School of Health Information Science, UVic

📣 HINF Live Seminar: Can AI chatbots deliver health information older adults can actually trust?

Join us as Juhye Choi, PhD student at the College of Nursing, Chonnam National University, and current visiting researcher at the University of Victoria, presents her work on a human-centered AI chatbot for older adults with multimorbidity.

🗓 Wednesday, August 19, 2026
⏰ 12:00 PM PT
📍 Online via Zoom (registration required)

Older adults managing multiple health conditions often struggle to get clear, reliable health information. Juhye's chatbot pairs GPT-4o with trusted health data from Korea's national disease control agency using a retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) approach. In testing, users rated their experience 4.4 out of 5, and the chatbot never missed a real medical emergency, a critical safety benchmark for tools like this.

Juhye will share how expert and user feedback shaped the chatbot's development, and what these results mean for the future of safe, trustworthy AI in public health communication.

🔗 Register: https://ow.ly/Juaj50ZxWQz

In 2016, Canada's health information community issued a national call: the country needed dedicated expertise in health terminology standards.

The University of Victoria answered in 2018, launching the first program of its kind in Canada, the Health Terminology & Interoperability Standards (HTIS) Graduate Certificate.

The program trains professionals in the standards that make health data shareable across systems that were never designed to talk to each other, including SNOMED CT, LOINC, HL7, and FHIR. Students learn not just how these standards work today, but how they emerged and how they continue to evolve across clinical, administrative, and public health environments.

Students develop advanced skills in:
• Terminology standards & controlled vocabularies
• Interoperability frameworks & data exchange
• Mapping, modeling & data quality
• FHIR-based implementation approaches
• Digital health workflows and system integration

Graduates support work in:
• Provincial & national digital health initiatives
• EHR optimization and data quality improvement
• Standards adoption, governance, and policy
• Interoperability projects across health authorities, government, and vendors

Graduates are also eligible for the Certified Terminology Standards Specialist (CTSS) credential through the Canadian College of Health Information Management. HTIS remains one of Canada's only programs dedicated to this depth of standards expertise.

🔗Learn more: https://ow.ly/QPwb50ZvXST

Quality improvement in healthcare is driven by collaboration, data, and a commitment to continuous learning and that's exactly what Jonas Graham has been experiencing during his co-op term with the Physician Quality Improvement (PQI) team at Fraser Health.

As a Co-op student, Jonas supports the coordination of training sessions and educational workshops, manages schedules and logistics for meetings and events, and assists physicians with quality improvement projects that aim to enhance patient care.

Drawing on skills developed in Health Information Science, including project management, quality improvement methodologies, and the use of health data to track meaningful outcomes, Jonas has gained valuable hands-on experience while seeing the direct impact of improvement initiatives in healthcare.

"What surprised me the most about my co-op term is how much I have learned in just a few short months. Each assignment, meeting, and project comes with a new lesson that is valuable to professional growth."

This experience has also strengthened Jonas' interest in pursuing project management within a healthcare setting, highlighting how co-op can help students explore and refine their career goals.

Thank you, Jonas, for sharing your experience with us and representing HINF in the field! 👏

Interested in accessing talented students with skills in health informatics, data analytics, quality improvement, project management, and digital health? We welcome opportunities to connect with employers interested in hosting a Health Information Science co-op student and helping shape the next generation of healthcare professionals. Reach out to [email protected] today to get started!

Meet HINF alum Amy Grover (BSc '15), now Senior Product Manager at Cority 🎓

Amy Grover started at UVic in General Sciences, considering a path toward medicine. A switch into Health Information Science in her third year set her on a completely different and unexpected career trajectory.

What stood out to her about HINF? A tight-knit community and a mandatory co-op component that opened doors early.

🔹 Co-op placements with BC Cancer, PHSA, and University Health Network (Toronto) gave her real-world experience and a professional network she still relies on today
🔹 Her career path: Business Systems Analyst at Maximus, then Health Business Consultant and Product Manager at TELUS Health, and is now a Senior Product Manager at Cority, a global EHS+ (environmental, health, and safety) software company
🔹 Along the way, she discovered her strength wasn't coding. It was translating between developers, clinicians, and employers to solve real healthcare problems

One misconception she often hears? That health informatics careers require heavy technical skills.

"You don't need to be super technical or know how to code. It's more about communication, being able to understand problems, and translate need or requirements to someone else. Being able to communicate is key." Amy says.

Asked to sum up HINF in three words, she didn't hesitate: Collaboration. Translation. Impact.

As we celebrate 45 years of Health Information Science at UVic, thank you, Amy, for sharing your story, insights, and career journey with our community. 💙

🎉 New publication in JMIR Human Factors!

New research from Dillon Chrimes, Alex Kuo, Elizabeth Borycki, and Andre Kushniruk (School of Health Information Science) and Alex Thomo (Computer Science) just published "Predicting Electronic Health Record Usability: Scoping Review of Adoption Models, Metrics, and Future Directions" in JMIR Human Factors.

