Continued scientific discovery is one of the things that make providing—and receiving—patient care unique at academic medical centers like UAB. One way we’re going to continue our innovation is through informatics, the science of collecting, reporting and processing data and using that knowledge to enhance patient care and health.
Informatics encompasses all aspects of medicine and will help us tie together personalized medicine and genomics. Our ability to interpret genomic data is based on our ability to use that information for patient care and research, and informatics allows us to do just that. We can harness vast volumes of data—to be translated into relevant and applicable information for scientific and investigation and patient care. This allows elective medical records and patient data to be linked, giving doctors and patients the ability to make decisions regarding their health in a targeted, personalized way.
We’re already making large strides in the field, with the successful recruitment of Dr. James Cimino to lead the Informatics Institute at UAB. Jim is one of the seminal icons in informatics who helped develop one of the earliest and most outstanding programs at Columbia University and guided the informatics program at NIH’s Clinical Center. He’s also one of the few informaticians named to the Institute of Medicine.
He’ll begin his work with us on March 2.
The Institute will focus on four key areas: Data management, software development, biomedical informatics research and education. Jim’s leadership will guide the Institute in shaping new use for informatics across UAB and supporting and enhancing those groups already working in informatics, including the Center for Clinical and Translational Sciences and the Department of Pathology. He’ll also provide his expertise in supporting personalized medicine efforts for patients at UAB and expand the opportunities to train future leaders in the field.
I fully expect the Informatics Institute to play a key role in our plan for continued growth in our NIH funding and will affect each grant application submitted. Jim and the institute will also be a driver in the elevation of the School of Medicine’s reputation on a national scale.
February 19, 2015