William Tierney, MD, an internationally recognized leader in medical informatics and health services research, has been named inaugural chair of population health for the Dell Medical School at The University of Texas at Austin.
Here are nine things to know about Dr. Tierney.
1. In his role, Dr. Tierney will assemble a team to work with a range of providers, community organizations and other partners. The team will work to improve health by increasing access to primary care specialties, enhancing public health activities, improving health services, strengthening community-based participatory research and developing a health informatics infrastructure for Austin and Travis County, among other responsibilities.
2. Clay Johnston, MD, the Dell Medical School's inaugural dean, said in a news release that Dr. Tierney and his team will improve health across the community "in ways that help realize the medical school’s vision of a vital, inclusive health ecosystem, while also making Travis County a model for the nation in population health."
3. Although he already is working on his plan for population health in Austin, he will officially join the Dell Medical School team in January.
4. Dr. Tierney comes to Austin from the Regenstrief Institute, a renowned Indianapolis-based informatics and healthcare research organization, where he is president and CEO and has worked for more than 30 years.
5. In addition to leading the Regenstrief Institute, Dr. Tierney is associate dean for clinical effectiveness research at Indianapolis-based Indiana University School of Medicine, where he attended medical school and completed a residency in internal medicine.
6. Dr. Tierney has been the principal investigator or co-principal investigator on grants and contracts totaling more than $32 million.
7. He has authored or co-authored 290 articles in peer-reviewed medical journals and is the past editor of the Journal of General Internal Medicine and co-editor-in-chief of Medical Care.
8. He is a former president of the Society of General Internal Medicine, a master of the American College of Physicians and a member of the National Academy of Medicine (formerly the Institute of Medicine).
9. He led the team of Americans and Kenyans that implemented the first and most successful outpatient electronic medical record system in sub-Saharan Africa.