Nursing instructor Jeremy Jarzembak understands the importance of access to real-time information within health care.
Jarzembak is pursing his Ph.D. in communication and Information, with a focus on health informatics, at Kent State University. He said health informatics has helped him recognize the complex processes that are used to develop, implement and execute modern health care. “Nursing influenced my passion for health informatics by providing me with the unique ability to work with and utilize technology at the bedside and in the simulation laboratory,” Jarzembak said.
His original plan was to work in the field of exercise physiology after receiving his Master of Science in exercise physiology at Kent State. “As a graduate assistant I discovered my passion for teaching. Nursing offered the best opportunity to help people, use the physiology I had learned, while being exposed to the technology of modern health care,” Jarzembak said.
Jarzembak advises future nurses to be vigilant and continue to seek education. He believes health informatics is going to be the key to improve the health of people all over the world.
“It is a very exciting time to be in health informatics as businesses, health care institutions, education, and stakeholders in health care are revolutionizing how we deliver care,” Jarzembak said. “It is no secret that health care is changing, with advancements in technology and information management system, we have only just begun to tap into the wealth and power technology can bring to health care. I envision clinical decision support tools assisting health care providers with providing the correct interventions to each and every individual.”
Currently, Jarzembak teaches Basic Nursing Informatics in the College of Nursing at Kent State University. He expects to receive his Ph.D. within the next four years. While his plan for his dissertation research is still evolving, he is interested in clinical decision research tools.
“I believe we need to understand and utilize large data sets to help health care providers individualize and tailor healthcare options to our patients,” Jarzembak said, “thereby, improving the efficiency and effectiveness in health outcomes. A smarter, more robust ability to delivery health care is the goal, and informatics is going to lead the way.”
Health informatics (HI) is one of the areas of study available in the College of Communication and Information’s interdisciplinary doctoral program. The health informatics concentration is part of the School of Library and Information Science’s program in Information Architecture and Knowledge Management.
