A Hands-On Imaging Informatics Curriculum for Medical Students: Developing a Foundational Understanding of Healthcare...

Imaging informatics is becoming more central to clinical practice with the expansion of artificial intelligence, telehealth, patient portals, and diagnostic imaging. Despite these technological advances, formal education in imaging informatics is typically not part of the traditional medical school curriculum. This paper describes the creation and implementation of a hands-on active learning module for medical students focused on foundational concepts in imaging informatics. The active learning module for second-year medical students was developed and led by faculty with expertise in imaging informatics. Students were instructed to view a brief prerecorded video prior to the session. During the in-person 50-min session, students were divided into groups of 6-10 and asked to take a photograph of a body part and send it to another team member. This process was repeated multiple times using a different image-sharing method and partner each time, followed by discussion of challenges encountered. Post-session evaluations yielded a mean rating of 4.33/5 for being conducive to learning and engaging the audience; opportunities to apply foundational concepts and activities that promoted problem solving each received mean ratings of 4.00/5. Qualitative feedback indicated that some students found the material new and applicable to clinical practice, while others desired more advanced content, clearer key takeaways, and additional information about physicians' roles in informatics. Qualitative feedback informed iterative modifications to the session. This educational session facilitated a rich discussion of core imaging informatics concepts including the importance of image standards, metadata to accompany images, workflow automation, and interoperability.