VA Advanced Fellowship Program in Medical Informatics

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
Stephan Gaehde, M.D., MPH
Director, Fellowship Program in Medical Informatics (111)
VA Boston Healthcare System
VAMC Boston Division
150 South Huntington Avenue
Boston, MA 02130
Stephan.Gaehde@va.gov

Indianapolis, IN
Neil Chumbler, PhD
Director, Fellowship Program in Medical Informatics (11H)
Associate Chief, HSR&D Center for Implementing Evidence-based Practice & Professor, Department of Sociology, Indiana University School of Liberal Arts 
Richard L. Roudebush VA Medical Center
1481 West 10th Street
Indianapolis, IN 46202
Neale.chumbler@va.gov

Nashville, TN
Steven H. Brown, M.D.
Director, Compensation and Pension Examination Program
Nashville VAMC
2100 West End Ave.
Suite 840
Nashville, TN 37203
Steven.Brown@va.gov
Debbie.Leek@va.gov

Palo Alto, CA
Ruth Cronkite, Ph.D.
Douglas Owens, M.D., M.Sc.
Co-Directors, Fellowship Program in Medical Informatics (152)
VA Palo Alto Health Care System
VAMC Menlo Park Division
795 Willow Road
Menlo Park, CA 94025
Ruth.Cronkite@va.gov

Portland, OR
David Hickam, M.D., M.P.H.
Director, Fellowship Program in Medical Informatics (111)
VA Medical Center
3710 Southwest US Veterans Hospital Rd.
Portland, OR 97207
David.Hickam@va.gov

Salt Lake City, UT
Michael Lincoln, M.D.
Director, Fellowship Program in Medical Informatics (11R)
VA Medical Center
500 Foothill Drive
Salt Lake City, UT 84148
Michael.Lincoln@va.gov

Seattle, WA
Kenric Hammond, M.D.
Director, Fellowship Program in Medical Informatics (116)
VA Puget Sound Health Care System
VAMC Seattle Division
1660 South Columbian Way
Seattle, WA 98108-1597

West Haven, CT
Cynthia A. Brandt, MD, MPH
VA Connecticut
950 Campbell Ave
West Haven, CT 06516
Phone: 203-932-5711 x 3541
cynthia.brandt@va.gov