Ahead of the Curve: Health Informatics Specialist

This is a very good article, but I would like to point out that contrary to what Merida Johns says above, there is no such thing as "University of Oregon Medical Center." Rather, the name of our institution, which is a leader in the informatics field, is Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU). More information about our training opportunities for those interested in the field can be found at:

http://www.ohsu.edu/dmice/

As the Director of Biomedical Informatics Educational Programs at OHSU, I am pleased to see informatics being listed as an "ahead of the curve" career. I would, however, like to add some perspective to the article.

First, the terminology of this field can be confusing. While some may use the term "health informatics," others use the broader "biomedical and health informatics." I recently published a paper that reviewed and organized all of the terminology in this field, which can be accessed at:

http://www.biomedcentral.com/1472-6947/9/24/

I have also created a web page, "What is Biomedical and Health Informatics?," which points to may resources as well as has a two-hour Flash lecture that provides an overview of the field and can be accessed at:

http://www.billhersh.info/whatis/

I also keep a blog called The Informatics Professor, which addresses a variety of issues related to informatics workforce and education and is at:

http://informaticsprofessor.blogspot.com/

Finally, there are many training opportunities in the informatics field, not all of which require enrollment in a degree program. One of these is the AMIA 10x10 course, the next offering of which begins in July, 2009:

http://www.amia.org/10x10/partners/ohsu/

Bill Hersh of OR