The Clinical Scholars in Informatics (CSI) pathway is a two-year program designed for residents to further develop clinical skills in informatics and health information technologies with the support and guidance of a mentorship team.
Pathway Curriculum
These skills can open up opportunities for:
- Research
- Improving healthcare quality and safety
- Making Electronic Health Record workflows more efficient
Through a competitive application process, two PGY1 residents are selected for the pathway to begin their PGY2 and PGY3 years.
In their training, Clinical Scholars in Informatics residents will:
- Obtain EPIC Physician Builder certification with privileges to modify the Wake Forest Electronic Health Record in collaboration with Wake Forest Information Technology Services (ITS). This includes travel to EPIC headquarters to complete training as well as building a marketable skillset that can be valuable for future fellowship and faculty positions
- Receive commendation and a certificate of completion during the yearly Internal Medicine Awards Day
- Have an opportunity to shape a future career in informatics, complementing a career in internal medicine specialties or subspecialties
- Receive a $2,500 stipend to be used for data extraction, statistical analysis, travel for presentations/conferences or informatics-related educational materials. This stipend is in addition to current residency travel funding
- Be granted two elective informatics blocks in the PGY2 year with additional elective time (one to two months) that can be used for informatics in the PGY3 year
- Participate in informatics journal club
- Be granted a loaner laptop to be used for an informatics-related project
Clinical Scholars in Informatics residents are expected to:
- Design and implement an informatics-related project (can be in general medicine or a subspecialty area) by the end of their PGY2 year
- Evaluate the impact of the project within the health system and submit to both the Wake Forest Quality Improvement Showcase and Internal Medicine Research Day in their PGY3 year
- Draft and submit a completed manuscript of the project and evaluation of impact in a relevant journal
Rotations
Residents on the CSI Pathway will continue with their upper-level track rotations as previously assigned. As stated, residents are granted two elective informatics blocks in the PGY2 year.
2020-2022 Clinical Scholars in Informatics (CSI) Residents
Matthew Ellis, MD; Bradley Rowland, MD; Travis Skipina, MD; Nikhil Patel, MD; and Sarah Stern, MD
Nikhil Patel, MD
Mentor Team: Ajay Dharod, MD (Informatics); Brandon Stacey, MD (Cardiovascular Medicine), Richa Bundy, MPH (Biostatistician), Adam Moses, MHA (Informatics)
Project Title: "Design and Implementation of Clinical Decision Support Tool for Management of Device Therapy in Congestive Heart Failure"
Travis Skipina, MD
Mentor Team: Ajay Dharod, MD (Informatics); Erin Barnes (Infectious Disease), Richa Bundy, MPH (Biostatistician), Adam Moses, MHA (Informatics)
Project Title: "Accurate identification of intravenous drug users at a tertiary teaching hospital: a harm reduction and cost-savings effort"
Matthew Ellis, MD
Mentor Team: Ajay Dharod, MD (Informatics); Nancy Denizard-Thompson, MD (Internal Medicine), Nyree Thorne, MD (Gastroenterology), Sean Hernandez, MD (Informatics), Richa Bundy, MPH (Biostatistician), Adam Moses, MHA (Informatics), Lauren Witek, MS (Biostatistician)
Project Title: "Implementing High-Value Care: Reducing Cost through Improving Provider Awareness of Laboratory Test Expenses"
Bradley Rowland, MD
Mentor Team: Ajay Dharod, MD (Informatics); Donna Williams, MD (Internal Medicine), Richa Bundy, MPH (Biostatistician), Adam Moses, MHA (Informatics), Lauren Witek, MS (Biostatistician)
Project Title: "Validating and Operationalizing Cognitive Computing to Reduce Unplanned Readmissions"
Sarah Stern, MD
Mentor Team: Ajay Dharod, MD (Informatics); Christopher Kelly, MD (Internal Medicine), Matthew Gorris (Endocrinology), Richa Bundy, MPH (Biostatistician), Adam Moses, MHA (Informatics), Lauren Witek, MS (Biostatistician)
Project Title: "Improving Insulin Safety in Hospitalized Patients through EMR-Based Clinical Decision Support"
CSI-Related, Peer-Reviewed Presentations, Posters, Manuscripts and Other Funding
Ajay Dharod, MD, (left) and Andrew Benefield, MD, (right)
Petty SA, Moses A, Bundy R, Morris, CF, Grey C, Dharod A. Implementing Predictive Modeling to Increase Advance Care Planning Completion in Outpatient IM Resident Clinics. North Carolina ACP Annual Scientific Session. Greensboro, NC. February 28-29, 2020.
