Case Western Reserve, Cleveland Clinic and University Hospitals today announced the launch of the Institute of Computational Biology, an innovative venture designed to enhance the institutions’ ability to draw actionable insights from the oceans of medical information each already possesses.
Renowned geneticist Jonathan L. Haines, PhD, has been named Institute Director, as well as chair of the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine and has been named the Mary W. Sheldon, MD Professor of Genomic Sciences.
“We feel extremely fortunate to welcome Dr. Haines into our academic and research ranks,” says Pamela B. Davis, MD, PHD, dean of the School of Medicine and vice president of academic affairs. “He is an innovative researcher and a multitasking genius who fits right in with the spirit of collaboration we embrace here. His body of work is astonishing and his results groundbreaking. And we believe his vision will lead us to new heights in the biomedical community.”
Haines comes to Cleveland from Vanderbilt University, where he founded the Center for Human Genetics Research as well as a doctoral program in Human Genetics. The center grew to include nearly 20 principal investigators, and served dozens of faculty and students with data analysis, technological assistance, and assessment of genes’ role in specific conditions.
The new institute will develop the technological infrastructure to allow scientists and physicians from the three institutions to examine existing clinical data for lessons to improve treatment of individual patients and enhance community health.
“We can collect myriad genetics/genomics data from every one of our patients, but if we don’t have the capability to convert that data into actionable information, we have gained nothing,” said Paul DiCorleto, PhD, Chair of Cleveland Clinic’s Lerner Research Institute. “The Institute of Computational Biology will provide this capability with cutting-edge bioinformatics approaches.”
At Vanderbilt, Haines led teams that made major advances identifying the genes involved in Alzheimer’s, macular degeneration, multiple sclerosis and autism. Haines also helped build the biological repository linked to Vanderbilt’s medical records database. The strength of Cleveland’s medical institutions drew him to Northeast Ohio.
“There’s a tremendous amount of expertise and a strongly collaborative atmosphere here,” Haines said. “I look forward to working with all of our partners.”
“Jonathan is a brilliant epidemiologist who has been at the forefront of an incredible generation of scientific advancement and we are very pleased to have him join our organizations,” said Fred C. Rothstein, MD, President of University Hospitals (UH) Case Medical Center. “His work has led to a better understanding of the connections between DNA and disease and he is a pioneer in the highly complex processes of using emerging data-mining tools to solve even-more-complex medical and public-health problems.”
Anthony Wynshaw-Boris, MD, PhD, Chair of the School of Medicine and UH Case Medical Center’s Genetics and Genome Science department, spoke glowingly of Haines as a scientist and leader.
“Dr. Haines will be a welcome addition to Cleveland’s biomedical community. He is collaborative and I expect our departments to interact closely as we rebuild our departments and make our programs among the very best.”
Added Case Comprehensive Cancer Center Director Stan Gerson, MD: “Dr. Haines work cuts across institutions, scientific programs and the basic-to-clinical-to population continuum. We need his expertise in building these comprehensive bioinformatics efforts for our genomics, clinical research and population prevention and risk assessment studies. For all our large projects, Dr. Haines will bring a big boost to our programs.”
Haines earned his doctorate in genetics from the University of Minnesota and received postdoctoral training at the Indiana University School of Medicine. He began his professional career as an instructor of Neurology at Harvard Medical School in 1987 and remained there as an associate professor until he left for Vanderbilt in 1997. Haines holds five patents for his work with Alzheimer’s disease, multiple sclerosis and macular degeneration.
Founded in 1843, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine is the largest medical research institution in Ohio and is among the nation's top medical schools for research funding from the National Institutes of Health. The School of Medicine is recognized throughout the international medical community for outstanding achievements in teaching. The School's innovative and pioneering Western Reserve2 curriculum interweaves four themes--research and scholarship, clinical mastery, leadership, and civic professionalism--to prepare students for the practice of evidence-based medicine in the rapidly changing health care environment of the 21st century. Nine Nobel Laureates have been affiliated with the School of Medicine.
Annually, the School of Medicine trains more than 800 MD and MD/PhD students and ranks in the top 25 among U.S. research-oriented medical schools as designated by U.S. News & World Report's "Guide to Graduate Education."
The School of Medicine is affiliated with University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center, MetroHealth Medical Center, the Louis Stokes Cleveland Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, and the Cleveland Clinic, with which it established the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine of Case Western Reserve University in 2002. case.edu/medicine.
About Cleveland Clinic Cleveland Clinic is a nonprofit multispecialty academic medical center that integrates clinical and hospital care with research and education. Located in Cleveland, Ohio, it was founded in 1921 by four renowned physicians with a vision of providing outstanding patient care based upon the principles of cooperation, compassion and innovation. Cleveland Clinic has pioneered many medical breakthroughs, including coronary artery bypass surgery and the first face transplant in the United States. U.S.News & World Report consistently names Cleveland Clinic as one of the nation’s best hospitals in its annual “America’s Best Hospitals” survey. More than 3,000 full-time salaried physicians and researchers and 11,000 nurses represent 120 medical specialties and subspecialties. The Cleveland Clinic health system includes a main campus near downtown Cleveland, more than 75 Northern Ohio outpatient locations, including 16 full-service Family Health Centers, Cleveland Clinic Florida, the Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health in Las Vegas, Cleveland Clinic Canada, and, currently under construction, Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi. In 2012, there were 5.1 million outpatient visits throughout the Cleveland Clinic health system and 157,000 hospital admissions. Patients came for treatment from every state and from more than 130 countries. Visit us at www.clevelandclinic.org. Follow us at www.twitter.com/ClevelandClinic. About University Hospitals University Hospitals, the second largest employer in Northeast Ohio, serves the needs of patients through an integrated network of hospitals, outpatient centers and primary care physicians in 16 counties. At the core of our health system is University Hospitals Case Medical Center. The primary affiliate of Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, University Hospitals Case Medical Center is home to some of the most prestigious clinical and research centers of excellence in the nation and the world, including cancer, pediatrics, women's health, orthopedics and spine, radiology and radiation oncology, neurosurgery and neuroscience, cardiology and cardiovascular surgery, organ transplantation and human genetics. Its main campus includes the internationally celebrated UH Rainbow Babies & Children's Hospital, ranked among the top children’s hospitals in the nation; UH MacDonald Women's Hospital, Ohio's only hospital for women; and UH Seidman Cancer Center, part of the NCI-designated Case Comprehensive Cancer Center at Case Western Reserve University. University Hospitals CaseMedical Center is the 2012 recipient of the American Hospital Association – McKesson Quest for Quality Prize for its leadership and innovation in quality improvement and safety. University Hospitals Case Medical Center is one of only 18 hospitals in the country to have been named to U.S. News & World Report’s most exclusive rankings list: the Best Hospitals 2013-14 Honor Roll. For more information, go to www.uhhospitals.org
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