Richard Rathe, MD

Associate Professor of Family Medicine (ret.) and Medical Informatician

About

Dr. Rathe joined the University of Florida in 1990 to develop the informatics program for the College of Medicine. Prior to his arrival, he completed a two year NLM Informatics Fellowship at the Harvard School of Public Health. He is board certified in Family Practice and holds a joint appointment with the Department of Community Health and Family Medicine. From 1990 to 1996 he directed the development of the Online Medical Record (OLMR) for the Shands Teaching Hospital. His teaching responsibilities include: Basic Clinical Skills, course director 1995 – 2000; clinical instructor during the 3rd year Family Medicine clerkship; and Introduction to Medical Informatics, senior elective, 1996 – 2001. In 1998 he was appointed the Associate Dean for Information Technology. In 2010 he helped select the Epic EMR for the UF Health outpatient clinics. Since that time he worked to improve the quality of medical documentation across the enterprise. In 2014 Dr. Rathe stepped down as Associate Dean to focus on patient care, bedside teaching and the electronic medical record. Since then he has launched the Rational History of Present Illness Project including the quickHPI web app and related Epic tools. Dr. Rathe most recently saw patients at the Old Town Clinic in rural North Florida. In July 2017 he moved to semi-retired status and now works part-time at the UF After Hours Clinic and volunteers with the UF Mobile Outreach Clinic. He remains professionally active online as @richardrathe and at rathe.medinfo.ufl.edu.

Honors and Awards

Exemplary Teacher Award 2016

National Board of Medical Examiners, USMLE Management Committee, 2014

National Board of Medical Examiners, Step 2 Committee, Re-elected 2012

National Board of Medical Examiners, Step 2 Committee, 2010

Sabbatical by Invitation to the National Board of Medical Examiners, 2006

Celebration of Excellence Award, University of Florida College of Medicine Curriculum Committee, 2002

Special Recognition Award, Florida Academy of Family Physicians, 1998

Superior Accomplishment Award, University of Florida, 1996

Cum Laude Award for “Radiologic Anatomy”, InfoRAD, RSNA, 1993

Medical Informatics

From 1990 until 2015 the Office of Medical Informatics worked directly with faculty to develop computer assisted instruction for undergraduate, graduate, and continuing medical education. Major projects at this time include: Radiologic Anatomy laser disc and CD-ROM, Human Anatomy laser disc and CD-ROM, Microscopic Anatomy laser disc and CD-ROM, microbiology cases and “Bugs” database, general and systemic pathology laser disc and CD-ROM, geriatric education World Wide Web site, Musculoskeletal Pathology laser disc and instructional program, GI tumor imaging, obstetric ultrasound, and head and neck imaging.

Since 1996 the College of Medicine has used Online Evaluation and Assessment Tools developed by Dr. Rathe and his department. These tools include evalCGI, quizCGI and the Instructor’s Toolkit (ITK). These systems supported performance-based testing in the Harrell Professional Development and Assessment Center. Since 2001 the College has invested in a computer-based Testing Center (figure right), followed by two major expansions. The center currently has 160 dedicated workstaions. Most UF Medical, Dental, and Nursing examinations are now given in these facilities.

Education

National Library of Medicine Medical Informatics Fellowship, Decision Systems Group, Harvard University, Boston, MA; Cheyenne Family Practice Residency, University of Wyoming, Cheyenne, WY; Doctor of Medicine, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, MN; Bachelor of Arts, Carleton College, Northfield, MN

Professional Contributions

Epic Physicians Advisory Group 2010-present; NLM/USMLE Step 2 Clinical Skills Test Development 2008-2014; Founding Officer of the AMIA FP/PC Working Group; Editor of the AMIA FP/PC Working Group Newsletter, 1995 – 2000; Creator of the FAFP Web Site, 1998 – present; Member of AAFP Information Technology Advisory Panel, 1997; Member of AAMC Medical School Objectives Project Informatics Panel, 1997; Chair AAMC SGEA Computers in Medical Education Interest Group, 1996 – present; Organizer of the First Southeast Medical Informatics Conference, 1995; Organizer of the Second Southeast Medical Informatics Conference, 1996

Professional Interests

Computer-Assisted Instruction, Computer-Based Patient Records, Mobile Computing, Wireless Communications, Use of Internet Technologies for Education and Patient Care, Healthcare Economics

Personal Interests

Photography, Wilderness Travel, Kayaking, Bicycling, Sailing, Software Development, History, Philosophy

See richard.rathe.org and @richard_rathe

[Revised July 2016, see his Curriculum Vitae for more details.]