Poster: Benefield, A, Denizard-Thompson N, Moses A, Dharod A. Improving Social Determinants of Health through the Delivery of Community Resources. Poster presented at 2019 WFBMC QI Showcase. Winston-Salem, NC.
Poster: Hernandez S, Klepin H, Moses A, Dharod A. Facilitating Inpatient Goals of Care Conversations: Developing An Automated Alert System to Promote Inpatient End-Of-Life Discussions Between Primary Oncologists and Patients. Poster presented at 2019 Wake Forest School of Medicine Internal Medicine Research Symposium. Winston-Salem, NC. May 2019. Winston-Salem, NC. 1st Place Winner: QI category.
Presentation: Dharod A, Gurcan M, Kohn M, Topaloglu U, Well B. S13 Panel: Developing Biomedical Informatics Capability to Support Learning Health System: Challenges and Potential Solutions. Oral Panelist at: American Medical Informatics Association (AMIA) Annual Symposium; November; 2019, Washington, DC.
Presentation: Petty SA, Morris CF, Moses A, Bundy R, Grey C, Dharod A. Implementing Predictive Modeling to Increase Advance Care Planning Completion in Outpatient IM Resident Clinics. Oral abstract presentation. Annual North Carolina Epic Users Group Meeting (NC UGM); March 24-25, 2020. Greensboro, NC. *Cancelled due to COVID-19.
Presentation: Benefield A, Moses A, Dharod A. Improving Social Determinants of Health through the Delivery of Community Resources, Social Care Forum. Oral presentation at: Annual Epic Users Group Meeting (UGM); August; 2018. Verona, WI.
Presentation: Benefield A, Moses A, Dharod A. Improving Social Determinants of Health through the Delivery of Community Resources, Social Care Forum. Oral presentation at: AMIA Clinical Informatics Conference (CIC); May; 2019. Atlanta, GA.
Presentation: Hernandez S, Klepin H, Moses A, Dharod A. Admission Notices: A Novel Way to Promote Inpatient Goals of Care Conversations with Cancer Patients. Oral presentation at 2019 Epic Expert Group Meeting (XGM) May 2019. Verona, WI.
Ajay Dharod, MD
Kohn, MS, Topaloglu, U, Kirkendall, ES, Dharod, A, Wells, BJ, Gurcan, M. Creating learning health systems and the emerging role of biomedical informatics. Learning Health Systems. 2021;e10259. https://doi.org/10.1002/lrh2.10259.
Dharod A, Atkinson H, Rosenthal G. “The CSI (Clinical Scholars in Informatics): A Novel Internal Medicine (IM) Resident-Driven Applied Informatics Pathway”. Journal of General Internal Medicine 2019;34(2 Suppl):S852.
Unassigned
PI: Sean Hernandez
05/31/2020 - 12/31/2020
Wake Forest Center for Precision Medicine Pilot Grant Award
Use of Whole Genome Sequencing in Familial Colorectal Cancers
This pilot grant seeks to evaluate the results from current targeted genetic sequencing performed in patients, who have been identified as high risk for familial colorectal cancer and referred to Genetic Counseling, to test the hypothesis that whole genome sequencing can replicate the results of targeted genetic testing panels in patients with known pathogenic variants consistent with colorectal cancer.
Co-Investigators: Joel Joseph, Girish Mishra, Adam Moses, Richa Bundy, Kathryn Calloway, Jeannie Chan, Ajay Dharod, Michael Olivier
Unassigned
PI: Palakshappa
07/01/2018-06/30/2019
Wake Forest Learning Health System Pilot Grant Award
Using Digital Technologies to Identify and Address Patients’ Unmet Social Needs
The goal of this study is to develop and pilot test a tablet-based social determinants of health screening process that identifies patients with unmet social needs at the time of care delivery, seamlessly integrates with the electronic health record, and automatically alerts providers.
Co-Investigators: Andrew Benefield, David Miller, Alysha Jo Taxter, Nancy Denizard-Thompson, Petro Gniji, Daisy Valdovino
Unassigned
Palakshappa (PI)
07/01/2019-06/30/2020
American Medical Association Practice Transformation Imitative
Addressing Social Determinants of Health to Reduce Physician Burnout
Although clinicians recognize the impact of the social determinants of health (SDH) on patient care, clinicians feel they do not have the time or knowledge to effectively address patients’ unmet social needs in the clinic. This can lead to feelings of distress and helplessness. The objective of this study is to test the impact of a tablet-based platform that enhances the role of support staff to address SDH on clinician burnout.
Co-Investigators: Ajay Dharod, Andrew Benefield, Kirsten Feiereisel, Nancy Denizard Thompson, Claudia Campos, David Miller, Justin Moore