Stanford Center for Health Education

What Stanford Center for Health Education does

The Stanford Center for Health Education (SCHE) is an operating unit of Stanford University founded in 2016 by Charles G. Prober, MD, with a stated mission to extend world-class health education to a global network of health professionals, individuals, and communities. It develops and delivers online educational experiences built on Stanford Medicine faculty expertise, distributing courses through Stanford Online as the primary platform and partner marketplaces including Coursera, edX, and GetSmarter. Its core products span three tracks: Professional Health Education (self-paced online certificate courses covering AI in healthcare, clinical trials, medical teaching, and healthcare leadership), Graduate Health Education (instructor-led, credit-bearing graduate certificates in Epidemiology and Clinical Research and Drug Development), and Custom Programs (B2B tailored training for companies, SMEs, government agencies, and NGOs, available online, on campus, or on-site and delivered in partnership with Stanford Engineering Global & Online Education). SCHE also operates Digital Medic, a social impact initiative with teams in Stanford, California and Cape Town, South Africa, producing open-access educational content that has reached over 36 million learners in 180 countries since 2016.

The business model combines subscription/pay-as-you-go professional certificate pricing, one-time license fees for graduate certificates (90-120 hours, 3 academic credits each), and professional-services-style custom program contracts for organizations. Pricing examples include $25 per caregiver for short parenting courses and discounted group enrollment rates, while graduate and custom program pricing is not publicly disclosed. The distribution strategy is hybrid: self-serve PLG via digital platforms for individual learners, marketplace presence on third-party learning platforms, and direct institutional sales for custom programs. Marketing relies on Stanford Online channels, LinkedIn, YouTube, Facebook, and the Digital Medic community, with email/newsletter capture via Stanford Online subscriptions.

SCHE received a significant institutional endorsement in December 2024 when it was designated a World Health Organization Collaborating Centre on Learning During Health Emergencies, making it the third such centre at Stanford. It maintains strategic partnerships with WHO, OpenWHO, Stanford Center for Innovation in Global Health, Stanford Department of Emergency Medicine (where Dr. Matthew Strehlow serves as Executive Vice Chair), and the University of Global Health Equity. Revenue, headcount, and detailed financial figures are not disclosed, consistent with its status as a non-revenue-reporting academic unit of Stanford University.

Name

Stanford Center for Health Education

Legal name

Stanford Center for Health Education

Website

https://healtheducation.stanford.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Stanford Center for Health Education is Stanford University's online health education arm, offering professional certificates, graduate programs, and custom corporate training globally through Stanford Online, Coursera, edX, and GetSmarter, alongside open-access content via its Digital Medic social impact initiative.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Health Education Services

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (611310), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Health Services (8000), Services-Misc Health & Allied Services, Nec (8090)

akta.pro primary industry

Healthcare & Clinical Professional Development (CME/CE) (EDAGANAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Online Healthcare & Nursing Universities (Allied Health, RN-to-BSN, etc.) (EDAHALAF), Health Informatics & Digital Health Programs (EDAHAGAJ), Health, Wellness & Lifestyle Noncredit Programs (EDAAAEAH), Health Promotion & Public Health Education (Community Workshops) (EDAAAFAG)

Keywords

• Online health education
• Graduate certificate programs
• Professional development courses
• Custom corporate training
• Medical education platforms

Headquarters

HQ city

Stanford

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Professional Education Certificates: Online professional courses in health and wellness topics designed and led by Stanford Medicine experts. Learners earn a Stanford Center for Health Education Certificate of Completion upon successful completion of course requirements. Offered through Stanford Online, Coursera, edX, GetSmarter, and other learning platforms.
2. Graduate Certificate Programs: Graduate-level courses enabling remote participation in Stanford campus courses. Earns academic credit (3 units per course) and graduate certificates from Stanford. Programs include Epidemiology and Clinical Research and Drug Development: From Discovery to Commercialization.
3. Custom Corporate Programs: Custom-designed education and training programs for companies, small to medium enterprises, government agencies, and NGOs worldwide. Programs in AI, Digital Health Product Development, Healthcare Leadership, Medical Teaching, Nutrition Science, and Psychology. Available online, on campus, or at client sites. Presented in partnership with Stanford Engineering Global & Online Education.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Stanford Center for Health Education (SCHE) offers online Professional Health Education certificate courses, Graduate Health Education certificate programs (Epidemiology and Clinical Research; Drug Development), and Custom Programs tailored for companies, SMEs, government agencies, and NGOs worldwide. SCHE also operates Digital Medic, a social impact initiative producing free, open-access health education content for community health workers and communities globally, reaching over 36 million learners in 180 countries. All programs are delivered online via Stanford Online and partner platforms (Coursera, edX, GetSmarter), with custom programs additionally available on campus or at client sites.

Product overview

The Stanford Center for Health Education (SCHE) is a unit of Stanford University that extends health education to a global network through a portfolio of educational offerings. The core products include Professional Health Education (self-paced online certificate courses covering health and wellness topics), Graduate Health Education (online graduate-level courses and certificates in Epidemiology and Clinical Research and Drug Development), and Custom Programs (tailored training for organizations). SCHE also operates Digital Medic, a social impact initiative creating open-access health education content reaching 36 million+ learners globally. As of December 2024, SCHE was designated a WHO Collaborating Centre on Learning During Health Emergencies. Programs are delivered through Stanford Online and partner platforms including Coursera, edX, and GetSmarter.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Digital Medic: A social impact initiative that creates scalable, open-access educational content to support community health worker training and community education programs. Teams based in Stanford, California and Cape Town, South Africa.

