Dr. Rainu Kaushal, a distinguished health services researcher, information scientist and physician leader, has been named senior associate dean of health data science, effective immediately.
In this new role, Dr. Kaushal will help Weill Cornell Medicine harness data science opportunities in service of better patient outcomes. She will work across academic departments to develop the institution’s strategic vision for data science, facilitating team science that leverage existing strengths while forging new possibilities for collaboration at Cornell Tech, Cornell’s Ithaca campus and NewYork-Presbyterian. She will focus on practical innovation, developing Weill Cornell Medicine’s data coordinating center capabilities and creating an innovation lab that brings cutting-edge research directly to patient care.
Dr. Kaushal, the Nanette Laitman Distinguished Professor of Population Health Sciences, has served Weill Cornell Medicine for nearly two decades, most recently as chair of the Department of Population Health Sciences since 2013—a role she continues to hold—and senior associate dean for clinical research since 2020.
“As a renowned data scientist, Dr. Kaushal is optimally positioned to strengthen our leadership in the field across our missions of clinical care, research and education,” said Dr. Robert A. Harrington, the Stephen and Suzanne Weiss Dean of Weill Cornell Medicine and provost for medical affairs of Cornell University. “She understands both the clinical realities our physicians face every day and the transformative potential of advanced data analytics. This combination will be essential as we work together to harness data science in service of better patient outcomes.”
“In this time of expansive growth in medical data and computational methodologies, I am excited by this commitment to expand data science across Weill Cornell Medicine,” Dr. Kaushal said, “working closely within our exceptional institution and in collaboration with Cornell’s Ithaca campus, Cornell Tech and NewYork-Presbyterian.”
Dr. Kaushal has been instrumental in establishing Weill Cornell Medicine as a leader in health informatics and population health research. She has built one of the nation's most robust clinical databases through the INSIGHT Clinical Research Network, first funded by the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute in 2013 and renewed four times for a total of $45 million. INSIGHT CRN encompasses the medical records of more than 23 million patients, which physicians and scientists use for patient-centered research on a variety of medical conditions.
Additionally, Dr. Kaushal was awarded a $9.8 million grant—renewed three times for a total of $21 million—from the National Institutes of Health to lead a consortium of 41 health care institutions that analyzed nationwide health data in an effort to unravel the complexities of long COVID.
In total, Dr. Kaushal has been awarded nearly $150 million in extramural funding and authored more than 250 scientific publications. Her many awards and recognitions include election to the National Academy of Medicine and selection in the Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine program. Her work has informed national and state policy for health information technology and quality of care.
Dr. Kaushal earned her medical degree from Harvard Medical School, and completed her clinical residency as an inaugural resident at a combined program at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Children’s Hospital in Boston, becoming board-certified in both internal medicine and pediatrics. She received a master’s degree in public health from the Harvard School of Public Health during her research fellowship. Dr. Kaushal joined Harvard Medical School’s faculty until she came to Weill Cornell Medicine in 2006, where she has held several leadership positions. Dr. Kaushal serves on multiple boards and advisory committees, including the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute, the National Institutes of Health, the National Academy of Medicine and the National Quality Forum.
Dr. Kaushal’s clinical research responsibilities will transition to Dr. Hugh Hemmings, expanding his role as senior associate dean of research.
