

Sponsored by Taipei Medical University 

The use of artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming ever more prominent in the healthcare sector. It’s being used to solve problems more accurately and efficiently, as well as providing updates, analysis and reports and carrying out administrative tasks. 

In this article, we’ll compare three postgraduate degrees that can lead to a career in AI and healthcare: biomedical informatics, data science, and biotech and healthcare management. Each of these degrees is offered by Taipei Medical University in Taiwan.  

Taipei Medical University aims to prepare students for the medical jobs of the future, while ensuring they have empathy, innovative capacity and an international perspective. Since it was founded in 1960, TMU has expanded to become a world-class university with 11 colleges, five hospitals, and 6,000 students per year. Today, it has more than 40,000 alumni around the world. 

Read on to discover which of these three degrees is right for your career! 

Biomedical Informatics 

What is biomedical informatics? 

Biomedical informatics is an interdisciplinary science that combines medical expertise and computer informational technology to solve challenging healthcare-related problems using data. It helps us to use medical information in a practical way that directly benefits the patient.  

For example, biomedical informatics might be used to facilitate patient care operations, improve care quality, and reduce care costs. It will also use the latest computer technology to assist in the development of medical research.  

How is the programme taught? 

At TMU, the biomedical informatics PhD is taught with an equal emphasis on theory and practice with a special emphasis on the transmission of concepts and the application of technology. 

Taught in partnership with TMU-affiliated hospitals, scholars and experts in related fields are invited to participate in the teaching, research and lecturing.  

Students will get the opportunity to shape their programme to meet their career goals, with TMU’s biomedical informatics programme allowing flexibility in the selection of modules.  

Some of the topics you will cover in the degree include:  

  • Data analysis and exploration of biomedical databases and microarrays 
  • Sequence data analysis 
  • Protein interaction prediction  
  • Genetic site-specific databases of diseases and molecular pathological model databases 
  • Research and development of biomedical imaging technology and application, integration of information technology  

TMU invites students to various international medical informatics seminars organised by the university. Several outstanding students and faculty members will even have the option to attend the National Institutes of Health in the US for a month of studying.  

This is to work towards the department’s goal of increasing the diversity of medical informatics research, promoting domestic medical information research technology and improving the quality of medical care. 

How does a biomedical informatics degree prepare you for a career in AI and healthcare? 

This programme will prepare you to independently innovate, conduct research and publish academic work. You’ll also be equipped with the leadership skills to head industrial projects or fill professional leadership positions.  

You’ll gain hands-on experience with medical tools, such as the clinical decision support system (CDSS), which TMU uses as a teaching tool. The CDSS uses a variety of tools and data to improve the accuracy of diagnosis and optimisation of treatment. 

Some of the career paths taken by graduates of this programme include working as: clinical data scientists; expert consultants for health and regulatory authorities; biomedical and informatic scientists; and consultant and opinion leaders in the smart healthcare industry. 

Data Science 

What is data science?  

Data science uses scientific methods, processes, algorithms and systems to extract and extrapolate knowledge from data sets. This knowledge can then be used in the medical field. 

A data science degree will give you the ability to research and manage big data, using big data technology to strengthen management and analysis and improve organisational efficiency. In the healthcare industry, this will be used in everything from patient care to pharmaceuticals. 

How is it taught? 

At TMU, the MSc Data Science combines practical experience in information management with expertise in data analysis, operational management and big data industries. 

This involves studying a mix of core and optional modules, with a thesis at the end of the programme.  

Topics you might study in this programme include: 

  • Statistical analysis and practice 
  • Management strategy in big data analytics 
  • Computational biology  
  • Visualisation analysis and decision making  
  • Hospital clinical data analysis 

How will it prepare you for a career in AI and healthcare? 

Data science is important in most aspects of healthcare, including medical imaging, drug discovery and predictive analysis. It can help improve health outcomes for patients and automate time-consuming administrative tasks. 

A data science degree will help you build the core competencies needed for a successful career in healthcare.  

These include:  

  • Academic knowledge: Researching and managing big data. 
  • Employment knowledge: Using big data technology to integrate management practices and improve organisational efficiency. 
  • Value knowledge: Using big data technology to strengthen management and analysis. 
  • Citizen’s knowledge: Enhancing your international perspective. 

Typical job roles for graduates in this field include data scientist, data analyst, data engineer and business analyst. 

Biotech and Healthcare Management 

What is it and what will you study?  

A degree in biotech and healthcare management will give you an overview of the capabilities of artificial intelligence, biotech management and healthcare management. 

The programme will help to build your research capabilities, improve your organisational effectiveness and your international perspective.  

How is it taught? 

At Taipei Medical University, the PhD in Biotech and Healthcare Management is taught by experts from various healthcare management disciplines, such as management, artificial intelligence, big data and informatics.  

Students will be partnered with clinical or industry experts who they can contact for career and course-related support and guidance. The programme also collaborates with renowned scholars and experts, from institutions such as Harvard University and Washington University.  

The PhD uses case studies to combine theory with practice in the biomedical industry to build up students’ creativity and problem-solving capabilities. 

Some of the topics you will cover in the degree include:  

  • AI and data sciences  
  • Research methods in biotech and healthcare management 
  • Big data of smart healthcare 
  • Biotech and medical industry strategy and decision analysis 
  • Health policy management 

Students will also have access to the Observational Health Data Sciences and Informatics (OHDSI) which help students gain a greater understanding of cross-country analysis and applications of real-world data. 

How will it prepare you for a career in AI and healthcare? 

Taipei Medical University’s PhD in Biotech and Healthcare Management aims to nurture the next global leaders in both biotechnology and healthcare services.  

The PhD will teach you the interdisciplinary knowledge and capabilities of artificial intelligence, biotech management, and healthcare management. It will help to build your research capabilities and practical experiences and improve your organisational effectiveness.  

To help you form professional contacts, the programme has connections to the biotechnology industry, as well as government, education and research institutions.