Bioinformatics pioneer Abernethy named FDA’s acting CIO

Principal Deputy FDA Commissioner Amy Abernethy will add acting chief information officer to her responsibilities, FDA announced Tuesday. She will lead the Office of Information Management and Technology.

Abernathy, who joined FDA from Flatiron Health Inc., “was one of the early pioneers in bioinformatics, and her career has focused on how to use software and data to simultaneously accelerate clinical research while informing personalized healthcare and scientific discovery,” FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb wrote in a memo to agency staff. “As science and medicine continue to evolve, the FDA’s priorities and regulatory science programs will continue to require the efficient and effective application of new technology, including the latest advancements in artificial intelligence, machine learning, data analytics, scientific and high-performance computing, and other technologies to support the specific mission areas of each Center and Office” (see “FDA Picks Flatiron’s Abernethy for No. 2 Spot”)...