History of Clinical Informatics

Clinical informatics (CI) is a discipline that focuses on improving healthcare through the use of technology and data. The discipline is probably best summarized with the figure below - that physicians work safer, faster, and better with the aid of technology and information. The imperative task of the clinical informaticist is therefore to maintain the integrity of this theorem in healthcare, from the design and upkeep of electronic health records (EHR) to the investigation and incorporation of emerging technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) into patient care.

CI is a specialty-agnostic, ACGME-recognized fellowship, with board certification provided by the American Board of Preventive Medicine (ABPM), and national society representation by the American Medical Informatics Association (AMIA).

What is a Physician Informaticist?

A physician informaticist combines their clinical expertise and the technical expertise to improve healthcare practice. Physician informaticists have a deep understanding of the people, process, and technology in healthcare, and play a crucial role in integrating technology to improve patient care and operational efficiency. Their responsibilities can vary depending on the specific role and setting, but generally include supporting the technological infrastructure of the hospital, data analysis and utilization, workflow design and optimization, clinical decision support, compliance and security, organization and business strategy, and much more.

Prerequisites for Clinical Informatics

A career in CI can actually begin with multiple types of healthcare degrees, ranging from medical (MD or DO), pharmacologic (PharmD), and nursing (RN, NP, or CNS). For the physician informaticist, job opportunities with significant informatics responsibilities are increasingly looking for applicants with CI board certification. Becoming board-certified via the “practice pathway” is now no longer possible as of June 2025, and an ACGME-accredited fellowship in CI is recommended for physicians seriously considering a career in informatics. Other degrees in complementary fields (e.g. data science, public health, or business) can also be helpful. Masters programs are also offered in biomedical informatics across the country, but are not required and will not confer board certification in CI upon graduation, although some CI fellowship programs will offer a master’s degree as part of their curriculum.

Careers

Because the roles and responsibilities of a clinical informaticist can be broad, a fellowship in clinical informatics can lead to many opportunities after graduation. Graduates frequently take on administrative, operational, or research leadership roles within their emergency department or at an enterprise level (e.g. Medical Informatics Director, Chief Information Officer, Chief Medical Information Officer). A fellowship in CI is well-suited for a career in academic emergency medicine given the increasing importance of data and technology in research, operations, and education. Given the incredible need for clinical experts in industry, a fellowship in clinical informatics will also position you well for a non-clinical career as a clinical founder, chief medical officer, subject matter expert, director of clinical product, consultant, or another significant role outside of direct patient care and clinical practice. One of the best parts of clinical informatics is that there is an ever-growing need for physicians with a good understanding of the people, process, and technology in healthcare,  and there’s ample opportunity to explore your own passions, and carve your own niche- few informatics jobs look entirely alike!