Ayman Abou Mehrem

Ayman Abou Mehrem decided to pursue a MSc in Health Informatics with the intention of learning to design efficient, user-friendly, and reliable electronic medical records. “We are in a digital era where the access to and flow of information are better than ever. In healthcare, we use information to diagnose and manage patients. However, for several reasons, we under-utilize healthcare data or do not use it efficiently, especially when it is buried in paper medical records.”

Ayman found that the University of Victoria’s Health Information Science program provides students with knowledge that covers all areas of Health Informatics and applies to various types of healthcare-related disciplines. “As a physician, the program was an eye-opener for me in several areas, including clinical information system design, human factors, project management, system evaluation, and telemedicine. The program provided me with the required knowledge to systematically approach health information systems.”

Through his involvement in establishing the Southern Alberta Virtual Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) program, Ayman has utilized the knowledge he gained through his Health Informatics degree to make a positive change in people’s lives and the healthcare system. As well, Ayman has designed structured clinical documentation tools for NICU physicians with the current Electronic Medical Record system in Calgary and developed NICU order sets for the Alberta Provincial Clinical Information System (Connect Care), which recently went live at the University of Alberta Hospital.

Currently, Ayman is a Clinical Assistant Professor with the Department of Pediatrics at the Cumming School of Medicine, a Neonatologist within the Calgary Zone at Alberta Health Services, and a Provincial Knowledge Lead for Neonatal Intensive Care with Clinical Knowledge and Content Management Services at Alberta Health Services. 

Ayman encurages current and future students studying Health Information Science to find innovative ways to use healthcare data to benefit both patients and healthcare providers in making more informed decisions that are personalized for each patient. ​