A Career in One of the Fastest-growing Economic Sectors Globally

Can you imagine yourself as a member of a healthcare profession that is recognised as one of the fastest-growing economic sectors globally, even if you are not a student from the science stream? If that is what you are looking for, consider a career in digital health. Currently, there is a high demand for healthcare professionals in this area and it is projected that this rapidly growing Digital Health industry could collectively create up to $100 billion in value by 2025 in Asia, increased from $37 billion last year*.

As healthcare is one of the fastest-growing economic sectors worldwide, the needs and demand for Digital Health are growing exponentially. One of the drivers of Digital Health is the ongoing global pandemic, and it has acted as a catalyst speeding up and intensifying the policymaker to digitise healthcare at a breakneck pace to make healthcare accessible for all. What does a career in digital health involve? A career in Digital Health utilises information and communication technologies (ICT) to facilitate the understanding of health problems and challenges faced by patients. It is a discipline which involves working with digital care programmes, technologies and health of the society to enhance the efficient delivery of healthcare and make medicine more precise and personalised. Usually not on the front lines of healthcare, Digital Health Specialists develop information systems that all sectors of the medical establishment need in their efforts to provide effective, top-quality care as efficiently as possible. They work with other healthcare professionals to design, develop and assess ways to collect, share, standardise and integrate health data and the information systems used to manage it. Digital Health specialists also look beyond the collection and maintenance of data. Their jobs may require them to analyse the data to uncover more effective ways to deliver care or to examine the system itself to pinpoint better ways to get the information doctors and nurses rely on to them more efficiently.

This is a career which requires skill sets from different disciplines which are not typically trained together. If you are someone who is a problem solver and has a keen interest in Information & Communication Technologies (ICT), data analytics and healthcare components, this is a career that you may consider. If you are interested to become a digital health specialist, you must undergo a course of study in digital health. This is one of the programmes offered at the International Medical University (IMU), Malaysia’s first and most established private medical and healthcare university founded 30 years ago. This Digital Health programme is the first degree in Malaysia that blends Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), Data Analytics and Healthcare components in its curriculum. Why should I go to IMU to study this programme? You will have the opportunity to study at Malaysia’s first and most established private medical and healthcare university with over 30 years of dedicated focus in healthcare education and a SETARA-2018/2019 Tier 6 status (Outstanding) under the Mature University category. This reputation has enabled the University to establish strong industry partnerships in the field of healthcare in Malaysia and overseas, including in the areas of digital health.  This partnership contributes to the student’s knowledge and skills development and  expand their network for career and professional development. Open to ALL students, from both science and non-science backgrounds, the IMU Digital Health programme has a curriculum which aims to equip students with the necessary Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) and data analytics skills to drive digital transformation in the field of healthcare.   It also enables you to have an in-depth understanding and know-how of the healthcare field including the healthcare systems, regulations, governance and more. This will prepare students to be work-ready and employable upon graduation.

In order to achieve this, the curriculum structure is constantly updated to meet the ever-changing IT and healthcare industries’ needs and includes research-led teaching to deliver evidence-based knowledge and practice in the industry.Students will have the opportunity to undergo about 20-week of industrial training in the digital health-related sectors in their final semester. They will also be able to collaborate with industry or/and researcher in a digital health-related project in their final year.

As an IMU student, you will be studying in a vibrant community of students and practitioners from all healthcare fields. This is an advantage as it allows you to develop strong friendship amongst peers, an important component in building a foundation of an extensive healthcare professional network upon graduation. ^{*Statistics from a report by McKinsey & Co.}