Online Master of Science in Applied Outcomes Research

What is Applied Outcomes Research?

Applied outcomes research is used to:

• Develop patient-centered best practices and practice guidelines
• Generate cost-effective therapeutic and behavioral interventions
• Improve healthcare system performance
• Inform policy

It is not restricted to just medicine or health services but encompasses a broad range of health measurements and requires scientific knowledge and data-driven insights for informed decision-making.

We are One University, united by a passion for innovation and teamwork to transform lives in order to improve the lives of others by creating solutions for a healthier community.

The University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth

It is an exciting time to be at UNT Health Science Center. Founded more than 50 years ago as a small osteopathic medical school, we are today a thriving six-college graduate university with physicians and health providers representing most medical specialties. Our position at the forefront of innovation in the rapidly shifting field of health care is one of many things that make us extraordinary.

Our culture

We believe in a value-based culture that is built on trust. Rather than competition, our values create a learning environment of collaboration, collegiality, and support as we pursue our shared vision of becoming the team of choice for education, discovery, and health care.

Our opportunities

We are the only Health Science Center in Texas that has these six schools — medical (DO and MD), health professions, biomedical sciences, public health, and pharmacy — on one campus. This centralized location gives our students a unique opportunity to practice an interprofessional model of care that will distinguish them in the rapidly evolving field of health care.

Our impact

We graduate the second-highest number of primary care physicians (60 percent) of any medical school in the country, and our nationally-recognized Rural Medicine program brings medical care to underserved communities. Other areas of strength include Aging and Alzheimer’s research and forensic genetics.

Our location

Nestled in the heart of Fort Worth’s Cultural District, we are within walking distance of world-renown museums, great restaurants, and vibrant nightlife spots. North Texas offers affordable living and a thriving health care sector with a myriad of opportunities for future employment.

What we do

We Keep patients at the center of our efforts in education, research, and care

• We train tomorrow’s health care providers
• Since 2002, U.S. News and World Report has called the Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine one of the nation’s top 50 medical primary care schools.
• We graduate the second-highest number of primary care physicians (60 percent) of any medical school in the country.
• Physicians and other health professionals train and practice interprofessionally – an HSC core competency – for the benefit of patients and their families around a “team care” model.

We push the boundaries of discovery

• Our researchers are working on a blood test to predict older adults’ risk for Alzheimer’s disease.
• By analyzing how hormones function in the brain, our scientists are identifying how to treat – and possibly even prevent – Alzheimer’s disease and certain cancers.
• The science of nanoparticles is helping our researchers uncover promising ways to deliver chemotherapy directly to a tumor with fewer side effects for patients.

We help make sick people well and keep vigorous people healthy

• Our Pediatric Mobile Clinic delivers much-needed care to children in underserved Fort Worth neighborhoods.
• We create innovative programs for disease prevention and health promotion that deliver care services efficiently, effectively, and equitably while minimizing health disparities among populations.

Our Strengths

Eliminating health disparities

HSC, driven by its core value to Serve Others First, is committed to helping deliver health care and improving access to all Texans through service and education.

• We’ve partnered with Tarrant County to expand access to the vaccine in historically underserved and hard-to-reach communities.
• The mobile health programs help families experiencing financial hardship or access quality health care where they are.
• Our Rural Scholars program trains and prepares future doctors to practice medicine in small towns and rural communities across Texas.
• The Asthma 411 program helps families and school nurses better understand asthma to help prevent asthma attacks and incidents at school. Asthma 411 is currently in 11 school districts across Tarrant County.

Decoding forensic genetics

We bring closure to families of missing persons and use DNA evidence to aid law enforcement

• We offer the most advanced forensics program in the country, training students to identify missing persons and human remains using DNA technologies.
• Our Center for Human Identification is the largest contributor of DNA profiles to the FBI’s Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) and the National DNA Index System (NDIS), which support the exchange and comparison of forensic DNA evidence for violent crime investigations.
• We also work with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, police departments, and medical examiners throughout the U.S. on missing person cases.

Aging & Alzheimer’s

We help seniors preserve their quality of life and cope with cognitive and functional declines

• The Gerontology Assessment and Planning program provides comprehensive geriatric assessments for older adults with complex medical conditions, cognitive impairment, and functional declines.
• The SAGE (Seniors Assisting in Geriatric Education) program teams geriatric patients who serve as mentors to students – medical, physician assistant, physical therapy, and pharmacy – to assure compassionate, patient-centered care.
• Our Geriatrics Division provides North Texas seniors with a continuum of care wherever they reside, and also offers hospice and palliative care.

Interprofessional education

We are leading the way in team-based training that puts the patient first

• This is the future of health care in the United States, and we are leading the way in team-based training that puts the patient at the center of care decisions while controlling costs and reducing medical errors.
• UNTHSC’s newest school, the UNT System College of Pharmacy, spotlights the increasingly important role of the pharmacist in patient-based health care teams.
• Our interprofessional programs address cooperation across the care spectrum, from wellness and nutrition programs to chronic disease treatment and management.