Clinical Informatics Fellowship

Overview

Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital are teaching affiliates of Harvard Medical School with a rich tradition of health information technology innovation, including leading the development and evaluation of electronic health records, computerized physician order entry, clinical decision support, digital workflows and electronic medication administration. Fellows will have the opportunity to engage in information systems and clinical informatics efforts across the Mass General Brigham system.

Our program offers three fellowship tracks: (1) a full two-year track that is open to physicians in any medical specialty, (2) an integrated training experience for Mass General Brigham residents or fellows wanting to combine a research year from another Mass General Brigham fellowship with clinical informatics training, and (3) a combined pathology fellowship track, which is open to pathology-trained physicians only. For more information, please see the Curriculum and How to Apply sections below.

Requirements

All fellowship candidates must be ABMS board certified or board eligible before the fellowship start date. This generally means that fellows will have completed a residency in the United States or Canada. If the candidate is a graduate of an international medical school, they must have a valid ECFMG certificate. All candidates must have a US work eligibility and be eligible for employment in Massachusetts and obtain a Massachusetts medical license prior to starting the fellowship.

Curriculum

The Mass General Brigham Clinical Informatics Fellowship Program is a two-year program in which each of the three tracks share four basic components: didactic education, informatics practicum, innovative scholarly projects, and clinical care. Fellows acquire the knowledge and skills to begin successful careers dedicated to analyzing, designing, implementing, optimizing, and evaluating information and communication systems that enhance individual and population health outcomes, improve health care delivery, and strengthen the clinician-patient relationship. Projects are configured based on the interests and career goals of the individual fellows. Graduates will be prepared to lead health information technology strategy and implementation projects, advance the field’s knowledge base, and train the next generation. After successfully completing the program, fellows will be eligible to take the Clinical Informatics Board Exam offered by the American Board of Preventive Medicine (ABPM) and American Board of Pathology (ABP).

Full 2-Year Track

The Full 2-year track is open to applicants from all medical specialties. With regard to clinical activities, fellows can persue work as attending physicians in their clinical specialty at Mass General Brigham affiliated sites to maintain their clinical skills, use the current clinical information systems, and gain respect of their colleagues. Moonlighting policies will be adhered to as defined by the ACGME.

Integrated Training Experience (Non-Pathology)

The Integrated Training Experience (ITE) is a two-year track open to non-pathology fellows who are currently in another fellowship at Mass General Brigham that includes at least one research year. If accepted into the Clinical Informatics fellowship program, and with approval from the American Board of Preventive Medicine (ABPM) and the other certifying board, the fellow will be able to combine 1-2 research years from the other fellowship with 1-2 of the years of the Clinical Informatics fellowship. This pathway is designed for fellows who are interested in applying informatics to their area of medical specialty.

Combined Fellowship Track (Pathology)

The Combined Fellowship track is a two-year program in which the clinical informatics fellowship is combined with another one-year pathology fellowship. Concurrent training with Clinical Informatics is allowed by the American Board of Pathology (ABP) and the ACGME, and a fellow successfully completing this track would qualify for dual board certification in clinical informatics and another ACGME-accredited pathology subspecialty with only two years of training rather than three years. The Clinical Informatics fellowship may also be combined with a non-ACGME accredited fellowship.

This pathway is designed for pathologists who are interested in applying informatics to a clinical laboratory or pathology specialty, especially if the candidate has done substantial training in informatics prior to or during residency. The second fellowship can be completed after the full year of informatics and must be done at MGB. There is a close collaboration between the fellowships so that the fellows leave the program ready to apply both informatics and clinical leadership in a subspecialty laboratory or diagnostic group. Please note that a letter signed by program directors of both fellowships and approval by the ABP must be completed before the start of either fellowship.

How to Apply

The Application process is Track specific.

Full 2-Year Track:

Physicians from all specialties are welcome to apply to this track (e.g., internal medicine, cardiology, otolaryngology).

Applicants interested in the full 2-year track should apply through ERAS:

Program Name: Massachusetts General Hospital/Brigham and Women’s Hospital Program

Specialty: Clinical Informatics (Pathology)

ACGME ID: 3022430001

We participate in the AMIA Match.

Note: Even though our clinical informatics program is listed under pathology in ERAS, we accept applicants from all primary medical specialties.

Integrated Training Experience:

Physicians who are current or matched and incoming residents/fellows at MGH, BWH, or Mass General Brigham may be eligible to apply to this track.

Applicants interested in the Integrated Training Experience (ITE) Track should email the following to mgbinformaticsfellowship@mgb.org by September 1, to be considered for the following July.

• A completed CAP standardized fellowship application (the CAP application is used for both the ITE and Combined Pathology tracks).
• One-page personal statement describing their interest in informatics.
• Curriculum Vitae
• Copy of USMLE transcripts
• Three letters of recommendation on institutional letter head, dated and signed directly from the recommender (including one from the MGH/BWH residency/fellowship program director or department chief)
• ECFMG Certificate (foreign medical graduates only)
• Copy of MD degree (foreign medical graduates only)

Pathology Combined Fellowship Track:

Applicants applying for the combined fellowship track should apply to both pathology fellowship programs at Mass General Brigham concurrently using one application form and should clearly indicate their interest in combining one year of clinical informatics with the other fellowship.

Applicants interested in the Combined Fellowship Track should email the following to mgbinformaticsfellowship@mgb.org by August 1 to be considered for the July start two years later.

• A completed CAP standardized fellowship application
• One-page personal statement describing their interest in informatics
• Curriculum Vitae
• Copy of USMLE transcripts
• Three letters of recommendation on institutional letter head, dated and signed directly from the recommender (including one from the residency program director or department chief)
• ECFMG Certificate (foreign medical graduates only)
• Copy of MD degree (foreign medical graduates only)

Fellowships and Faculty Contacts

Program Director
Thomas H. McCoy, MD

Associate Program Director
Veronica E. Klepeis, MD, PhD

Associate Program Director
Ellen Kim, MD, MBI