Duke AI Health congratulates Chief AI Health Scientist Ricardo Henao, PhD, on his promotion to the rank of Associate Professor in the Department of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics in the Duke University School of Medicine. Dr. Henao is a major presence in health data science at Duke, where his leadership and expertise in machine learning methods and implementation have made him a sought-after collaborator and instructor.

“Dr. Henao is a major asset to Duke AI Health and to the larger Duke community,” said Michael Pencina, PhD, director of Duke AI Health and vice dean for data science at the School of Medicine. “We feel fortunate to be able to benefit from such a rare combination of talent and knowledge spanning research, application, and teaching.”

A quantitative scientist whose research focuses on novel statistical methods and machine learning based on probabilistic modeling, Dr. Henao’s expertise encompasses fields such as applied statistics, signal processing, pattern recognition, and machine learning. His recent work focuses on the development of sophisticated machine learning models. These include deep learning methods for analyzing and interpreting clinical and biological data that can inform predictive modeling for diverse clinical outcomes.

Through his work developing and applying statistical and machine learning approaches for healthcare applications, Dr. Henao collaborates with a broad array of clinical partners across multiple therapeutic areas. He has also taught and mentored many students at Duke, especially in his role as director of the Health Data Science program as well as his longstanding basis as a member of the Rhodes Information Initiative at Duke (iiD).