Student Profile

Eugene Abraham

Degree: Biology, Nursing
Institution: BS, University of Texas Arlington, 2005; BS in Nursing, West Coast University, 2015
Hometown: Dallas, Texas

How did you become interested in health informatics? Please feel free to describe any previous professional roles or education experiences that help lead you to your interest in health informatics.

Informatics to me represented the accumulation and use of information in the form of data to be utilized in the improvement of an individual or to achieve a set of goals . Retrospectively, I can see that this concept of data being utilized to better an individuals outcome has been a part of my journey in life. From the moment I graduated high school using a spread sheet to lay out my strengths and weaknesses and later in my professional life as a healthcare administrator for a home health agency where I implemented the integration and utilization of the company’s first EHR for patient care and online claims submissions. It was an amazing experience to use data in a manner that made healthcare more streamlined and efficient for both the health care facility and the patient. Going into nursing, I thought that I had to leave my interest of informatics behind to grow as a clinician. Then I realized that I was able to integrate my clinical experience with the EHR data and improve clinical care and with the current growth and evolution of informatics, lean towards so many other possible avenues in health informatics. The current level of EHR and health-based data use is just at the precipice and I am excited to be a part of this rapidly evolving field.

Why did you choose to come to UTSW?

Primary reason is I am already in the UTSW system as a clinician and can see the real-time effects of having such a progressive healthcare informatics program and the positive effects on patient care.

What are your current health informatics research interests?

I would like to find avenues of using informatics and clinical analytics to improve not only inpatient but outpatient care, and positive patient results.

What do you love about your program or why should a prospective student decide to get their degree here?

I love that all instructors/professors in this program have real-life experiences and not just theoretical. Their insights give such a clear picture of each aspect to this field. I think it’s rare to find that perfect mix of theory and practicum in a program like this.