HIA Graduate Program Director to Step Down In June

After three years as graduate program director of the Health Informatics and Analytics (HIA) program, Dr. Michael Thompson has announced his intention to step down from the position on June 30.

The School of Data Science would like to thank Dr. Thompson for his years of service and leadership, as he was instrumental in the creation of the online and part-time pathway to the HIA certification program. Working collaboratively with SDS’s HIA advisory board, Dr. Thompson also guided a comprehensive curriculum revision of the HIA-MS program. These curricular changes facilitated a seamless transition from the graduate certificate into the master’s program and enhanced practical application opportunities.

Dr. Yaorong Ge, professor of Software and Information Systems in the College of Computing and Informatics, and former graduate program director for SDS’s Data Science and Business Analytics (DSBA) program, will become the new HIA graduate program director. Since joining UNC Charlotte, Dr. Ge has focused his research on improving health care quality and efficiency using machine learning and other AI technologies. He also has industry experience in software development, through co-founding and managing a health care software company which commercialized virtual colonoscopy and radiology structured reporting technologies.