We endeavor to empower public health students and practitioners, researchers, clinicians, and members of other health related professions to use publicly available big data sources to develop and answer research questions about topics such as longitudinal health outcomes, clinical outcomes, geographically dependent public health concerns, hospital quality improvement, access to health-related resources, and social determinants of health.
Given the increasing availability of health data accessible to the public online, it is imperative that public health practitioners and students can answer research questions using big data resources. In an environment of reduced research funding availability, it is critical to have data-related skills to opt for analyses of publicly available data for use in publications, research projects, and grant applications. The end goal is for participants to leave the course with a data set derived from a big data source that is functional, appropriate, and prepared for analytic needs.