Researcher profile

John Brownstein, PhD

John Brownstein, Ph.D. is a Professor of Pediatrics at Harvard Medical School as well as SVP and Chief Innovation Officer of Boston Children’s Hospital. He directs both the Computational Epidemiology Laboratory and the Innovation and Digital Health Accelerator. Trained as an epidemiologist at Yale University, his research has been instrumental in facilitating the control and prevention of disease, improving public health practice, and engaging the public in health issues. As a pioneer in computational epidemiology, Dr. Brownstein's research is recognized for its translational impact, particularly through the development and application of Artificial Intelligence (AI), data mining, and citizen science. His innovative platforms, such as Vaccines.gov, Global.health, and HealthMap, serve millions annually and have received recognition from the National Library of Congress and the Smithsonian. His research was pivotal in the early detection and response to major disease outbreaks, including H1N1 in 2009, Ebola in 2014, Zika in 2015 and COVID in 2019. Dr. Brownstein's contributions extend beyond academia into advisory roles for agencies including HHS, DHS, FDA, DOD, CDC, WHO, and the White House. As Chief Innovation Officer, his efforts have catalyzed the launch of dozens of new startups and unique partnerships with companies like Google, Amazon, Apple, Uber, Instacart, Microsoft, and OpenAI. He also plays a leading role in shaping the hospital’s comprehensive digital strategy, including the integration of AI to improve patient care. Dr Brownstein has been honored with the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers, the highest honor bestowed by the United States government to outstanding scientists, the Lagrange Prize for international achievements in complexity sciences and an Emmy for his contributions to medical reporting for ABC News during the covid-19 pandemic. He has authored over 300 peer-reviewed articles on epidemiology and public health.