Coursera Launches Health Content to Train Next Generation of Health Workers

Coursera announced the launch of their health vertical—a broad portfolio of health content from the world’s top universities curated specifically to help address the acute shortage of skilled workers in the health industry and meet the demands of a digital health economy.

The 100 new courses, 30 new specializations, and two public health-focused master’s degrees will provide learners with the skills they need to enter high demand jobs, particularly related to Health Informatics, Healthcare Management, and Public Health.

The healthcare industry—and the world—is undergoing a fundamental shift. Changes in demographic factors, an ageing world population, an increase in the incidence of chronic diseases, and a resurgence of untreatable infectious diseases, mean that traditional healthcare systems are under significant pressure to provide costly care to a growing number of people. At the same time, new opportunities for personalized care driven by genetics, genomics, immunotherapy, and integrative therapies are beginning to change the skills required to power the modern health system.

With this rapidly growing need for health services, the demand for workers in the healthcare sector is already outpacing other industries and expected to skyrocket in the coming decade. McKinsey estimates that healthcare-related jobs could grow by 80 million to 130 million by 2030 globally. These changes will create demand across a broad range of occupations, including Informatics Nurse Specialists, Clinical Analysts, Bioinformatics Scientists, Hospital Administrators, NGO Workers, Researchers, Community Health Coordinators, Policymakers, Home Health Aides, Personal Care Aides, and Nursing Assistants in many countries.

As per a study by the Indian Journal of Public Health, India needs about 2.07 million doctors to achieve the World Health Organization-directed doctor-population ratio of 1:1,000 by 2030.  India is also short of 1.94 million nurses, according to data from the Indian Nursing Council (INC) and the World Health Organization (WHO). There is an immediate need to transform the training system of healthcare professionals, especially in ancillary profiles such as nurses, assistants, technicians, which many of the new courses directly address as part of this launch.

“I am deeply passionate about driving innovation in healthcare,” said Daphne Koller, Co-Founder of Coursera. “The sector, which is under enormous strain to support the needs of a growing and ageing population, presents a huge opportunity for meaningful technological transformation that stands to not only improve health outcomes for people around the world but also reduce the increasingly unaffordable costs of healthcare, both to individuals and to society. I’m excited to see Coursera and its partners coming together to help realize that potential by providing access to flexible and affordable education options that can help usher in the next generation of healthcare workers in high-demand fields like health informatics, healthcare management, and public health.”

Coursera and top-ranked partners in health—including Columbia University, Emory University, Imperial College London, Johns Hopkins University, University of Colorado, the University of Michigan and the University of Minnesota —are committed to making high-quality content and healthcare education more widely accessible.

The new portfolio of content which includes Specializations focused on Biostatistics, Population Health Management, Nursing Informatics, and Social Welfare Policy is designed to develop or supplement knowledge for those already working in the healthcare space or to provide a path to a career in healthcare.

“The world’s most pressing health issues require interdisciplinary, population-based strategies and training,” said Dean F. DuBois Bowman of the University of Michigan School of Public Health. “In partnership with Coursera, the University of Michigan School of Public Health is expanding its efforts to meet these needs through an integrated online Masters of Public Health degree program. The field of public health will benefit from increased access to prestigious training opportunities, especially for adults who cannot participate in full-time residential programs.”

“While there have been significant improvements in global health in recent decades, we still have major challenges ahead,” said Helen Ward, co-Director of the new Master of Public Health at Imperial College London. “The world needs many more people trained in the science and application of public health to address chronic diseases such as diabetes and dementia, emerging infections, and health impacts of environmental hazards and inequality. Our new degree will help train a new cadre of public health leaders to use scientific approaches and new technologies and apply these to improve health.”

“In response to increasing demands driven by ageing populations, healthcare systems around the world are focused on improving population health and the patient experience, reducing the cost of care, and supporting care team wellbeing,” said Dr. Mary Jo Kreitzer, Director of the University of Minnesota’s Earl E. Bakken Center for Spirituality & Healing. “Integrative therapies and healing practices are critical strategies for achieving patient and organizational goals. The University of Minnesota is proud to partner with Coursera to prepare the next generation of healthcare providers with the requisite knowledge and skills to provide integrative care.”

Coursera has a long history of democratizing access to education. It has equipped millions around the world with the knowledge and skills required to enter sought-after careers in business, technology, and data science. By making cutting-edge health education accessible, Coursera and top-ranked health institutions are once again acting on a shared commitment of equipping people around the world with skills they need to advance their careers and impact their communities.