Appl Clin Inform 2017; 08(03): 845-853
DOI: 10.4338/ACI-2017-04-RA-0062
Research Article
Schattauer GmbH

The Emerging Role of the Chief Research Informatics Officer in Academic Health Centers

L. Nelson Sanchez-Pinto
1   University of Chicago Medical Center, Pediatrics, Chicago, Illinois, United States
,
Abu S. M. Mosa
2   University of Missouri Columbia School of Medicine, Department of Health Management and Informatics, Columbia, Missouri, United States
,
Kate Fultz-Hollis
3   Oregon Health & Science University, Department of Medical Informatics and Clinical Epidemiology, Portland, Oregon, United States
,
Umberto Tachinardi
4   UW-Madision, ICTR, Madison, Wisconsin, United States
,
William K. Barnett
5   Regenstrief Institute Inc, Indianapolis, Indiana, United States
,
Peter J. Embi*
5   Regenstrief Institute Inc, Indianapolis, Indiana, United States
› Author Affiliations
Further Information

Publication History

received: 12 April 2017

accepted in revised form: 28 May 2017

Publication Date:
20 December 2017 (online)

Preview

Summary

Background: The role of the Chief Research Informatics Officer (CRIO) is emerging in academic health centers to address the challenges clinical researchers face in the increasingly digitalized, data-intensive healthcare system. Most current CRIOs are the first officers in their institutions to hold that role. To date there is very little published information about this role and the individuals who serve it.

Objective: To increase our understanding of the CRIO role, the leaders who serve it, and the factors associated with their success in their organizations.

Methods: The Clinical Research Informatics Working Group of the American Medical Informatics Association (AMIA) conducted a national survey of CRIOs in the United States and convened an expert panel of CRIOs to discuss their experience during the 2016 AMIA Annual Symposium.

Results: CRIOs come from diverse academic backgrounds. Most have advance training and extensive experience in biomedical informatics but the majority have been CRIOs for less than three years. CRIOs identify funding, data governance, and advancing data analytics as their major challenges.

Conclusion: CRIOs play an important role in helping shape the future of clinical research, innovation, and data analytics in healthcare in their organizations. They share many of the same challenges and see the same opportunities for the future of the field. Better understanding the background and experience of current CRIOs can help define and develop the role in other organizations and enhance their influence in the field of research informatics.

Citation: Sanchez-Pinto LN, Mosa ASM, Fultz-Hollis K, Tachinardi U, Barnett WK, Embi PJ. The Emerging Role of the Chief Research Informatics Officer in Academic Health Centers. Appl Clin Inform 2017; 8: 845–853 https://doi.org/10.4338/ACI-2017-04-RA-0062

* For the Clinical Research Informatics Working Group of the American Medical Informatics Association.


Clinical Relevance Statement

The role of the Chief Research Informatics Officer (CRIO) is emerging in academic health centers to address the challenges clinical researchers face in the increasingly digitalized, data-intensive healthcare system. To date there has been very little published information about this role and the individuals who serve it. Better understanding the background and experience of current CRIOs can help define and develop the role in other organizations and enhance their influence in the future of research informatics.


Human Subjects Protections

The study was performed in compliance with the World Medical Association Declaration of Helsinki on Ethical Principles for Medical Research Involving Human Subjects, and was reviewed by the University of Missouri-Columbia and The University of Chicago Institutional Review Boards.