KENNESAW, Ga. | Apr 30, 2025

For Sarah Thompson ’20, the Master of Science in Healthcare Management and Informatics (MSHMI) program at Kennesaw State University opened the door to a future that broadened her impact on patient care.

Formerly working as a bedside pediatric cardiovascular intensive care nurse, Thompson now serves as an informatics advisor at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, supporting an advanced technical team tasked with solving complex problems. She is also the order set lead, helping to formalize governance and build processes to support provider ordering in the electronic health record (EHR).

During her tenure in the MSHMI program, now in its 10th year, Thompson dove into computer coding and logic, a skillset she uses everyday working with the hospital’s EHR. Most often, she works with the hospital’s clinical decision support system. Using data from the EHR, Thompson recently helped build clinical decision support that notified clinicians when to exchange nasojejunal tubes, feeding tubes that deliver nutrients to the small intestine.

“A lot of my work is about problem solving,” Thompson said. “It's not enough to just have data. You have to be able to interpret it and know what data is actually meaningful to help clinicians.”

The MSHMI program is the first of its kind in Georgia and the only one in the state that takes a truly interdisciplinary approach. Housed in the Coles College of Business, the program extends to the College of Science and Mathematics, the Wellstar College of Health and Human Services, and the College of Computing and Software Engineering at KSU, giving its students a comprehensive understanding of the complex relationships that compose the health informatics field.

Since graduating in 2020, Thompson has published seven academic papers and has led over a dozen national presentations at major U.S. informatics conferences as well as internationally.

“It’s a well-rounded program that went beyond straight nursing informatics, offering coding and business classes, and there was a lot of camaraderie among the students as well as networking opportunities for us to connect with health industry leaders,” Thompson said.

Sweta Sneha, founder and executive director of the MSHMI program, launched the program nearly a decade ago to fill the talent gap for skilled professionals in Georgia’s healthcare technology workforce and adopted a novel approach to do so. As the first degree of its kind in Georgia with a large economic footprint, it encompasses healthcare delivery, business management, data analytics, computing, information technology, and building strong academic-industry partnerships. 

“We train our students to not just understand trends — we train them to come up with solutions,” said Sneha, who holds a Ph.D. in computer information systems and is also a professor of information systems and security at KSU. “They are given the tools to analyze workflows of processes and have an overall understanding of health care.”

The MSHMI program has been recognized for outstanding contributions to health informatics, at American Medical Informatics Association (AMIA), one of the largest health informatics platforms, in 2023 and 2024. In 2024, MSHMI also received accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics & Information Management Education (CAHIIM) for a Digital Health Leaders certificate, which allows the program to extend reach and access to the ecosystem of health care executives and innovators who have an interest in the field.

“I’m very, very grateful for how this program came together for us, how it has helped create a platform where we could project KSU as a serious player with strong industry partners in the health informatics field and to build our credibility in the healthcare ecosystem locally and globally.”

Experiential learning opportunities bridging student success are a pivotal part of the MSHMI program, and Sneha has built strong academic-industry partnerships to afford opportunities for professional growth and real-world experiences to students. Wellstar Health System is among the program’s many industry partners, hosting students and fostering growth through mentorship, collaboration, and practical learning experiences. Several graduates have been recruited with the health care giant.

“I think our collaboration has really had a focused impact on real-world projects that have benefited the students, faculty and Wellstar,” said LeeAnna Spiva, the system’s assistant vice president of nursing practice and operations. Spiva serves on the MSHMI program’s industry partner and advisory board.

Students have played a vital role in advancing Wellstar’s key initiatives, including virtual nursing platform that aimed to address the vulnerability of nurses during an outbreak, an issue uncovered by the COVID-19 pandemic. Wellstar brought in faculty and students to evaluate available technology and what processes other organizations are using for virtual care, and to conduct workflow efficiency studies on the amount of time it takes nurses to carry out a task.

“Students have assisted in evaluating and deploying innovative solutions that really drive our operational excellence and improved patient care,” Spiva said. “I think their fresh perspectives and analytical skills have been invaluable in addressing these complex challenges in this rapidly evolving healthcare landscape.”

At the 10th year milestone, Sneha and program affiliates are energized to enhance their reach in workforce and economic development in the growing domain of digital healthcare.

“This is one the most exciting times to be in digital healthcare and our graduates are ready to create a positive impact on the industry,” Sneha said.

– Story by Amber Perry

Photos by Matt Yung

A leader in innovative teaching and learning, Kennesaw State University offers undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral degrees to its more than 47,000 students. Kennesaw State is a member of the University System of Georgia with 11 academic colleges. The university’s vibrant campus culture, diverse population, strong global ties, and entrepreneurial spirit draw students from throughout the country and the world. Kennesaw State is a Carnegie-designated doctoral research institution (R2), placing it among an elite group of only 8 percent of U.S. colleges and universities with an R1 or R2 status. For more information, visit kennesaw.edu.