Informaticists: Rakhal M. Reddy, MD MSHI FAMIA FACHE, ventures into health informatics after a career in pediatrics
Learn more about Dr. Reddy's journey to becoming an informaticist and how he uses his knowledge in his role as Lead Physician Executive.
Informaticists: Rakhal M. Reddy, MD MSHI FAMIA FACHE, ventures into health informatics after a career in pediatrics Heading link
Informaticists are professionals at the intersection of information technology and healthcare. They harness the power of data and technology to improve patient care, the delivery of healthcare services, and streamline healthcare processes.
Meet Rakhal M. Reddy, MD MSHI FAMIA FACHE, a 2022 graduate of the UIC Online Master of Health Informatics (MSHI) program. Currently working as a Lead Physician Executive at Oracle Health, he says informaticists are in high demand because “data and AI are at a crossroads.” Without informaticists to effectively leverage and comprehend this emerging technology, we are likely to face significant challenges.
Learn more about Dr. Reddy’s journey to becoming an informaticist, and how he uses his health informatics knowledge daily.
INTRO Heading link
An introduction to Rakhal M. Reddy, MD MSHI FAMIA FACHE.
Dr. Reddy’s background is in pediatric medicine. He finished his residency at the University of Illinois Chicago. His fascination with electronic health records sparked during his time in active practice. He currently works as a Lead Physician Executive at Oracle Health. He focuses on the adoption, implementation, and support of the Oracle Health Electronic Record to the Veteran Affairs program.
HI Interest Heading link
How did you become interested in the health informatics field?
Dr. Reddy fell into the field of health informatics. Without a formal education in health informatics, he was hired as a System Medical Director with Adventist Health in California. After going through his day to day, he started to feel like he needed a more formal education to strengthen his current role which led him to the UIC online MSHI degree.
Work Challenge Heading link
Is there an example of a work challenge you faced that you were able to overcome with your HI knowledge?
Dr. Reddy says he uses his MSHI degree and his concentration in health data science on a daily basis. He says having data literacy is a huge benefit of going through UIC’s online program. He’s able to understand data analysis and the limitations of the data. He uses this knowledge when it comes to adoption and providing support to the frontline clinicians.
HI Skillsets Heading link
How do you apply the skillsets you learned in the MSHI program daily in your career?
Dr. Reddy said having a MSHI degree opens many doors to the “exploding” field of health informatics. His MSHI professors were influential in his day-to-day thinking about various issues, such as sociotechnical factors in adoption.
Advice Heading link
What advice do you have for a prospective HI student?
Besides congratulating the prospective students who are exploring UIC’s HI programs, he says he would encourage them to pursue the degree. He says informaticists are in high demand and you can have the best artificial intelligence in the world, but if you don’t have informaticists that understand how to use it and how to cross those bridges with the people who are going to use it, it’s going to be a difficult challenge. He looks forward to welcoming these prospective HI students on the other side.
END Heading link
UIC’s online Master of Science in Health Informatics (MSHI) program has been preparing leaders in the field of health informatics since 2006. As one of the fastest growing interdisciplinary fields, students come from a multitude of professional backgrounds, including nurses, pharmacists, clinicians, and data scientists. Learn more about the MSHI program and talk to an enrollment specialist today.