Harle, Brooks launch Pharm.D./MSHI dual degree program

Victoria Brooks liked the flexibility of the pharmacy profession, with all its career possibilities. She’s about to expand her options even more.   

Brooks and classmate Chad Harle are the trailblazers for newly launched Pharm.D./Master of Science in Health Informatics dual degree program at the Medical University of South Carolina. The program is administered by the MUSC College of Pharmacy and MUSC College of Health Professions.

“Working in an inpatient hospital pharmacy, I see firsthand how important technology systems are to healthcare and patient outcomes,” said Brooks, who earned a BS in biological sciences with minors in chemistry and neuroscience at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2020. “It’s my belief that technology will become even more heavily relived on over time as improvements are made. Thus, the combination of pharmaceutical and health informatics knowledge will be invaluable to my career path.”  

The program curriculum has an emphasis on data analytics and preparing graduates to mine large clinical databases and warehouses and analyze clinical data for decision-making and research purposes. There has been a natural progression in the field of pharmacy to include the use of health informatics. Using data and research garnered through health informatics practice has the potential to improve patient outcomes, make the use of pharmaceuticals safer, prevent drug interactions, and prevent handwriting errors.

“Being from Charleston, SC, I have always viewed MUSC as the health care flagship and made it a goal of mine to attend college here,” said Harle. “Health informatics piqued my interest because it allows you to make improvements in the health care system that will directly impact the patient care process.”