Coursera brings in health content to train next-generation health workers

Coursera has announced the launch of their health vertical, a broad portfolio of health content from the world’s top universities curated specifically to help address the acute shortage of skilled workers in the health industry and meet the demands of a digital health economy. The 100 new courses, 30 new specializations, and two public health-focused master’s degrees will provide learners with the skills they need to enter high- demand jobs, particularly related to Health Informatics, Healthcare Management, and Public Health.

As per a study by the Indian Journal of Public Health, India needs about 2.07 million doctors to achieve the World Health Organization-directed doctor-population ratio of 1:1,000 by 2030. India is also short of 1.94 million nurses, according to data from the Indian Nursing Council (INC) and the World Health Organization (WHO). There is an immediate need to transform the training system of healthcare professionals, especially in ancillary profiles such as nurses, assistants, technicians, which many of the new courses directly address as part of this launch.

Daphne Koller, Co-Founder, Coursera, says, “I am deeply passionate about driving innovation in healthcare. The sector, which is under enormous strain to support the needs of a growing and ageing population, presents a huge opportunity for meaningful technological transformation that stands to not only improve health outcomes for people around the world but also reduce the increasingly unaffordable costs of healthcare, both to individuals and to society. I’m excited to see Coursera and its partners coming together to help realize that potential by providing access to flexible and affordable education options that can help usher in the next generation of healthcare workers in high-demand fields like health informatics, healthcare management, and public health.”

Coursera and top-ranked partners in health, including Columbia University, Emory University, Imperial College London, Johns Hopkins University, University of Colorado, University of Michigan and University of Minnesota, are committed to making high-quality content and healthcare education more widely accessible. The new portfolio of content which includes specializations focused on Biostatistics, Population Health Management, Nursing Informatics, and Social Welfare Policy is designed to develop or supplement knowledge for those already working in the healthcare space or to provide a path to a career in healthcare.

Dean F. DuBois Bowman of the University Of Michigan School Of Public Health comments, “The world’s most pressing health issues require interdisciplinary, population-based strategies and training. In partnership with Coursera, the University Of Michigan School Of Public Health is expanding its efforts to meet these needs through an integrated online Masters of Public Health degree program. The field of public health will benefit from increased access to prestigious training opportunities, especially for adults who cannot participate in full-time residential programs.”

According to Helen Ward, Co-Director of the new Master of Public Health at Imperial College London, “While there have been significant improvements in global health in recent decades, we still have major challenges ahead. The world needs many more people trained in the science and application of public health to address chronic diseases such as diabetes and dementia, emerging infections, and health impacts of environmental hazards and inequality. Our new degree will help train a new cadre of public health leaders to use scientific approaches and new technologies and apply these to improve health.”