Precision Health

Precision medicine is an advanced way of practicing medicine that aims to utilize large-scale data and data-informed tools to uncover the unique genetic and physiological characteristics of an individual in order to tailor prevention, diagnostic, and treatment approaches to individuals and communities.

Health care that is data-driven and personalized promises greater accuracy, and is therefore described as “precise”. 

Precision health is:

• an optimal health outcome driven by precision medicine and education that takes into consideration a person’s genetic, physiological, environmental, and lifestyle factors to provide a person-centered approach for the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of disease. 
• an emerging discipline or approach that brings together research and practices from a variety of fields and specializations, and with involvement of an array of interested parties.
• the next big change or paradigm shift that will revolutionize the healthcare system.

Instructors in the program are experienced, accomplished leaders in healthcare, education, and business who are passionate about mentoring participants in the program. They include clinicians and researchers who are experts in precision medicine, pharmacogenomics, omics, quality improvement, and/or medical entrepreneurship.

The Innovation & Entrepreneurship stream is collaboratively delivered by Cumming School of Medicine and Haskayne School of Business faculty members.

Participants work with an academic or community partner to complete a project of their choosing.

Here are some previously completed projects:

• Mental Health Risk Assessment Metrics - Predictive Forecasting ML model (8-Bit Cortex)
• Brain Computer Interface (BCI) Headset Design Study (Possibilities Neurotechnologies)
• Micro-Credential Badges to Gain Knowledge & Skills on Problem Exploration (AHS, Innovation & Business Intelligence)
• Senior's Home Based Primary Care (AHS – Integrated Home Care)
• Precision Medicine Initiative: Women’s Cardiac Health Clinic (Libin Cardiovascular Institute)
• Market Information Collection and Creating Technical Reports for Customer Use (Nimble Science)
• Systematic review of the patient and provider experience with a general surgery single entry model for surgical referrals (UCalgary Community Health Sciences)
• PGx-ECiP - Pharmacogenomics Enhanced Confidence in Prescribing (Care First Medical Clinic)
• Partnering with Families to Improve Pediatric Patient Safety (ACH, Stollery, Medicine Hat Regional)

The program is fully online with Zoom classes taking place once a week, often from 5 – 8 PM MT to accommodate working professionals. Live sessions consist of lectures, case study discussions, and real-world examples, and allow you to network with a cohort of skilled professionals. Each course also includes an asynchronous component in UCalgary’s learning management system. Optional, in-person events are held each year.

This online graduate degree is for medical doctors, nurses, administrative leaders, policy makers, researchers, and a wide variety of other industry professionals who want to contribute to the evolution and improvement of healthcare. The demographic of each specialization varies and includes international medical graduates, pharmacists, lab techs, educators, innovators, entrepreneurs, directors, executive directors, new grads, department heads, and other health practitioners.

Health education is often siloed, however, participants are often surprised at how much they can learn from experts outside their own field, and that what they learn is not only relevant to their work, but important for advancing the goal of improved health care more broadly.

The part-time master’s program is three years in duration, with summers off. The full-time master’s program is two years in duration, with summers off.  You can choose to directly enter the master’s program, or enrol in the “laddered” program, where you complete a graduate certificate in year one, a graduate diploma in year two (optional) and a master’s degree in year three (optional). Courses in the laddered and direct-master’s programs are the same.

All Precision Health participants acquire some level of knowledge about the four streams and cross-specialization collaboration is encouraged. There are four required courses that include participants from all four streams (i.e., MDPR 600, 601, 603, and 604), however, you are only able to complete one specialization at a time because the required courses are distinct. All streams (except Quality & Safety Leadership) also include one or two electives, which can be chosen from other streams. (For those in Quality & Safety Leadership, you could opt to take an extra course from another specialization, if desired.)

Tuition information can be found here under Cumming School of Medicine
 
Students are also assessed general fees as listed in the Graduate Calendar: here 

When you apply to the Precision Health Program, you can choose a first and second option out of the four specializations. Determine which specialization is of interest by reviewing each stream’s web page and the course descriptions here. Currently, admission is more competitive in the Precision Medicine stream so you may want to select a second option from one of the other three streams.

If you begin the program with MDPR 600: Foundations of Precision Health, you will learn more about the specializations, and can transfer to a different stream (if approval is granted from program leads). Should you decide to switch streams later in your program, additional courses would be required.

Yes, the laddered program is designed for those who are only able to commit to one year of studies at a time. Please enroll in the graduate certificate to receive a credential or parchment for your first year (i.e., the four required courses for your stream). A number of students have been accepted into medical school after completing a year of studies in the Precision Health Program.

Classes are typically held once a week in Zoom, on either Mondays, Tuesdays or Wednesdays between 5 – 8 PM Mountain Time (MT), to accommodate working professionals. These online classes are interactive and collaborative so attendance is highly recommended and/or required to support your success and build a network in your field.

Two courses (MDPR 600 and MDPR 604) are “compressed” and run Monday to Friday from 9 AM – 4:30 PM MT (including asynchronous time to work on assessments). MDPR 600: Foundations in Precision Health is the first course in the program, completed during fall block week, however, you can complete it in your second year if desired. MDPR 604 runs in winter block week and is completed in either your first or second year—depending on whether you are a full or part-time student. Please refer to the Tentative Future Dates in the UCalgary’s academic schedule for specific dates and deadlines.

In a “course-based” program, participants master essential skills in their specialization, complete work-integrated assignments, and are required to complete an experiential, real-world capstone project that includes a final presentation. “Thesis-based” programs usually require a research thesis and oral exam.