Brumfield is first student to complete health care informatics through collaboration with Xavier
Kim Chaudoin |
Dr. Breshanna Brumfield has achieved a milestone that marks a new chapter for both Lipscomb University and Xavier University in New Orleans. This December, she became the first Xavier pharmacy student to complete Lipscomb’s Master of Science in health care informatics (HCI), a key milestone of a growing collaboration designed to expand informatics training for future pharmacists.
The partnership, launched by Lipscomb’s College of Pharmacy, offers pharmacy students from other institutions an opportunity to pursue a graduate degree or certificate in health care informatics while completing their PharmD studies. Xavier was the first institution to join the initiative.
“Xavier University’s College of Pharmacy is Lipscomb’s inaugural external partner in delivering advanced education and training in Health Care Informatics. Dr. Brumfield is the first student and now graduate of this collaboration,” said Dr. Beth Breeden, professor and chair of graduate studies in Health Care Informatics. “It’s exciting to see the doors this program has opened for her, including a pharmacy fellowship with Johnson & Johnson.”
A Jackson, Mississippi, native, Brumfield entered Xavier in 2019 through its chemistry pre-pharmacy program, which enables students to complete two years of undergraduate study followed by direct entry into the four-year PharmD program. As she approached her P4 (final) year, she was introduced to Lipscomb’s HCI graduate certificate and degree program when Breeden visited Xavier to speak with students and faculty. Brumfield immediately recognized the potential impact on her career.
“I had been thinking about adding a graduate degree to be more competitive,” she said. “Dr. Breeden presented this opportunity, and I said, Yeah, this is it. That’s the one.”
Within months of beginning the certificate program, Brumfield realized she wanted the full master’s degree and began working with Breeden to map out how she could complete the coursework alongside her rotations, exams and hospital job.
Brumfield enrolled in the master’s program in summer 2024 and dedicated herself fully to the intensive, one-course-per-month format. At the same time, she began applying for highly competitive post-graduate pharmacy fellowships, often interviewing two or three times a day while managing her academic schedule.
“I was trying to balance interviews, classes, rotations and my job all at once,” she said. “But the program’s structure helped, weekend classes, one class at a time and professors who were incredibly supportive.”
That support, she said, made all the difference. When a hurricane impacted New Orleans during a major class assignment, Brumfield reached out to her professor.
“He told me, ‘Get through what you’re dealing with first. Everything else we can work out,’” she said. “That level of grace…I appreciated it so much.”
Breeden said Brumfield’s persistence was evident from the moment she joined the program.
“When she entered informatics during her fourth year, we saw the upward trajectory,” Breeden said. “She worked hard and excelled.”
Brumfield completed the program in 14 months, although students may take up to five years to complete the degree.
For her capstone research, Brumfield worked with Dr. Jay Dorris, exploring the use of AI chatbots for mental health triage. She said this was an idea rooted in her own difficulty accessing timely behavioral health support while in school.
“I reached out to a behavioral health center and they told me it would be three or four weeks before I could be seen,” she said. “That experience made me think about how technology could help people get assistance sooner.”
Her project examined how chatbots could gather initial patient information, screen for needs and offer short-term support through bridging gaps and enhancing patient care.
Brumfield was selected for a prestigious Johnson & Johnson pharmaceutical industry fellowship, conducted in partnership with Rutgers University. Her two-year fellowship focuses on data analytics within the multiple myeloma therapeutic area.
“I work with third-party vendors who send large datasets about programs related to our oncology drugs,” she said. “I analyze the data, create pivot tables, build slide decks and answer business questions for four different drug teams.”
She credits Lipscomb’s HCI program for helping her complete these analytics efforts as well as helping her stand out during the fellowship interview and selection process.
“As soon as they heard I was pursuing a master’s in informatics, Johnson & Johnson pushed me forward for the oncology analytics role,” she said. “They really valued the experience I gained in the program.”
Her newest challenge of building an analytics and visualization dashboard through Power BI, draws directly on skills practiced throughout her coursework.
“When my preceptor gave me the dashboard project, I was nervous at first,” she said. “But then I thought, This is exactly what I’ve been doing at Lipscomb.”
Brumfield describes her experience with Lipscomb’s faculty as transformative.
“The faculty brought a level of engagement that I wasn’t used to,” she said. “They always showed up excited to teach. They made online classes feel personal.”
More importantly, the program gave her the confidence and professional flexibility she had been seeking throughout pharmacy school.
“I felt so limited due to a lack of experience and GPAs can be so competitive in this area,” she said. “But informatics opened an abundance of opportunities. Some companies even told me I was overqualified because of what I had learned. That was eye-opening.”
Lipscomb’s HCI program trains students to lead in a rapidly evolving field that blends health science, business analytics and information technology. Known as one of the nation’s earliest programs in the discipline, it prepares graduates to:
- analyze and interpret health care data
- improve quality and efficiency of care
- navigate electronic health records and emerging technologies like AI and digital health
- apply informatics to support clinical, operational and business decisions
Students take one online course per month, with classes meeting every other weekend. The flexible format serves working professionals and dual-enrolled PharmD students seeking advanced analytical and technological expertise. More than 99 percent of graduates secure careers in health information technology or related roles.
As the first Xavier pharmacy student to earn Lipscomb’s HCI degree through the partnership, Brumfield hopes her journey demonstrates what is possible for future pharmacy students.
“I’m just so appreciative that I had the opportunity to be part of the Lipscomb community,” she said. “This program gave me confidence, options and a future I didn’t think was possible.”
Breeden agrees that Brumfield’s success is only the beginning.
“Her journey shows what can happen when talented, motivated students gain access to informatics training,” Breeden said. “We’re excited for what this partnership will continue to build, and we are proud to see Dr. Brumfield leading the way.”
Learn more about Lipscomb’s graduate studies in health care informatics.