Informatics education and the professions.

This Perspectives is the outgrowth of work begun at Maryland under the Informatics Task Force and its national and international advisory groups. In a theoretical discussion of what information science can contribute to the health professions, the authors address questions of definition and describe application and knowledge models for the emerging profession of informatics. A review of existing programs includes curriculum models and provides details on informatics programs emphasizing information and computer science; programs emphasizing the health sciences; and specialized informatics programs (undergraduate, master, and doctoral level). Focus is placed on models for informatics program development. The authors hope to build upon the database reported on in this article, and thereby foster the informatics education for the professions.