On September 6, 2017, the Department of Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Informatics celebrated its name change.
When this Department was originally established in 1994, it comprised two complementary disciplines: epidemiology and biostatistics. Over the past two decades, the broad field of population-health science has matured extensively. The model of human health now embraces a complex array of demographic, environmental, behavioral, organizational, and biological factors. Data sciences have become increasingly essential to the pursuit of new information not only about population health, but about individualized and personalized care.
Recognizing the developments within the discipline of informatics and the complementary roles it plays in clinical research, the Department worked with the PSOM to create new structures to help integrate informatics formally into our research programs.
In 2014, Dean Jameson and the PSOM appointed the first permanent director, Jason Moore, PhD, FACMI, of its new Institute for Biomedical Informatics. At that time, we created the Division of Informatics within what was then still called the DBE, and invited Dr. Moore to become its founding director.
Our new name is significant for multiple reasons; importantly, it helps to position Penn Medicine as a leader in population-health science. Our faculty chose a name that not only telegraphs the interactions and synergies across our three disciplines, but that cites each of them in recognition of their distinctive aspects and unique contributions to their respective national communities.
This new name reaffirms our broader commitment to harness synergies across disciplines of Biostatistics, Epidemiology and Informatics, to sustain, promote, and restore health of our patients and those living in the communities we serve. To view the video displayed at the event, click here.