HLTH 230Introduction to Health Informatics
- Units
- 0.50
- Faculty
- Health
- Subject
- Public Health Sciences
When it runs
- F24
- W25
- S25
- F25
- W26
- S26
- F26
- W27
- S27
Ran in 4 of the last 7 terms. Winter 2027: scheduled, 2 lecture sections. Spring 2027: schedule not out yet.
Health informatics is the multidisciplinary field that aims to optimize the collection, storage, organization, retrieval, analysis, and communication of health data, information, and knowledge. Fueled by recent advances in information technology, informatics increasingly plays a vital role in many areas of health. This introductory course gives an overview of health informatics by discussing modern informatics issues and state-of-the-art applications in various sub-fields within health informatics including bioinformatics, medical informatics, e-Health, public health informatics, and prototyping solutions using open-access data.
Prerequisites
- Students must be in level 2A or higher
Antirequisites
None listed.
Leads to
Winter 2027 sections
| Section | Class | Enrolled | Meets |
|---|---|---|---|
| LEC 001 | 2834 | 0 / 130 | TTh 14:30–15:50 |
| LEC 701 | 1091 | 133 / 9999 | Online or by arrangement |
| LAB 101 | 3018 | 0 / 28 | F 14:30–16:20 |
| LAB 102 | 3019 | 0 / 28 | F 14:30–16:20 |
| LAB 103 | 3020 | 0 / 24 | F 10:30–12:20 |
| LAB 104 | 3021 | 0 / 28 | F 14:30–16:20 |
| LAB 105 | 7344 | 0 / 24 | F 14:30–16:20 |
Reviewed on UW Flow
51% liked it62% easy57% useful
From 71 ratings and 26 comments on UW Flow. The most helpful comments, quoted as written, without names. Read them all on UW Flow.
THE TED TALKS ARE ON THE MIDTERM AND FINAL... know who did each topic, and details about every talk!
Aug 2017 · liked it · 2 found this helpfulOn UW FlowRemove this
I really disliked this course. You are required to watch videos and read ALL the readings before coming to class, where nothing really happens. The format is 30% quizzes (weekly, 8/10 are counted), a 20% individual assignment, 20% group assignment #1, and a final group assignment 30%. The quizzes were HARD. They were around 6 questions each, time limit of 10 minutes and based on the videos and readings. Also, there were a LOT of lecture videos, readings and miscellaneous videos each week. I stopped going to class around the second week. However, assignments were graded relatively fairly, but assignment instructions were not as clear. The professor gave lots of opportunities for extra marks…
May 2023 · didn’t like it · 1 found this helpfulOn UW FlowRemove this
Not a very helpful or engaging course overall. Required no textbook but article readings and Ted Talk videos are really important to know for tests/exam. Pretty boring lectures, definitely buy yourself some caffeine before coming to class
Mar 2019 · didn’t like it · 1 found this helpfulOn UW FlowRemove this
This class is awesome! Dr. Lee's incorporation of TED Talks demonstrates the real-life application/importance of health informatics. Didn't know what to expect going in, came out loving it. Would recommend.
Apr 2017 · liked it · 1 found this helpfulOn UW FlowRemove this
This course is basically a re-cap of high school computer science but even if you don't have any coding experience before, this course is still very easy! The midterm and final is extremely fair as well, with him providing practice problems in the labs and lectures that are of similar difficulty as the exams.
Aug 2026 · liked itOn UW FlowRemove this
Discussed on r/uwaterloo
12 posts and comments in 9 threads mention HLTH 230, January 2018 to December 2024. Quoted word for word, newest first; each reply sits under the post and the comment that started its branch. Search r/uwaterloo for newer posts.
Spring 2024
health sci 3a term advice 2 points, 2 comments
u/cherryblossom_ruby: “… HLTH 333 with Mark Oremus HLTH 340 with Trevor Manning HLTH 380 with Elena Neiterman 3b: HLTH 230, HLTH 310, HLTH 370”
u/DerangedCuckooClock: “Had HLTH 333, 380, 230, and 370. 333 with mark oremus should be quite straight forward, when I took it it was a couple of online MC and T/F unit tests and a couple of assignments. Its an intro course for epidemiology so the assignments mostly consisted of math word problems. …”
Health Sciences Year 2 1 point, 3 comments
u/No_Junket5699: “… to Health Research KIN 217 Human Biochemistry (now HLTH 217) 2B: BIOL 239 Genetics HLTH 230 Introduction to Health Informatics HLTH 260 Social Determinants of Health I'm also planning on taking BIOL 239 in my 2A term, as it's offered online. …”
u/Dimtar_: “- HLTH 201/205/230 you’ll be fine - HLTH 204’s difficulty varies on who’s teaching it, more annoying than difficult - same for HLTH 260, it seems birdy but you may be surprised - KIN 217/BIOL 239 are pretty tough but if you stay caught up you’ll be fine. …”
Fall 2023
Bird HLTH courses 1 point, 1 comment
“Hi I’m wondering if anyone from faculty of health knows easy Hlth courses. Many of our courses say in person I’ve had courses that are fully assignment based and require very little course knowledge. …”
u/Soft-Presentation-95: “… HLTH 230 was very easy, but boring and had quite a bit of group work. Not something to consider if you're uninterested in health statistics (no calculations, just collecting data and why it is important). I haven't taken it personally, but HLTH 352 is allegedly easy. …”
Winter 2022
spring courses for health studies? 1 point, 3 comments
“i wanna take a course online during the spring, i'm in my 1B term of health studies currently. any upper years who have good recommendations for what i should take?”
[deleted]: “Could take HLTH 260 or 230 which I believe is required for second year. Honestly it’s better to get all the health courses done and over with so you can work towards a minor or specialization without worrying about it. …”
u/Able-Ad-6889: “Just a note, these courses (HLTH 230 + 260) are scheduled to be in person”
Winter 2021
Anyone that was/is in the Health Studies Program (AHS) wanna share their experience? 0 points, 13 comments
“What classes did u take in first year and how do you like the program overall? I am out of province applying for first year undergraduate studies for health studies program. …”
u/Able-Ad-6889: “… of it, and the first CS style course will only come in the second year of the program HLTH 230. I suggest you major in CS based on where you want to land your co op! Health Studies students land co op positions like admin and research, along side some public health jobs. …”
Winter 2019
Could someone currently taking HLTH 230 share their experience? 2 points, 8 comments
u/uwaterloorez: “So I heard the prof who has been teaching this course recently left so it was taught by a new prof this term. Could someone currently taking it share what it's like? Is the workload heavy? Is the content interesting?”
Fall 2018
Could someone who's taken HLTH 230 please send me your syllabus? 2 points, 2 comments
Spring 2018
Stat for Health/Biostat major - need course suggestions 2 points, 3 comments
“I'm planning to declare Biostat as my major in the fall (if I end up liking STAT337). If I continue with this major, besides the required HLTH101 course needed in the Biostat plan, what are other …”
u/boolgogi: “HLTH344, HLTH230, HLTH245 (especially), and HLTH102 are probably all good starts. If you have any questions about Biostats feel free to PM me :)”
Winter 2018
Anyone taken HLTH 230? 2 points, 2 comments
u/CramerzRule: “What assignments are there? Difficulty of course?”
Check it elsewhere for Fall 2026
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