The Strategic Value of a Chief Research Informatics Officer in Healthcare and Academic Medicine
Today’s health systems, especially academic medical centers, are increasingly reliant on data and information to drive clinical care, research, and innovation. The Chief Research Informatics...
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Today’s health systems, especially academic medical centers, are increasingly reliant on data and information to drive clinical care, research, and innovation. The Chief Research Informatics Officer (CRIO) serves as the linchpin in this mission, ensuring that research-driven data and informatics strategies align with organizational goals. At WittKieffer, we are increasingly asked to provide insight into the position in addition to supporting clients in recruiting these leaders – often in an inaugural role.
The CRIO is at the cutting edge of healthcare. In general, this executive is charged with:
- Strategy: developing and implementing a research informatics strategy aligned with technological possibilities and organizational goals.
- Research Infrastructure: overseeing systems for clinical trials, cohort discovery, and research data analytics.
- Data Governance & Compliance: ensuring compliance with HIPAA, IRB standards, and other regulations.
- Innovation and Advanced Analytics: promoting AI, machine learning, and advanced analytics for research.
- Operations: leading budgets and resource allocation for informatics initiatives.
In our recruiting experience with these roles, CRIOs are the indispensable bridge between IT and research peers. They work closely with research, biomedical informatics, the CMIO, CIO, and other technology leaders by building robust infrastructures and fostering collaboration. CRIOs enable organizations to leverage data for better patient outcomes, groundbreaking research and cutting-edge innovation, and facilitating major grant funding.
When we ask academic and traditional health systems about the impact CRIOs can bring to an organization, they assert that it is significant compared to the investment in the role. Conversely, those organizations that don’t have a CRIO may feel the pain, with research remaining frustrated and often siloed doing its own informatics (sometimes at the expense of the system’s overall security strategy). Also, we have seen researchers’ frustrations translate to them leaving an organization to look for better informatics support elsewhere.
To fully appreciate the value of a CRIO, allow me to outline and elaborate on three areas where they typically have the greatest impact: research, medical operations, and innovation/AI.
Research
The CRIO’s role in research is to spearhead the building of a strong data infrastructure, toolset, governance, and consulting expertise that serve as the foundation for the research enterprise and to position the institution for major grants, national collaborations, and breakthrough science. For instance, one CRIO that our firm helped recruit into a medical school in the U.S. Midwest put the technical knowledge and process stages in place to allow the organization to pilot a 12-site, $20-million participant grant, creating unprecedented opportunities for large-scale prospective and retrospective studies.
At a major public medical school in the Northeast U.S., the CRIO led the ideation and development of a secure, cloud-based platform that integrates Observational Medical Outcomes Partnership (OMOP)-standardized data from multiple sources. The resulting platform pared the time to access secure data from weeks to days and has quickly supported more than 80 grants across 10 departments, saving weeks of cumulative time to bring a research initiative to market.
CRIOs are also integral to driving funding success in a modern health sciences ecosystem. In one instance, the leader helped secure an additional $10 million in research funding while also contributing an estimated $50-100 million annually through indirect cost savings and improved infrastructure.
CRIOs must be change management leaders as well as technical gurus. One way is by creating global IRB and governance models for research, breaking down silos, and reducing administrative burden on faculty.
Medical Operations
If structured right, a CRIO role can act as an important dyad partner with the Chief Medical Informatics Officer (CMIO), Chief Nursing Informatics Officer (CNIO), and other technology leaders. While the CRIO is not typically responsible for medical operations technology, they are often on the front lines of translating research functionality into clinical workflows and harmonizing processes across departments. One CRIO WittKieffer recruited compiled data across 80+ care locations into a Regional Health Information Exchange, enabling near real-time surveillance of health conditions statewide. They brought a depth of understanding of the data that others did not, allowing physicians to respond quickly to emerging health issues.
At an academic medical center in the Southern U.S., the CRIO reduced delays in clinical trials by implementing governance processes and embedding research features within the EHR system. Another CRIO at a health system in the Northeast centralized Epic’s research activities, integrating AI and billing systems into clinical trial infrastructure—a move that strengthened operational efficiency and compliance.
CRIOs also introduce advanced tools like Velos and OnCore CTMS, and embed recruitment and e-consent workflows directly into EHR platforms such as Epic and Cerner. These innovations have streamlined subject management and accelerated study timelines, reducing onboarding time for trials by up to 30% in some institutions.
Innovation and AI
Innovation is central to the CRIO mission. Embedded in the mission of many CRIOs is the focus on creating a learning health system that is constantly evolving and improving. For example, one CRIO we placed co-founded one of the nation’s first AI labs for healthcare, positioning the institution as a leader in trustworthy AI and attracting state-level investment and competitive grants. Another CRIO at a Midwest academic medical center piloted generative AI features in its EHR system and supported predictive modeling for clinical workflows, backed by a high-performance computing cluster.
CRIOs also enable practical AI applications. An AMC in New England developed a machine learning model to predict postpartum depression, using OMOP infrastructure. The algorithm was published in a peer-reviewed journal and later implemented in Epic, demonstrating measurable clinical impact. At another institution, CRIO-led AI pilots have shown ROI improvements by reducing revenue leakage, outperforming commercial vendor solutions.
Governance is equally critical. CRIOs chair AI oversight committees, evaluate vendor proposals, and create structured pathways for piloting tools. These efforts ensure that emerging technologies meet clinical, ethical, and regulatory standards before deployment.
Conclusion
The Chief Research Informatics Officer is a catalyst for healthcare transformation. By integrating informatics into research, medical operations, and innovation, CRIOs enable institutions to deliver better care, accelerate discovery, and maintain a competitive edge. Their leadership not only addresses today’s challenges but also builds the foundation for a learning health system that continuously evolves to meet future needs.
