Chief Health Informatics Officer

Position Description

UW Medicine is seeking a Chief Health Informatics Officer (CHIO) to provide strategic, clinical, and operational leadership at the intersection of patient care, technology, and innovation. The CHIO will serve as the executive leader for clinical informatics, ensuring that systems—particularly Epic—optimize clinical workflows, improve patient outcomes, support research and education, and advance UW Medicine’s mission of clinical excellence, discovery, and equity.

The CHIO will be a practicing physician who is deeply relationship-oriented, trusted by frontline clinicians, and skilled at translating clinical needs into effective digital solutions. This role will champion continuous optimization, data-driven care and decision making, and responsible adoption of emerging technologies, including AI and advanced analytics, while maintaining a strong focus on patient safety, clinician well-being, and regulatory compliance.

Key Responsibilities

Clinical Informatics & System Optimization

• Provide executive informatics leadership for the ongoing optimization and evolution of Epic and other clinical systems.
• Ensure technology enhances clinical efficiency, quality, safety, and patient and clinician experience across inpatient, ambulatory, and specialty care settings in alignment with UW Medicine strategic priorities.
• Lead governance structures for clinical content, decision support, order sets, documentation standards, and workflow design in partnership with clinical operational leaders.
• Educate the user community on the capabilities of the platforms already in use and help users maximize the usability and value of existing systems.
• Partner with clinical leaders to reduce documentation burden and burnout while maintaining regulatory and quality requirements.
• Ensure IT training is delivered efficiently, and curriculum and methodologies continuously adapt to meet the needs of a broad audience of learners in alignment with UW Medicine learning principles and in partnership with enterprise learning leaders.

AI, Innovation, and Emerging Technologies

• Collaborate with the Innovation Core group, other academic and research partners, and vendors to explore innovative solutions and translate innovation into clinical practice.
• Advocate for and guide the responsible adoption of AI, machine learning, and automation in clinical care, operations, and research.
• Evaluate, pilot, and scale AI-enabled tools that have been strategically prioritized by the organization (e.g., ambient documentation, predictive analytics, clinical decision support, population health tools).
• Ensure AI initiatives align with key strategic priorities, policies, ethical principles, equity goals, patient safety, and regulatory requirements.

Engagement & Relationship Building

• Establish and maintain a visible presence across clinical sites and serve as a trusted liaison between clinicians, clinical operational leaders, IT, and executive leadership.
• Actively engage frontline practitioners to understand pain points, solicit feedback, and co-design and champion solutions.
• Represent clinician perspectives in enterprise technology decisions and prioritization.
• Foster a culture where relationships are built on understanding and shared purpose, with transparency and a commitment to continuous improvement.

Data, Quality, and Safety

• Partner with quality, safety, and population health leaders to leverage validated clinical data for outcomes improvement, equity, and value-based care.
• Support the development and use of clinical dashboards, registries, and analytics tools.
• Ensure informatics solutions support accreditation, regulatory compliance, and quality reporting.

Leadership & Strategy

• Develop and own the clinical informatics strategy and contribute to UW Medicine’s IT and digital health strategies and approach.
• Develop close relationships and collaborate with the Chief Medical Officers, Chief Nursing Officers, clinical leaders, operational executives, other leaders involved in innovation initiatives, Chief Information Officer, and peers within IT Services.
• Participate in the development and evolution of an enterprise-wide strategy and vision in the area of AI and innovation.
• Mentor, develop, lead and delegate goals and tasks to the physician and nursing informaticist leaders and teams.
• Understand the market and be involved and a thought leader in national vendor, informatics, and academic forums, representing UW Medicine externally.

Clinical Practice

• Maintain an active clinical practice (typically 10–20% FTE) within UW Medicine to remain grounded in frontline care and workflows.
• Use clinical experience to inform system design and prioritization.
• Clinical practice should provide firsthand insight into system usability and clinician needs.

Faculty Appointment

The CHIO position is a full-time position that will have a faculty appointment in one of the UW School of Medicine departments appropriate for background and experience. This position is not eligible for tenure. This position will also have a small portion of time dedicated to clinical effort. This is a 12-month service period position (July – June) with an anticipated start date in Fall 2026. All University of Washington faculty engage in teaching, research, and service.

The base salary range for this position will be $21,667 to 41,667 per month, commensurate with experience and qualifications, or as mandated by a U.S. Department of Labor prevailing wage determination. This range is inclusive of base salary provided through the UW Physicians (UWP) practice plan, in addition to base salary provided by the University.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications

• MD or DO with board certification in a clinical specialty.
• Eligible for or holding Washington State medical licensure.
• Extensive experience in leading clinical informatics teams within a complex health system.
• Deep working knowledge of Epic EHR, including optimization, governance, and clinical workflows.
• Demonstrated ability to lead change, build consensus, and influence without authority.
• Strong communication skills with clinicians, executives, and technical teams.

Preferred Qualifications

• Formal training in informatics (e.g., Clinical Informatics board certification, master’s degree, or fellowship).
• Experience in an academic medical center or research-intensive health system.
• Demonstrated leadership in AI-enabled clinical tools or digital health innovation.
• Record of improving clinician experience, quality, or operational performance through informatics.
• Experience supporting teaching, research, and population health initiatives.

Application Instructions

Applications will only be accepted via Interfolio.

To ensure full consideration of your application, please include all materials. Priority will be given to those applications received by June 30, 2026. The position will remain open until filled. This position is not eligible for visa sponsorship.