Charles Friedman, Ph.D Closed Now

Dr. Charles Friedman is a distinguished scholar and leader in biomedical informatics and learning health systems. He is currently the Chair of the Department of Learning Health Sciences at the University of Michigan Medical School, where his work focuses on advancing the concept of a “Learning Health System” (LHS)—a system that continuously improves by systematically collecting and analyzing health data, generating knowledge, and feeding it back into practice to enhance patient care.

Dr. Friedman earned his Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of Pittsburgh and transitioned into informatics during his career in academia and federal service. His vision emphasizes bridging the gap between data collection, knowledge generation, and actionable decision-making in healthcare.

Before joining the University of Michigan, Dr. Friedman served as the Deputy National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. In this role, he was instrumental in the federal government’s efforts to implement health IT standards, EHR adoption programs, and interoperability initiatives following the HITECH Act.

At the University of Michigan, he leads programs that integrate health informatics, education, and policy, training the next generation of leaders in digital health, data science, and clinical informatics. Dr. Friedman has also authored numerous publications on the design of learning health systems, the future of health IT, and strategies for embedding continuous improvement into healthcare systems.

He is recognized internationally for his contributions to biomedical informatics research, health IT policy development, and academic leadership. His advocacy for learning health systems has influenced national and international discussions about how health data should be leveraged to improve care quality, reduce costs, and foster patient-centered outcomes.