Blackford Middleton, M.D., MPH, MSc Closed Now

Dr. Blackford Middleton is a highly respected leader in health informatics, clinical decision support, and healthcare IT policy, with a career spanning academia, healthcare organizations, and national advisory roles. He is recognized globally for his contributions to the design and implementation of health data systems that improve patient safety, quality of care, and healthcare efficiency.

Dr. Middleton served as Chair of the Board of Directors at the American Medical Informatics Association (AMIA) and has held leadership positions at major institutions such as Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, and Stanford University. At Vanderbilt, he was Professor of Biomedical Informatics, and at Harvard, he was affiliated with Brigham and Women’s Hospital, where he led major projects on electronic health records (EHRs), decision support, and medication safety.

One of his most significant contributions has been in the development of clinical decision support systems (CDSS)—digital tools that leverage patient data to help clinicians make evidence-based decisions at the point of care. His research has influenced national policy discussions on meaningful use of EHRs, interoperability, and digital transformation in healthcare.

Dr. Middleton has also served in leadership roles at MedStar Health as Chief Informatics Officer and at Apervita, a platform for health analytics. His advocacy for open standards and interoperable health IT systems has had a lasting impact on how healthcare organizations worldwide adopt and implement digital systems.

A prolific author, Dr. Middleton has published extensively in peer-reviewed journals and contributed to landmark reports from the Institute of Medicine (now the National Academy of Medicine) on the role of health IT in patient safety. His influence bridges both policy and practice, making him one of the most authoritative voices in the field.