Resident Physicians Informatics Track

Resident Physician Informatics Track

The Resident Physician Informatics Track provides residents with structured, longitudinal training in clinical informatics, healthcare analytics, clinical decision support and digital health innovation. Through mentorship from faculty in the Division of Bioinformatics & Perioperative Analytics, residents gain practical experience applying data-driven approaches to improve patient care, optimize clinical workflows and support operational decision-making across UCLA Health.

The track is tailored to each resident's prior experiences and learning goals. Residents participate in ongoing institutional initiatives while developing the technical, analytical and leadership skills that prepare them for careers in clinical informatics, academic medicine, healthcare technology and health IT leadership.

Curriculum

Residents participate in a longitudinal curriculum that includes educational experiences in:

• Clinical Informatics 
• Healthcare Analytics 
• Electronic Health Record (EHR) – Epic  
• Clinical Decision Support 
• SQL and Database Fundamentals 
• Data Visualization
• Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning Applications 
• Quality Improvement Methodologies 
• Project Management 
• Healthcare Innovation 

Residents meet regularly with faculty mentors and program director to review progress, discuss project development and establish educational and career goals.

Informatics Days

Residents take part in periodic Informatics Days, which bring together project progress reviews, an expert faculty lecture series, informatics team and Epic build meetings, skills workshops and dedicated project time. Alongside this, residents work with faculty and multidisciplinary teams on active institutional initiatives spanning clinical and research analytics, dashboard and enterprise reporting, clinical decision support optimization and quality improvement — applying informatics principles to real problems in patient care and operations.

Capstone Project

Each resident completes a Capstone Project: an EHR clinical decision support project, a data analytics research project or a combination of both. Residents receive individualized mentorship from faculty within the Division of Bioinformatics & Perioperative Analytics throughout the program for project development, technical skill acquisition, research methodology and professional development. Capstone projects are presented at departmental, regional and national meetings and may lead to publication when appropriate. 

Application Process

Applications open annually in July of CA-1 year and are due on July 31st. 

Application requirements include:

• Completed application form
• Current CV
• Personal statement describing the applicant's interest in informatics and career goals
• Brief interview with the informatics division

Selection criteria:

• Good standing in residency training
• Approval from residency education leadership
• Demonstrated interest in informatics
• Prior experience in EHR optimization, data analytics or informatics research is preferred but not required

Contact

For questions regarding the Resident Physicians Informatics Track, please contact:

Zhi Dong, MD, MPH
Director of Informatics Education

Division of Bioinformatics & Perioperative Analytics

✉ [email protected]