Book excerpt: Innovation in Health Informatics: A Smart Healthcare Primer explains how the most recent advances in information and communication technologies have paved the way for new breakthroughs in healthcare. The book showcases current and prospective applications in a context defined by an imperative to deliver efficient, patient-centered and sustainable healthcare systems. Topics discussed include big data, medical data analytics, artificial intelligence, machine learning, virtual and augmented reality, 5g and sensors, Internet of Things, nanotechnologies and biotechnologies. Additionally, there is a discussion on social issues and policy- making for the implementation of smart healthcare. This book is a valuable resource for undergraduate and graduate students, practitioners, researchers, clinicians and data scientists who are interested in how to explore the intersections between bioinformatics and health informatics. - Provides a holistic discussion on the new landscape of medical technologies, including big data, analytics, artificial intelligence, machine learning, virtual and augmented reality, 5g and sensors, Internet of Things, nanotechnologies and biotechnologies - Presents a case study driven approach, with references to real-world applications and systems - Discusses topics with a research-oriented approach that aims to promote research skills and competencies of readers