Course Descriptions

This course will cover the fundamentals of informatics as it applies to healthcare and research. The course focuses on the expanding role of information technology for the delivery of healthcare and provides a theoretical and practical introduction to the assessment, implementation, and management of these systems. The course underscores the application of these systems to the practice of medicine, in order to enhance health outcomes, improve patient care, and strengthen the clinician-patient relationship. Topics will emphasize the clinical informatics board-certification core content, which include fundamentals of clinical and biomedical informatics, clinical decision making and process improvement, health information systems, equity and social determinants of health, and management.

This course will provide an introductory overview of computer science and programming for students who are not working in technology-based professions. This course is meant for beginners, with no prior experience in computer programming, and is meant to introduce healthcare professionals to the fundamentals of computer programming and information systems. Topics include fundamental programming concepts, fundamental data structures, scripting languages, web-based systems, algorithm design, database design, human factors, and software lifecycles

This course will cover advanced concepts of informatics as it applies to healthcare and research, with a focus on critical thinking skills. The course is the second of a two-part series of courses in Clinical Informatics. The focus of the course will be on the software engineering and socio-technical challenges specific to the design, development, validation, and implementation of these systems. Topics will include clinical software engineering, continuous process improvement, decision support systems, bioinformatics, public health informatics, telehealth, clinical imaging systems, personalized medicine, and health informatics literature.

This course will give students an overview of information systems and decision systems used in health organizations. The course will examine the design, development, and implementation of decision support systems, focusing on how they fit into clinical workflows across various healthcare settings. Students will examine the analytical foundations of these systems, identify areas that might benefit from these systems, and gain an understanding in the challenges surrounding their implementation. Topics include decision support, evidence-based care, process improvement, privacy and security, unintended bias, database analysis and design, and data and information flow.

This course will give students the ability to demonstrate the knowledge and skills that have been acquired, with a focus on data collection, project management, and presentation skills. Students will be embedded in an informatics setting within the University of Maryland Medical System, work with interdisciplinary teams to address significant informatics challenges in both clinical and academic settings. As an alternative to embedding students on-site at the University of Maryland, distance-learning students can work online to develop a proposal and perform independent work under the supervision of an advisor.

This course will give advancing students the ability to demonstrate substantive application of the knowledge and skills that have been acquired, with a focus on performing independent research. Students will be embedded in an informatics setting within the University of Maryland Medical System or an academic setting within the University of Maryland. As an alternative to embedding students on-site at the University of Maryland, distance-learning students can work online to develop a proposal and perform independent work under the supervision of an advisor.