Research health outcomes and biomedical informatics
One department. Two divisions. Unlimited opportunities for groundbreaking research.
real-world impact
Improving care
From assessing quality of care to harnessing mobile devices to leveraging health care data, much of our research focuses on improving quality and outcomes of care.
Promoting wellness
The department engages in health outcomes research and preventive interventions across the lifespan, including risk behavior reduction, cancer screening and prevention, tobacco prevention and control, and child obesity interventions.
Reducing disparities
A particular focus of our research is related to health care equity and improving health care access, quality and outcomes for historically underserved populations.
Driving innovation
Our work not only improves health care, it also advances the way scientists conduct research. We develop new, innovative research approaches using the latest tools, technology and thinking to improve the speed, efficiency and accuracy of health care research.
division of health outcomes and implementation science
health outcomes and implementation science research
Improving care and quality
Health outcomes researchers use medical records, insurance databases, patient questionnaires and other data to evaluate the overall effectiveness of medical treatments or health interventions, including clinical outcomes, financial impact and patient-reported quality-of-life and satisfaction. Implementation science involves the study of methods to promote the successful integration of research findings and evidence into health care policy and practice. These researchers often engage patients and providers to ensure that their needs and preferences are considered.
division of Biomedical informatics
biomedical informatics research
Dynamic, data-driven research
Defined as “the study of information at the intersection of computer science, biology and health,” biomedical informatics is the new frontier of health research. The biomedical informatics team at HOBI asks critical questions about the very nature of data and its integrity in an effort to leverage the ever-increasing amount of health data available today to improve health outcomes, health care delivery and health policy.
research Infrastructure
RESEARCH INFRASTRUCTURE
Clinical research network
Many HOBI faculty members are involved in the OneFlorida Clinical Research Consortium, a statewide initiative focused on building the research infrastructure needed to support community-based clinical trials and implementation science studies. OneFlorida is also one of nine clinical research networks nationwide participating in PCORnet, the national patient-centered clinical research network.
RESEARCH INFRASTRUCTURE
Collaborations
Our faculty are recognized for their leadership and service in state and national organizations such as the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI), the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) and the American Medical Informatics Association (AMIA). At UF, HOBI faculty hold major leadership roles in the UF Health Clinical and Translational Science Institute and the UF Health Cancer Center. The department is also the home of UF’s Institute for Child Health Policy (ICHP), which facilitates collaborative research to promote the health of children, adolescents and young adults.
RESEARCH INFRASTRUCTURE
Analytical database
The OneFlorida Data Trust, housed at the University of Florida and overseen by HOBI faculty member William Hogan, M.D., contains a rich repository of electronic health records from more than 15 million Floridians in all 67 counties. The department also manages UF’s Family Data Center, a state repository of maternal and child health records.
RESEARCH INFRASTRUCTURE
Methodological expertise
Our expertise includes sample size calculation, lifespan research, pragmatic clinical trials, rigor and reproducibility, community-based studies, implementation science studies, computable phenotypes and clinical natural language processing tools to access data in electronic health records, data quality and data analytics.
funded projects
FUNDED PROJECTS
Feeding research. Fueling discovery.
Our annual extramural funding portfolio includes current funding from the National Institutes of Health, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration—Maternal and Child Health Bureau, the State of Florida, State of Texas, and the National Cancer Institute, among many others.
a special focus on diversity
IDEAs in action
Prioritizing IDEAs in health research
Our researchers strive to address health disparities, include diverse study participants from underserved populations, and evaluate the hidden health risks of social, behavioral and environmental determinants of health.
