Regenstrief Institute Hires Emory Researcher as CEO
Rachel Patzer, Ph.D., M.P.H., director of the Health Services Research Center at the Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta, has been named the new president and CEO of the Indianapolis-based Regenstrief Institute.
Regenstrief Institute is dedicated to improving health and healthcare through innovations and research in biomedical informatics, health services, and aging. Regenstrief, a supporting organization of the Indiana University School of Medicine, has several regional partners that include IU Health and Eskenazi Health.
A nationally recognized expert in epidemiology and health services research, Patzer was also a tenured professor in Emory’s Department of Surgery. She has spent her career leading efforts to increase access to healthcare and improve quality of healthcare delivery and care outcomes—with a major focus on health equity.
In 2018, Patzer founded the Health Services Research Center—a cooperative initiative of the departments of medicine and surgery at Emory. The work of the center is aimed at creating opportunities for closer connections and collaboration between methodologists and clinical researchers to advance healthcare access and improve health of patients.
“Over the course of her career, Dr. Patzer’s work in using data to expose inequities and inefficiencies in health systems aligns perfectly with the important work being done by our world-class researchers at the Regenstrief Institute,” said Jay Hess, M.D., Ph.D., IU School of Medicine dean, in a statement. “It is a critical time in our community for healthcare research, and I am confident that Dr. Patzer is the transformative leader needed to take the Regenstrief Institute into the future.”
Susan Hickman, Ph.D., director of the Indiana University Center for Aging Research at Regenstrief Institute, has been serving as interim president and CEO since June 1, 2022.
“I am excited to work with the internationally renowned Regenstrief investigators in biomedical informatics, aging, and health services research, who are leading the way in using data – from an ever-increasing number and types of sources to improve health,” said Patzer, in a statement. “The Institute has contributed so significantly to such areas as electronic health records, health information exchange, health outcomes research, collaborative care, addressing the inclusion of neglected populations into research and many other areas. Regenstrief has long been on my radar as a beacon of innovation and excellence.”
Along with her leadership role with Regenstrief Institute, Patzer will also serve as the Leonard Betley Chair and will hold a faculty appointment as a professor with the IU School of Medicine Department of Surgery and joint appointments with the Department of Medicine and with the IU Richard M. Fairbanks School of Public Health.
A native Hoosier, Patzer will officially begin in her new role on May 1.
