Student Profile

Marcus Hurt

Undergraduate Degree: Bachelor of Business Administration
Undergraduate Institution: Texas State University, 2011
Hometown: Austin, TX

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.

As a teenager, I spent a lot of time in an out of hospitals and medical offices accompanying my mother as she battled breast cancer. I knew at an early age I wanted to pursue a career in health care to help people and save lives. As a UT Southwestern employee, I received an email one day describing this newly established Master of Science in Health Informatics program that would prepare me for the technological shifts happening in health care. I felt this program was created specifically for someone like me; a non-clinical health care professional with interests in utilizing information technology to improve the clinical outcomes of the most vulnerable patient populations. I want to be a part of the digital solution that serves as a catalyst for empowering people to fully understand, actively participate in, and eventually manage their own health care. It is my greatest desire in life to help others and the Master of Science in Health Informatics degree will be my pathway to do my part in promoting health and wellness, minimizing pain and suffering, preventing unnecessary errors, and positively impacting people’s lives.

Why did you choose to come to UTSW?

In my professional career, I have worked with many great physicians who received their medical education and training at UT Southwestern. In my eyes, UTSW represents the best of the best when it comes to health care and academics in Texas. I’m honored to join the UT Southwestern Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences family and to have the privilege of being a part of a new and innovative graduate degree program from a nationally ranked institution.

What are your current health informatics research interests?

This program has opened doors to a variety of interesting subjects and it’s fascinating to see how health care systems, information technology, and data are interconnected to form the innovative field of health informatics. Among these I find myself drawn to research involving dimensional data modeling, data visualization, biostatistics, predictive analytics, machine learning, and AI.

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

What I love most about the health informatics program is the program faculty that have been selected to innovate this new curriculum. These physician instructors have real-life experience designing, implementing, and maintaining health information technology systems within our institution. We have the most brilliant minds teaching us and they are all always willing to share what they know to help the students succeed in their own career endeavors. Simply put, the faculty make coming to class fun and I’m always excited to learn more.