Clinical Informatics Physicians \u2013 The Missing Link in Building AI-Enabled Healthcare in the Arab World<\/p>\n
1- Background
\n* Clinical Informatics Physicians are medical doctors who first complete a medical degree (MD), then an accredited residency in any clinical specialty (e.g., internal medicine, pediatrics, surgery, family medicine).
\n* After residency (or after being certified in a specialty), they may pursue a 2-year fellowship in Clinical Informatics. This subspecialty integrates medicine, data science, and digital health systems to ensure the safe and effective adoption of AI tools.<\/p>\n
2- Training Pathway
\n* MD (medical degree) \u2192 Residency (board-eligible or board-certified in a specialty) \u2192 2-year Clinical Informatics fellowship \u2192 Board certification in Clinical Informatics.
\n* Since 2025, only physicians who complete an accredited fellowship are eligible for board certification. Before that, physicians could also qualify through a \u2018practice pathway\u2019 based on sufficient professional experience in informatics, but this alternative route has now been closed.<\/p>\n
3- Global Reality
\n* United States: Clinical Informatics has been a recognized subspecialty since 2011, with structured fellowships and board exams.
\n* Medical education trend: Many countries are starting to integrate AI and informatics into medical school curricula and continuing medical education, just as genetics and biostatistics were integrated in earlier decades.
\n* Other regions: In many countries (including the Middle East), there are no accredited Clinical Informatics Physicians, creating a critical gap in AI readiness.<\/p>\n
4- Role and Importance
\n* Serve as a bridge between technology and bedside care.
\n* Ensure AI systems align with clinical workflows, patient safety, and healthcare efficiency.
\n* Just as cardiologists teach the heart and pulmonologists the lungs, informatics physicians teach and lead the integration of AI in healthcare.<\/p>\n
5- Jordan\u2019s Gap
\n* Currently, Jordan has no certified Clinical Informatics Physicians.
\n* This absence risks leaving clinicians unprepared for rapid AI adoption.
\n* Establishing local training programs and fellowships will be essential for Jordan and the wider Arab region to advance in AI-driven healthcare.<\/p>\n
Key References<\/p>\n
1- ACGME Program Requirements for Clinical Informatics: 2- ABPM \u2013 Clinical Informatics Certification Pathway:
\nhttp:\/\/www.acgme.org\/globalassets\/pfassets\/programrequirements\/381_clinicalinformatics_2023.pdf<\/a><\/p>\n
\nhttps:\/\/www.theabpm.org\/become-certified\/subspecialties\/clinical-informatics\/<\/a><\/p>\n