Imaging Informatics Fellowship Curriculum: Building Consensus on the Most Critical Topics and the Future of the Informatics Fellowship

• Published in: Journal of digital imaging 2023-02, Vol.36 (1), p.1-10
• Main Authors: Gerard, Roger, Makeeva, Valeria, Vey, Brianna, Cook, Tessa S., Nagy, Paul, Filice, Ross W., Wang, Kenneth C., Balthazar, Patricia, Harri, Peter, Safdar, Nabile M.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Complex systems; Consensus; Curricula; Curriculum; Diagnostic Imaging; Education, Medical, Graduate - methods; Fellowships and Scholarships; Humans; Imaging; Informatics; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Original Paper; Radiology; Scholarships & fellowships; Structural members; Surveys and Questionnaires
• ISSN: 1618-727X; 0897-1889; 1618-727X
• DOI: 10.1007/s10278-022-00702-y

The existing fellowship imaging informatics curriculum, established in 2004, has not undergone formal revision since its inception and inaccurately reflects present-day radiology infrastructure. It insufficiently equips trainees for today’s informatics challenges as current practices require an understanding of advanced informatics processes and more complex system integration. We sought to address this issue by surveying imaging informatics fellowship program directors across the country to determine the components and cutline for essential topics in a standardized imaging informatics curriculum, the consensus on essential versus supplementary knowledge, and the factors individual programs may use to determine if a newly developed topic is an essential topic. We further identified typical program structural elements and sought fellowship director consensus on offering official graduate trainee certification to imaging informatics fellows. Here, we aim to provide an imaging informatics fellowship director consensus on topics considered essential while still providing a framework for informatics fellowship programs to customize their individual curricula.