Course Director: Mark Weiner, MD
3 credits
In addition to technical, programming and analytical skills, healthcare informaticians and data scientists need clinical domain expertise to understand and interpret real world data and analytical findings and to communicate effectively with healthcare practitioners and investigators. This course is designed to equip informaticians with a foundational understanding of key concepts in clinical medicine, especially as they relate to the collection, application and interpretation of real world data toward clinical phenotypes and predictive analytics. Students will learn the fundamentals of the cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, respiratory, hematological, endocrine, neurological, musculoskeletal, psychiatric, and renal systems and how diseases in these body systems are reflected in subjective and objective measures collected through patient reports, clinical observations, laboratory tests and ancillary studies. Students will understand the clinicians approach to ordering tests to evaluate for the presence of disease. They will also learn about the variety and classification of pharmacological therapies, the context and rationale for starting and stopping medications, and their intended and unintended effects on body systems. Students will also learn how the physical and social environment in which patients live may impact the recognition and severity of illness, as well as the timing, approach and outcomes of care. Students will be introduced to differentiated care in the management of different patient specialties, including pediatrics and geriatrics.