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History and Purpose

In 1995, the Office of Academic Affiliations (OAA) started VA's Advanced Fellowships Program in Medical Informatics. The information and education systems needed to support healthcare delivery were becoming increasingly complex. Information transfer, decision making, education, and research were becoming more dependent on emerging information technologies; but only a small cadre of individuals with expertise in medical informatics existed in VA. To respond to this need, OAA, in collaboration with the Health Services Research and Development Service and the Chief Information Office, started the VA Medical Informatics Fellowship Program. Its purposes were to enhance skills of health professionals in medical informatics, to increase recruitment and retention of medical informatics specialists within VA, and to contribute to the application of medical informatics within VA's patient care delivery system.

Program Overview

The VA Medical Informatics Fellowship Program provides two years of post-residency / postdoctoral research and educational learning opportunities to board eligible or board certified physicians and dentists and postdoctoral associated health professionals at competitively selected VA sites. Fellows spend their time in research and educational activities relevant to VA. Mentors of national stature provide guidance to fellows in rich learning environments. Graduates are expected to be role models in leading, developing, conducting, and evaluating innovative medical informatics programs.

Fellowship Requirements

Physicians and Dentists. Eligible physicians must have graduated from a residency accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) or American Osteopathic Association (AOA); be board certified or demonstrate active pursuit of board certification; and have an active, unrestricted U.S. medical license. They must demonstrate strong interest in medical informatics and the likelihood of ability to succeed in a career incorporating medical informatics for service to US veterans. International medical graduates must have an Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) certificate that is valid indefinitely. Applicants must be citizens of the United States.

Postdoctoral Associated Health Professionals. Eligible non-physicians must have graduated from an accredited doctoral program that prepares them for eligibility for VA employment. This can be a doctoral program in a clinical discipline such as dentistry, optometry, podiatry, pharmacy or audiology / speech pathology, a PhD program in computer science or other relevant discipline, or medical school graduates who do not meet the criteria to apply as a physician. They must demonstrate strong interest in medical informatics and the likelihood of ability to succeed in a career incorporating medical informatics for service to US veterans. Applicants must be citizens of the United States.

Application

To inquire about the application process and to learn more about the program, interested applicants should write to the site of their choice and send a cover letter and curriculum vitae to that site.

Medical Informatics Fellowship Address List

Boston, MA
Director: Stephan Gaehde, MD, MPH
Fellowship Program in Medical Informatics (111) VA Boston Healthcare System VAMC Boston Division 150 South Huntington Avenue Boston, MA 02130	Telephone 857-203-5385

Research Focus: Please contact site for more details.

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Indianapolis, IN Director: Richard M. Frankel, PhD Co-Director: Matthew Bair, MD Administrative Officer: Dennis Bengo
Fellowship Program in Medical Informatics (11H) Richard L. Roudebush VA Medical Center 1481 West 10th Street Indianapolis, IN 46202	Telephone 317-988-2952

Research Focus: Please contact site for more details.

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Nashville, TN
Director: Steven H. Brown, MD, MS Associate Director: Michael E. Matheny, MD, MS, MPH
Nashville VAMC 2817 West End Ave. Suite 200 Nashville, TN 37203	Telephone 615-873-6063

Research Focus: Please contact site for more details.

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Palo Alto, CA
Director: Douglas Owens, MD, MSc Co-Director: Ruth Cronkite
Fellowship Program in Medical Informatics (152) VA Palo Alto Health Care System VAMC Menlo Park Division 795 Willow Road Menlo Park, CA 94025	Telephone 650-8738-6055

Research Focus: Please contact site for more details.

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Portland, OR
Director: Susan Woods, MD, MPH Associate Professor, Depts of Medicine and Medical Informatics Oregon Health & Science University Director of Patient Experience, Connected Health Office VHA Office of Informatics & Analytics
Fellowship Program in Medical Informatics (111) VA Medical Center 3710 Southwest US Veterans Hospital Rd. Portland, OR 97207	Telephone 503-504-4205

Research Focus: Please contact site for more details.

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Salt Lake City, UT
Director: Bair, Byron, MD Assistant Director: Charlene Weir, PhD
Fellowship Program in Medical Informatics (11R) George E. Wahlen Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center 500 Foothill Drive Salt Lake City, UT 84148	Telephone 801-584-2522 Clinical Fellowship   Geriatric Fellowship

Research Focus: Please contact site for more details.

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Seattle, WA
Director: Kenric Hammond, MD  Associate Director: W. Paul Nichol, MD
Fellowship Program in Medical Informatics (116) 1660 South Columbian Way Seattle, WA 98108	Telephone 253-583-1708 WebSite

Research Focus: Please contact site for more details.

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West Haven, CT
Director: Cynthia Brandt Co-Director: Amy Justice
Fellowship Program in Medical Informatics VA Connecticut 9 50 Campbell Ave West Haven, CT 06516	Telephone 203-932-5711 ext. 3541

Research Focus: Informatics and health services research.

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