Peter White, PhD, has been named the inaugural Chief Data Sciences Officer (CDSO) of the Abigail Wexner Research Institute (AWRI) at Nationwide Children's Hospital.
(COLUMBUS, Ohio) – Peter White, PhD, has been named the inaugural Chief Data Sciences Officer (CDSO) of the Abigail Wexner Research Institute (AWRI) at Nationwide Children's Hospital. The CDSO will lead biomedical data science initiatives to support Nationwide Children's mission as a leader in pediatric health care innovation.
As a member of the AWRI senior leadership team, Dr. White will be responsible for building and executing a comprehensive data science strategy across AWRI, including the integration and analysis of disparate big data sources such as genomic and electronic health record data as well as using artificial intelligence and machine learning techniques to derive insights for the diagnosis and treatment of pediatric diseases. He will oversee a team of data scientists, software developers, cloud engineers, data architects, analysts, and other professionals to support these efforts.
“Over the years, Peter has demonstrated his passion for innovation in genomics and translational bioinformatics. He envisions a future where genomics is a routine part of pediatric care,” notes Dennis Durbin, MD, MSCE, president, AWRI. “In his new role as CDSO, he will work to empower our research community with cutting-edge data science capabilities and promote a culture that values making data accessible, removing barriers to access, and promoting transparency, collaboration, and information sharing. His leadership in biomedical data science will substantially support Nationwide Children's mission as a leader in pediatric health care innovation.”
Dr. White is a research scientist and innovator with expertise in genetics and genomics, biomedical data sciences, precision medicine, big data, and cloud computing. He is also the Battelle Endowed Chair in Quantitative and Computational Biology at Nationwide Children's and a tenured professor of Pediatrics at The Ohio State University College of Medicine. Prior to this new role, he held the position of senior director in the Steve and Cindy Rasmussen Institute for Genomic Medicine (IGM) at Nationwide Children’s. In that role, he directed the Computational Genomics Group, leading IGM’s efforts to develop a cutting-edge genomic medicine program.
Dr. White’s internationally recognized research program uses computational strategies to analyze and interpret genomic data, resulting in significant advances in genomic medicine. His work has led to the discovery of novel genetic origins of disease, new clinical diagnostic methods, and the optimization of treatment and outcome prediction. He is the principal investigator of Nationwide Children’s rare disease genomics program, discovering novel genetic causes for patients with rare or undiagnosed genetic diseases. He also is leading a new cardiovascular genomics translational program, “COURAGE for Kids: Cardiac OUtcomes Research by Application of GEnomics.”
He received his PhD in Molecular Biology from the University of Cambridge, England, and completed his postdoctoral training in the Department of Genetics at the University of Pennsylvania. He has over 25 years of experience in the fields of genomics and biomedical data sciences, is the recipient of multiple grant awards from the National Institutes of Health and has authored more than 120 peer-reviewed publications.
“I’m both humbled and excited to have been given this new opportunity to pursue the vision of transforming pediatric research through data-driven innovation,” says Dr. White. “Throughout my career at AWRI, I have had the opportunity to empower our research community with cutting-edge capabilities in genomics, data analysis and interpretation. This new initiative will create a hub for the biomedical data sciences and collaboration, supporting cutting-edge research and translation into the world-class care that defines Nationwide Children’s.”
About The Abigail Wexner Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital
Named to the Top 10 Honor Roll on U.S. News & World Report’s 2022-23 list of “Best Children’s Hospitals,” Nationwide Children’s Hospital is one of America’s largest not-for-profit free-standing pediatric health care systems providing unique expertise in pediatric population health, behavioral health, genomics and health equity as the next frontiers in pediatric medicine, leading to best outcomes for the health of the whole child. Integrated clinical and research programs are part of what allows Nationwide Children’s to advance its unique model of care. As home to the Department of Pediatrics of The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Nationwide Children’s faculty train the next generation of pediatricians, scientists and pediatric specialists. The Abigail Wexner Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s Hospital is one of the Top 10 National Institutes of Health-funded free-standing pediatric research facilities in the U.S., supporting basic, clinical, translational, behavioral and population health research. The AWRI is comprised of multidisciplinary Centers of Emphasis paired with advanced infrastructure supporting capabilities such as technology commercialization for discoveries; gene- and cell-based therapies; and genome sequencing and analysis. More information is available at NationwideChildrens.org/Research.