The Center for Biomedical Informatics (CBMI)

The ICTS Center for Biomedical Informatics (CBMI) overarching goals are to help UC Irvine clinical researchers gain access to modern data management tools for facilitating research from the electronic medical record; adopt standards for data compatibility and HIPAA-compliant security; facilitate networking and data sharing locally and nationally; train UC Irvine healthcare professionals and community partners in basic approaches to modern biomedical informatics; and provide the necessary tools and infrastructure to render the ICTS as an effective “collaboratory.” The infrastructure, vision, and specific aims of the CBMI are all geared to serve as the glue that binds the key components of the ICTS here at UC Irvine and facilitate our linking to networks, databases, and multi-institutional research teams throughout the nation.

The CBMI has been granted campus-wide authority to review all decisions on major purchases, systems adoption, and implementation of clinically related BMI infrastructure. This governance reflects the recognition by UC Irvine campus leadership of the critical role that BMI now plays in the clinical research enterprise. The CBMI is strategically positioned to put into effect policies that will improve research IT and BMI throughout the campus. The organization and leadership structure of the CBMI contributes to its ongoing success by bringing together UC Irvine’s existing strengths in the fields of computer science, informatics, and computational biology. We are now well into the process of linking these strengths to the expertise in electronic health records currently being deployed throughout the UC Irvine system of clinics and hospitals. The organizational structure was developed specifically to integrate the various IT and BMI entities throughout UC Irvine. Each of the key positions is filled by UC Irvine faculty and staff who are actively pursuing the goals of the CTSA and CBMI.