INDIANAPOLIS – Regenstrief Institute and Indiana University have received a second five years of support from the National Library of Medicine (NLM), part of the National Institutes for Health, for the Indiana Training Program in Public and Population Health Informatics.
NLM funds a total of 18 academic institutions for these advanced training programs. The program at Regenstrief and IU is the only one focused on public and population health informatics.
The prestigious pre- and post-doctoral fellowship program educates and trains future researchers working on the development and implementation of data and information systems to improve population health through courses offered by the Indiana University Richard M. Fairbanks School of Public Health (FSPH) and research training at Regenstrief Institute. Trainees are mentored by internationally recognized Regenstrief research scientists and IU faculty experts in medicine, public health, informatics and health services research.
The 2022-27 award is expected to total $2.5 million.
“Program graduates respond to a growing need for informaticians; a need that became even more apparent during the pandemic,” said Brian Dixon, PhD, MPA, a Regenstrief research scientist and co-director of the Regenstrief-FSPH fellowship. “The Regenstrief-IU partnership brings broad educational and practical experience to fellowship graduates, who are positioning themselves to make significant, lasting impacts on the health of populations in Indiana and around the world.” Dr. Dixon also serves as the Interim Director of the Center for Biomedical Informatics.
Program graduates go on to perform research in public health agencies, consulting firms, life sciences companies, non-profit research organizations and academic institutions. The program seeks to prepare graduates for a career in research, employing informatics methods to strengthen the delivery of population health interventions and improve the public’s health.
Trainees receive world-class education at IU on core topics in public health, informatics, social/behavioral determinants of health, disease surveillance, data science and research methods. Furthermore, trainees build unique skills and expertise as they work on a variety of Regenstrief research projects:
- leveraging large clinical data sets and resources managed by the Regenstrief Institute and IU.
- developing and applying analytical methods to detect and mobilize response to emerging health threats.
- deploying advanced surveillance systems in communities to address disease and injury needs of populations.
- improving data and information systems to better support clinical and public health work performed in hospitals, clinics and public health agencies.
“Our investment in training the next generation of public and population health informatics experts recognizes that informatics is essential to managing health and disease,” said Titus Schleyer, DMD, PhD, a Regenstrief research scientist and co-director of the Regenstrief-FSPH fellowship. “A unique strength of our program is that trainees are able to put much of their work to practical use in collaboration with our health system partners, for instance through the Indiana Learning Health System Initiative.”
Details on the program including eligibility, program deadlines and other information can be found on the program website. Regenstrief Institute, through its Clem McDonald Center for Biomedical Informatics, has been training informaticians for more than a quarter century. In addition to the public and population health informatics training program, the institute is home to an Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education approved program in clinical informatics, a recognized sub-specialty in medicine.
About Brian E. Dixon, PhD, MPA
In addition to his role as a research scientist at Regenstrief Institute and co-director of the Regenstrief-IU Richard M. Fairbanks School for Public Health fellowship, Brian E. Dixon, PhD, MPA, is director of public health informatics for Regenstrief Institute and IU Fairbanks School for Public Health, interim director of the Center for Biomedical Informatics at Regenstrief Institute and a professor of epidemiology at the Fairbanks School of Public Health. He is also an affiliate scientist at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Health Services Research and Development Center for Health Information and Communication, Richard L. Roudebush VA Medical Center.
About Titus K. Schleyer, DMD, PhD
In addition to his role as a Regenstrief Institute research scientist and co-director of the Regenstrief-IU Richard M. Fairbanks School for Public Health fellowship, Titus K. Schleyer, DMD, PhD, leads the Indiana Learning Health System Initiative, is the program director for learning health informatics at Regenstrief and is a professor of biomedical informatics at Indiana University School of Medicine.
About Regenstrief Institute
Founded in 1969 in Indianapolis, the Regenstrief Institute is a local, national and global leader dedicated to a world where better information empowers people to end disease and realize true health. A key research partner to Indiana University, Regenstrief and its research scientists are responsible for a growing number of major healthcare innovations and studies. Examples range from the development of global health information technology standards that enable the use and interoperability of electronic health records to improving patient-physician communications, to creating models of care that inform practice and improve the lives of patients around the globe.
Sam Regenstrief, a nationally successful entrepreneur from Connersville, Indiana, founded the institute with the goal of making healthcare more efficient and accessible for everyone. His vision continues to guide the institute’s research mission.
About the Richard M. Fairbanks School of Public Health
Located on the IUPUI and Fort Wayne campuses, the Richard M. Fairbanks School of Public Health is committed to advancing the public’s health and well-being through education, innovation and leadership. The Fairbanks School of Public Health is known for its expertise in biostatistics, epidemiology, cancer research, community health, environmental public health, global health, health policy and health services administration.