Center for Bioethics

Peter Embi, MD, MS, FACP, FACMI is the President and CEO of Regenstrief Institute, Inc., Leonard Betley Professor of Medicine at the Indiana University School of Medicine, and Vice President for Learning Health Systems at IU Health.  He is a faculty investigator at the Indiana University Center for Bioethics.

Dr. Embi earned his Bachelor’s degree in Microbiology and Cell Science from the University of Florida. He earned his Master’s degree in Medical Informatics and Clinical Epidemiology from Oregon Health and Science University and his MD from the University of South Florida. Prior to joining Indiana University, Dr. Embi served as the Associate Dean of Research Informatics in the College of Medicine and Director of the Biomedical Informatics Program for the Center for Clinical and Translational Science at Ohio State University.

Dr. Embi previously served as Chair of the American Medical Informatics Association (AMIA) Ethics Committee. He co-authored the first two versions of the AMIA Code of Ethics, and co-led policy and research meetings related to clinical and translational research informatics.  Dr. Embi was Chair of the Board of Directors of the American Medical Informatics Association (AMIA) from Jan 2018 through Dec 2019. 

Examples of his funded work include research on the use of Electronic Health Records (EHR) to accelerate research participant recruitment via point-of-care alerts, and early integration of genomic results into EHRs for decision support pilot testing. His major focus of research has been in the domain of Clinical Research Informatics. After defining the field in a series of publications and presentations, Dr. Embi led research defining the Clinical Trial Alert approach and evaluating its effectiveness for improving participant recruitment at the point of care. 

Clinical Research Informatics

Selected Publications:

• Payne PR, Embi PJ and Cimino JJ. Book Chapter: Clinical Research Informatics in Biomedical Informatics: Computer Applications in Health Care and Biomedicine (Shortliffe EH and Cimino JJ, Editors). 2021 Edition. Springer - Verlag
• Exter PR, Grout RW, Embi PJ.Transforming primary medical research knowledge into clinical decision. AMIA Annu Symp Proc. 2021
• Embi PJ, Payne PR. Clinical research informatics: challenges, opportunities and definition for an emerging domain. J Am Med Inform Assoc. 2009 May-Jun;16(3):316-27. 
• Embi PJ. Future Directions in Clinical Research Informatics. Springer, Cham. 2019. 481-491.
• Embi PJ, Weir C, Efthimiadis EN, Thielke SM, Hedeen AN, & Hammond KW (2013). Computerized provider documentation: findings and implications of a multisite study of clinicians and administrators. J Am Med Inform Assoc 20(4):718-726.
• Weng, Chunhua, Embi PJ. Informatics Approaches to Participant Recruitment. Clinical Research Informatics. Springer, Cham. 2019. 109-122.

Selected Grants:

Improving Clinical trial Education, Recruitment, and Enrollment at CTSA Hubs (ICERCH)/Recruitment Innovation Center (RIC)

• Role: Site PI, Leader of the EHR-based Recruitment Core (PI Harris)
• Dates: July 2016 – July 2021
• Funder: NIH/ NCATS
• Description: The Recruitment Innovation Center program has the potential to truly transform the research recruitment and enrollment landscape. They propose a set of innovative, integrated solutions to recruitment and enrollment challenges that accommodate real ethical, regulatory, legal, practical, and technical constraints faced by investigators.

 Learning Healthcare Systems:

Selected Publications:

• Aalsma MC, Aarons GA, Adams ZW, Alton MD, Boustani M, Dir Al, Embi PJ, et al. Alliances to disseminate addiction prevention and treatment (ADAPT): A statewide learning health system to reduce substance use among justice-involved youth in rural communities. Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, 2021: 108368.
• Schleyer T, Williams L, Gottlie J, Weaver C, Saysana M, Azar J, Sadowski J, Frederick C, Hui S, Areeba K, Ruppert L, Zappone S, Bushey M, Grout R, Embi PJ. The Indiana learning Health Systems Initiative: Early Experience Developing a Collaborative, Regional Learning Health System. Journal of Learning Health Systems. 2021. 
• Embi PJ, Hebert C, Gordillo G, Kelleher K, Payne PR. Knowledge management and informatics considerations for comparative effectiveness research: a case-driven exploration. Med Care. 2013 Aug;51(8 Suppl 3):S38-44. 
• Embi PJ, Payne PR. Evidence generating medicine: redefining the research-practice relationship to complete the evidence cycle. Med Care. 2013 Aug;51(8 Suppl 3):S87-91. 
• Embi PJ, Kaufman SE, Payne PR. Biomedical informatics and outcomes research: enabling knowledge-driven health care. Circulation. 2009 Dec 8;120(23):2393-9. 
• Smoyer WE, Embi PJ, Moffatt-Bruce S. Creating Local Learning Health Systems: Think Globally, Act Locally. JAMA. 2016 Dec 20;316(23):2481-2482. 
• Embi PJ, Richesson R, Tenenbaum J, Kannry J, Friedman C, Sarkar IN, Smith J. Reimagining the Research-Practice Relationship: Policy Recommendations for Informatics-Enabled Evidence- Generation across the US Health System. J Am Med Inform Assoc – Open. 2019 Jan.

