We are delighted to announce that Professor Julie Jacko has been appointed as Chair of Health Informatics and Data Science and Co-Head of the Centre for Medical Informatics at the Usher Institute, The University of Edinburgh. Image Professor Julie Jacko Professor Julie Jacko joins us from the Kiran C. Patel College of Allopathic Medicine at Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, where she served as Professor and Founding Chair of the Department of Population Health Sciences and Professor in the H. Wayne Huizenga College of Business and Entrepreneurship. Professor Jacko received her BS, MS and PhD in Industrial and Systems Engineering from Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana, USA. Her expertise in health informatics, health IT, population health, and human-computer interaction have generated a career lifetime total exceeding $30 million in externally funded research as either PI or Co-PI. She has over 15,850 total citations. With an h-index of 54 overall, her 180+ publications have appeared in preeminent scientific journals. She was awarded the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE), the highest honour awarded to early career research investigators by the US government. Numerous awards since have positioned her at the forefront of her field. Passionately committed to addressing historic health disparities for marginalised populations, and vulnerable, under-resourced communities, her recent research funding includes a $1M grant awarded by the Health Foundation of South Florida to lead the PATHWell Collaborative, a public-private partnership focused on achieving health equity for Florida's most disadvantaged communities. She is also the recent PI/Project Director on a Florida Blue Foundation grant focused on preventing opioid and substance abuse by South Florida's vulnerable youth, through education, research, and community health interventions. An expert consultant in the manufacturing, healthcare and IT sectors, Professor Jacko often serves as a strategist for organisations seeking to improve productivity, profitability, and impact. She has an innate passion for entrepreneurial endeavours. In 2015, she was recognised as a top entrepreneur in Miami for having created “one of the city’s most prolific businesses". Professor Jacko will continue her work here at the Usher Institute, co-leading our Centre for Medical Informatics alongside Professor Ewen Harrison, focused on creating/co-creating innovative discovery, solutions, partnerships, programs, systems and collaboratives in health informatics and population health that produce sustainable impact. We are delighted to be welcoming Professor Julie Jacko to co-lead the Centre for Medical Informatics in the Usher Institute. Julie brings a wealth of expertise in health data science and will help build and strengthen collaborations, both within the University of Edinburgh, across the UK and internationally. At a time when global health systems are struggling to efficiently and safely deliver vital care, Julie will help capitalise on the rich datasets and expertise available to make digital healthcare a reality. Professor Ewen HarrisonCo-Head of Centre for Medical Informatics, Usher Institute It is the privilege of a lifetime to join my esteemed colleagues in the Usher Institute, who are catalysing the transformation of health in UK society and globally. By prioritising people, populations and their data, the Usher Institute is at the forefront of discovery and innovation. Professor Julie JackoCo-Head of the Centre for Medical Informatics, Usher Institute We warmly welcome Julie to the Usher Institute at The University of Edinburgh. Julie is scheduled to start her new appointment on 19 September, and will be contributing towards the Usher Institute’s New Frontiers event in October on the subject of women in healthcare data science – look out for more details in the coming weeks! More information regarding Usher Institute's New Frontiers in Health and Social Care Events Publication date 16 Aug, 2023
