The John P. Glaser Health Informatics Society at UTHealth School of Biomedical Informatics

In recognition of the expertise and leadership of Cerner Senior Vice President & Executive Cabinet Member, John P. Glaser, PhD, The University of Texas (UTHealth) School of Biomedical Informatics at Houston (SBMI) has created The John P. Glaser Health Informatics Society.

Glaser visited SBMI in the fall of 2015 to become better acquainted with the school and deliver a lecture focused on the evolution of electronic health records (https://youtu.be/I5zUgc0WL2o). Immediately, SBMI Dean and Glassell Family Foundation Distinguished Chair in Informatics Excellence, Jiajie Zhang, PhD, was eager to further engage Glaser with SBMI and the larger informatics community in Houston.

“Having an esteemed informatics colleague like Dr. Glaser visit our school and speak with our faculty, students, and Texas Medical Center collaborators was an incredible experience,” notes Zhang. “He shared his extensive knowledge with humor and enthusiasm—and I knew it was very important to have Dr. Glaser play a central role in the future of our school.”

In addition to designating Glaser the namesake of the school’s informatics society, Dean Zhang appointed him an adjunct professor at SBMI.

The purpose of The John P. Glaser Health Informatics Society at The UTHealth School of Biomedical Informatics is:

- To advance the field of health informatics by honoring its thought leaders and innovators;
- To provide a forum for dialogue and collaboration among faculty, students, alumni, and a diverse group of professionals working in the field of health informatics;
- To expand networking and education opportunities among those with interests in the field of health informatics; and
- To strengthen support for the school and bolster its position as a national leader in health informatics.

Annually, beginning in 2016, a selection committee will nominate a John P. Glaser Health Informatics Innovator Award recipient. The Glaser Award winner will be the featured speaker at an SBMI lecture and the honoree at a reception involving UTHealth, TMC institutions, and the greater Houston community. Those accorded The John P. Glaser Health Informatics Innovator Award will be thought leaders and pioneers who make seminal contributions to the field—in the tradition of informatics trailblazer, Dr. John P. Glaser.

“My work in the field of informatics is of the utmost importance to me,” stated Glaser. “It is not an avocation; it is a mission. I am proud and honored to align myself with SBMI by lending my name to its informatics society, providing counsel to its dean, and contributing to the academic enterprise as an adjunct faculty member. SBMI and I are committed to helping improve the way health care is delivered. Along with other informatics professionals and institutions, we are educating the health IT workforce and forging new ways for clinicians and health service organizations to transform health care. There can be no higher priority within the field than the ongoing advancement of patient care.”

Glaser recently released a book entitled “Glaser on Healthcare IT: Perspectives from the Decade that Defined Healthcare Information Technology.”