BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Muzna Mirza, M.D., a graduate student in the health informatics program at UAB’s (University of Alabama at Birmingham) School of Health Professions, has won the 2007 Healthlink Informatics Scholarship from the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS). The scholarship is awarded to a student pursuing an advanced degree (Masters or Ph.D.) in the field of healthcare informatics. It includes a $7,000 scholarship award, and an all-expense paid trip to the Annual HIMSS Conference and Exhibition in New Orleans, Feb. 25-March 1, where the scholarship will be presented.

Mirza is the second consecutive winner of the scholarship from UAB, following 2006 recipient Devashish Saini, MD. Mirza also won the President’s Award from the Alabama chapter of HIMSS in November for academic excellence and leadership activities. Both Saini and Mirza are investigators in a National Library of Medicine funded project called “Advanced Network Infrastructure for Health and Disaster Management”, led by Helmuth Orthner, Ph.D., professor of health informatics.

HIMSS is the healthcare industry's membership organization exclusively focused on providing leadership for the optimal use of healthcare information technology and management systems for the betterment of healthcare.

The UAB Master's in Health Informatics (MSHI) program prepares senior and executive level managers to handle enterprise-wide health care information systems. Health information managers must effectively plan, manage, design, integrate, implement and evaluate these information systems. Students in the MSHI program are exposed to a variety of academic disciplines across the university relevant to health organizations, information systems, and technologies in both the classroom and in practical settings.