In response to the growing need for individuals to make informed decisions about their health, the Rutgers School of Communication and Information (SC&I) has announced the launch of a new Health Information concentration in the Master of Information (MI) degree program for the spring 2025 semester. The Health Information concentration takes a socio-ecological approach to understanding health and information, focusing on how people create, locate, interpret, use, and share health information in their everyday lives and during health events. In an era where misinformation can have serious consequences, graduates will play a crucial role in promoting health literacy and fostering a better-informed society.

Concentration coordinator Kaitlin L. Costello, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Library and Information Science, noted, “There is a pressing need for information professionals who are skilled in finding, evaluating, and making available authoritative health information for different audiences, and who can impart critical health information literacy skills to assist others with making their own determinations about the authority and credibility of health resources. There is also a need for health information professionals who recognize and understand that health is not simply a biological state but is instead part of an ecological system that is shaped by our interpersonal, community, institutional, and geopolitical realities.”

Students enrolled in this concentration will undertake a rigorous curriculum designed to build expertise in various facets of health information management. They will learn how to access, interpret, and deliver just-in-time health information that can directly impact everyday life, patient care, and even clinical outcomes. Additionally, they will be able to organize, classify, and create health information resources and impart critical health information literacy skills to support others in accessing and using health information. The concentration is designed for information professionals who wish to specialize as health or medical librarians in public, academic, or medical library settings; allied health professionals who develop and implement health information interventions; and science communicators who focus on health and wellness research.
 

Students opting for the Health Information concentration work directly with MI program faculty who are leading experts in the health information science field. Our program is accredited by the American Library Association (ALA), ensuring high standards and quality education. Our curriculum fully addresses all core competencies outlined for health information science professionals by esteemed organizations such as the Medical Library Association and the American Medical Informatics competency guidelines.

Learn more about SC&I’s Master of Information program and the new Health Information concentration, including goals, objectives, and requirements.

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