Benjamin A. Goldstein, PhD, MPH, has been named Associate Chief Data Scientist for the Duke University Health System as well as Director of Data Science for Duke AI Health. In both roles, Dr. Goldstein will work under Dr. Michael Pencina, PhD, newly named Chief Data Scientist for Duke Health and Director of AI Health. As the Director of Data Science for AI Health, Dr. Goldstein will oversee the development of collaborative health data science relationships with both the Duke School of Medicine and Duke Health System. As the Associate Chief Data Scientist, Dr. Goldstein will coordinate and support the data analytic needs of Duke Health, leveraging AI Health’s analytic teams.

“Dr. Goldstein has proven himself to be a great collaborative partner to Duke Health,” notes Dr. Pencina, “His ability to work effectively across a diverse array of teams and groups is a major asset, and his experience and knowledge will be key to helping us successfully navigate this rapidly evolving field.”

A strong believer in promoting access to data, Dr. Goldstein has worked with the Duke Clinical Translational Science Institute and Duke Health Technology Services to expand knowledge of best practices for working with electronic health record (EHR) data across the School of Medicine and the health system. Dr. Goldstein’s research sits at the intersection of biostatistics, medical informatics, machine learning, epidemiology and implementation science and centers on using EHR data for interferential and predictive modelling purposes to understand and promote the health of individuals.

Dr. Goldstein has been involved in the development, evaluation and implementation of multiple clinical decision-support tools at Duke Health. He serves as co-chair for the evaluation subcommittee for the Algorithm-Based Clinical Decision Support (ABCDS) Oversight group and has coordinated analytic activities for the Collaborative to Advance Health Equity (CACHE), the Private Diagnostic Clinic Outcomes Research Team (PORT), and the Population Health Management Office (PHMO).

“Dr. Goldstein brings a rigorous and objective perspective to the analysis of health data and leading teams to conduct this work,” notes Duke Health Senior Vice President, Chief Medical Officer and Chief Quality Officer Richard Shannon, MD, who also serves as director of CACHE. “His pioneering work with CACHE, together with a strong background that leverages the analytic talent developed through Duke AI Health, make him ideally suited to lead efforts that are critical to improving patient care and research at Duke.”

An associate professor of biostatistics and bioinformatics, Dr. Goldstein also has secondary appointments in the Department of Population Health Sciences and Department of Pediatrics. He is a member of the Duke Clinical Research Institute and serves as the data science lead for the Children’s Health and Discovery Initiative. He received his doctorate in biostatistics and Master of Public Health degree in biostatistics and epidemiology from the University of California, Berkeley. With a portfolio of research sponsored by industry and by multiple governmental agencies, he has published more than 100 peer-reviewed articles and mentored numerous faculty, student and staff health data scientists.

 “Being able to effectively leverage health data is critical to providing high-quality care for patients. The increasing use of sophisticated algorithmic tools in healthcare will only heighten the importance of these capabilities,” says Dr. Goldstein. “Duke Health has been at the forefront of the health data science revolution and I feel very fortunate to be able to play a role in this going forward.”