Products and services

• Professional Health Education Online professional education programs in health and wellness that help learners stay current with industry trends and advance their careers; covers topics such as AI in healthcare, clinical trials, medical teaching, and healthcare leadership. Learners earn a Stanford Center for Health Education Certificate of Completion.
• Graduate Health Education Online graduate-level certificate programs enabling remote participation in Stanford campus courses, with programs in Epidemiology and Clinical Research and Drug Development: From Discovery to Commercialization. Each course awards 3 units of academic credit and a graduate certificate from Stanford.
• Custom Programs Customized education and training programs for companies, small to medium enterprises, government agencies, and NGOs worldwide, covering AI, Digital Health Product Development, Healthcare Leadership, Medical Teaching, Nutrition Science, and Psychology. Available online, on campus, or on-site at client locations.
• Digital Medic

Quantifiable outcome

• 36 million learners served in 180 countries since 2016
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• World Health Organization (WHO)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 December 2024Stanford Center for Health Education was designated as a WHO Collaborating Centre on Learning During Health Emergencies as of December 2024. The center aims to establish evidence-based strategies for health education preparedness and response to health emergencies. Provides technical assistance to WHO to research practices for just-in-time digital learning for healthcare workers during emergencies, assess quality and impact of health emergency educational content, and evaluate scientific evidence to form best practices and actionable recommendations.
• Digital Medic CollaboratorscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDigital Medic collaborates with organizations worldwide to improve health knowledge, behaviors, and outcomes through high-quality health education. Teams based in Stanford, California and Cape Town, South Africa create scalable, open-access educational content to support community health worker training and community education programs. Since 2016, they have served over 36 million learners in 180 countries.
• OpenWHOmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint research and publications including analysis of global use, adaptation, and sharing of courses on the OpenWHO platform. Partnership focused on improving digital education readiness for health emergencies, including work on 'Disease X' preparedness.
• University of Global Health EquitymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-designed and co-facilitated a digital health leadership course as part of the Digital Health Applied Leadership Program. Collaboration to increase capacity for health professional training at all levels in academic organizations worldwide.
• Stanford Engineering Global & Online EducationcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCustom programs are presented in partnership with Stanford Engineering Global & Online Education, which helps deliver customized education and training opportunities to meet unique organizational needs and goals.
• Stanford Center for Innovation in Global Health (CIGH)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint work on health emergency preparedness including seed grant program for 'Preparing for Disease X: Collaborating with OpenWHO to improve digital education readiness for health emergencies'. Stanford faculty have served as external experts for WHO implementation guidance.
• Stanford Department of Emergency MedicinecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProject collaborators for the WHO Collaborating Centre on Learning During Health Emergencies. Dr. Matthew Strehlow serves as Executive Vice Chair of the Department of Emergency Medicine and co-leads the WHO Collaborating Centre initiative.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• edX (2U): MOOC marketplace partner and competitor, distributing Stanford SCHE content while also hosting Harvard, MIT, and other elite-university health programs targeting the same professional certificate buyer.
• Osmosis (Elsevier): Specialized health education platform (acquired by Elsevier) with deep catalog of medical video courses for students and clinicians; competes for the same health professional learner with higher-frequency engagement.
• GetSmarter (2U): Partner platform (now part of 2U) for distributing SCHE premium online certificates; direct competitor for the same professional health learner with similar curated, supported online learning model.
• Coursera: Primary MOOC marketplace partner and direct competitor; hosts Stanford SCHE content alongside competing health programs from Johns Hopkins, Imperial, Yale, and others, competing for the same professional health learner audience.
• Imperial College London (online health programs): Elite UK university offering online professional health certificates and Global Master of Public Health on Coursera/edX; comparable brand positioning and international health professional target market.
• Harvard Medical School (HMX): Elite medical school offering online professional health education including HMX Fundamentals courses; directly comparable as a peer institution delivering premium-branded health professional certificates globally.
• Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health (Coursera offerings): Elite public health school offering online certificates and degrees on Coursera in epidemiology, public health, and clinical research - directly overlapping SCHE's Epidemiology and Clinical Research Graduate Certificate.

Broad incumbents

• Khan Academy (Health & Medicine): Massive free educational platform with health and medicine content; overlaps with Digital Medic's open-access social impact mission and global learner reach.

Emerging players

• DeepLearning.AI: Specialty AI education provider offering 'AI for Medicine' courses that directly overlap with SCHE's AI/ML in Medicine programs, targeting healthcare professionals seeking applied AI skills.
• Lecturio: Medical education platform offering video-based courses for medical students and health professionals with broad specialty coverage; competes for paid health professional certificate buyers.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCxdM_BlltGbSjch5BVzrhag
• Facebookfacebook.com/StanfordCenterforHealthEducation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/stanford-center-for-health-education

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Stanford Center for Health Education