The team screened 2,323 papers and identified 47 studies (2009–2025) examining EHR adoption and usability. Most research relied on frameworks like the Technology Acceptance Model, UTAUT, and the Information System Success model, with usability treated as a factor within adoption rather than studied on its own. Regression and structural equation modeling were the most common analytic approaches.

The key takeaway: no studies applied predictive modeling or AI to predict EHR usability. The review argues there's substantial opportunity to integrate predictive analytics, AI, and longitudinal measures to build more dynamic models of EHR usability going forward.
Proud of this kind of interdisciplinary collaboration happening right here. 👏

📄 Read the full paper: https://ow.ly/MrWR50ZvXzO

One of the biggest misconceptions about networking is that you need to be the most outgoing person in the room. In reality, effective networking is built on curiosity, preparation, and genuine conversation.

Start with the people you already know, classmates, coworkers, instructors, mentors, and friends. Ask questions, share your interests, and stay curious. Every conversation is an opportunity to learn about different career paths, gain valuable advice, and discover opportunities that may never appear on a job board.

Remember, quiet conversations count. Small steps build strong networks.
After a meaningful conversation, ask whether there's someone else they recommend you connect with. It shows genuine interest, expands your network naturally, and opens the door to new perspectives and opportunities.

Networking isn't about collecting contacts, it's about building relationships that support your growth over time.

Learn more about networking strategies from UVic Career Services: https://ow.ly/Fsrv50ZvXs2

Did you know? 🤔

If you're pursuing graduate studies in Health Information Science at UVic, you may have the opportunity to gain paid, hands-on experience through our co-op program! ✨

Graduate co-op students apply their classroom and research knowledge to real-world digital health projects, helping organizations tackle challenges in:

📊 Health data analysis�
💻 Electronic Health Records (EHRs)
🔗 Interoperability�
📋 Project coordination�
🛡️ Data governance�
📈 Change management�
🧠 Systems thinking

Whether you're an MSc student looking to build practical experience or a PhD student ready to translate research into impact, co-op can help you expand your skills, grow your network, and prepare for a career in digital health.

🚀 Advanced training + real-world experience = a powerful combination.

Learn more about graduate co-op opportunities through UVic Health Information Science.

📣 Hire a Health Information Science Co-op Student!

Meet Taiya, one of our talented HINF co-op students. During a placement with Sport for Life Canada's Knowledge Scaling team, Taiya contributed to national physical literacy initiatives while building valuable industry experience.

Our students bring more than technical knowledge. They bring curiosity, professionalism, and a readiness to contribute from day one.

💡 HINF co-op students can support your organization with:

✅ Health data analysis�
✅ Workflow mapping and process improvement
✅ EHR and digital health initiatives�
✅ Project coordination�
✅ Technical testing and quality assurance�
✅ Data governance�
✅ Change management�
✅ Cross-disciplinary communication

Whether you need support for a specific project or an extra set of hands on your team, our students are ready to help.

🚀 Have a project that needs support? Reach out to [email protected] to hire a HINF co-op student.

🌟 Alumni Spotlight: From Registered Nurse to Health Informatics Champion

Danica Tuden's career shows that making an impact in healthcare extends far beyond direct patient care.

A Registered Nurse since 1988, Danica worked across acute care, community health, assisted living, and HealthLink BC. It was at HealthLink BC that she discovered an interest in human factors, usability, and systems thinking, an interest that led her to the University of Victoria Master of Science in Health Informatics program. There, courses with Dr. Elizabeth Borycki and Dr. Andre Kushniruk became her "aha" moment, sparking mentorships that continue to this day.

While many view health informatics as primarily technology focused, Danica learned it spans a much wider range of disciplines and career paths.

💬 "There are so many areas within health informatics that can be explored."

Rather than technology alone, she was drawn to how people interact with information, processes, and systems, a human centred lens that has shaped her career since.

After graduating, Danica worked at the Provincial Health Services Authority before joining the BC College of Nurses and Midwives (BCCNM) in 2017, where she has contributed to quality assurance, virtual care review, digital transformation, and large scale systems projects, including the evolving Nurse Practitioner Peer Review Program.

💬 "It's not just about the data, you're trying to tell a story."

One piece of advice from School of Health Information Science founder Dr. Denis Protti has stayed with her:

"Do your best and leave the rest."

Danica's path, from bedside to systems level change, is a great reminder of how far health informatics can extend healthcare's reach. 👏

Congratulations to Dr. Claudia Lai!

🎉 We're excited to share that Dr. Claudia Lai, Assistant Professor in the School of Health Information Science, has been appointed to the Council of Canadian Academies' Expert Panel on Supporting the Use of Technologies for Aging in Place.

💡 The panel will explore ways to increase the adoption of technologies that help older adults maintain their independence, safety, and wellbeing at home and in their communities.

We're proud to see Claudia contributing her expertise to this important national conversation at the intersection of aging, health, and technology.

👏 Join us in congratulating Dr. Lai on this well-deserved appointment!