Selected Grants:

Indiana Learning Health System Fellowship Training Program (K12)

• Role: Co-PIs: Embi PJ, Carroll A,
• Dates: Sep 2018 – Sep 2023
• Funder: AHRQ/PCORI
• Description: Program to equip scholars with the unique skill set required to conduct research within the learning health system by capitalizing on already available educational opportunities within our organization, while also creating new opportunities in educational domains where gaps exist.

Alliances to Disseminate Addiction Prevention and Treatment (ADAPT): A Statewide Learning Health System to Reduce Substance Use among Justice - Involved Youth in Rural Communities

• Role: Co-I
• Dates: September 2019 - April 2024
• Funder: NIH/NIDA

Health Information Technology

Selected Publications:

• Embi PJ. Invited Commentary (2021): Algorithmovigilance - Advancing Methods to Analyze and Monitor Artificial Intelligence - Driven Health Care for Effectiveness and Equity. JAMA Network Open. 2021; 4 (4): e214622
• Dixon BE, Grannis SJ, McAndrews C, Broyles AA, Mikels-Carrasco W, Wiensch A, Williams JL, Tachinardi U, Embi PJ. Leveraging Data Visualization and a Statewide health Information Exchange to Support COVID-19 Surveillance and Response: Application of Public Health Informatics. J AM Med Inform Assoc. 2021.
• Madhavan S, Bastarache L, Brown JS, Butte AJ, Dorr DA, Embi PJ, Friedman CP, Johnson KB, Moore JH, Kohane IS, Payne PRO, Tenenbaum JD, Weiner MG, Wilcox AB, Ohno-Machado L. Use of electronic health records to support a public health response to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States: a perspective from 15 academic medical centers. J Am Med Inform Assoc. 2021 Feb 15;28(2):393-401. doi: 10.1093/jamia/ocaa287. PMID: 33260207; PMCID: PMC7665546.
• Adler-Milstein J, Embi PJ, Middleton B, Sarkar IN, Smith J. Crossing the health IT chasm: considerations and policy recommendations to overcome current challenges and enable value-based care. J Am Med Inform Assoc. 2017 Sep 1;24(5):1036-1043. 
• Payne PR, Lussier Y, Foraker RE, Embi PJ. Rethinking the role and impact of health information technology: informatics as an interventional discipline. BMC Med Inform Decis Mak. 2016 Mar 29;16:40. 
• Embi PJ, Weir C, Efthimiadis EN, Thielke SM, Hedeen AN, Hammond KW. Computerized provider documentation: findings and implications of a multisite study of clinicians and administrators. J Am Med Inform Assoc. 2013 Jul-Aug;20(4):718-26. 
• Embi PJ, Yackel TR, Logan JR, Bowen JL, Cooney TG, Gorman PN. Impacts of computerized physician documentation in a teaching hospital: perceptions of faculty and resident physicians. J Am Med Inform Assoc. 2004 Jul-Aug;11(4):300-9. 

Selected Grants:

Indiana Addictions Data Commons (IADC)  

• Role: PI
• Dates: Feb 2018 – Jan 2022
• Funder: IU Addictions Grand Challenge Initiative
• Description: Development of data resources to support the IU Addictions Grand Challenges Initiative.

Cancer Informatics Program Development  

• Role: Co-PI: PI’s Embi, P; Loehrer P 
• Dates: May 2017 – May 2023
• Funder: Walther Cancer Foundation
• Description: Development of an informatics program to support cancer research and care. 

N3C Synthetic Healthcare Analytics and Research Environment (SHARE)

• Role: PI
• Dates: September 2020 - September 2021
• Funder: NIH/NACTS
• Description: Leading evualation of synthethic data capabilities to enable COVID19 research 

Selected Activities:

• Planning Committee member, 2018 Clinical Research Forum IT Roundtable Conference, October 2018; Washington DC
• Co-Chair/Planning Committee member, 2017 Clinical Research Forum IT Roundtable Conference, October 2017; Washington DC
• SPC Vice-Chair, 2017 AMIA Annual Symposium, November 2017; Washington DC
• Ethics Committee Member, American Medical Informatics Association (AMIA), 2006-Present
• Chair, Board of Directors, Elected, American Medical Informatics Association (AMIA), Jan 2018-Dec 2019
• Member, Board of Directors, American Medical Informatics Association (AMIA), January 2020 – Current