INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana University School of Medicine has tapped a veteran information technology executive with two decades of experience at IU to serve in the newly created role of executive associate dean and chief information officer.
Rob Lowden, who is currently IU’s associate vice president of enterprise software, will be responsible for developing and implementing a comprehensive information technology strategy for the largest medical school in the United States, with 11,000 faculty, staff and learners spread across nine campuses. He will begin his new role on January 1.
“To be a truly excellent medical school, we need to have access to the most advanced technologies and the ability to analyze complex data to drive decision making,” said IU School of Medicine Dean Jay L. Hess, MD, PhD, MHSA. “I am confident that, under Rob’s leadership, IU School of Medicine will implement innovative IT solutions that enhance our ability to educate physicians, conduct impactful research and deliver high-quality patient care.”
Lowden will join the school’s executive leadership team and serve as one of six executive associate deans, each of whom has oversight of a critical aspect of the school’s mission and operations. He will lead the development and optimization of school-wide information systems, technologies, applications, and services, and will oversee IT alignment with partners such as Indiana University Health and the Regenstrief Institute.
“It’s very clear that Dean Hess and his colleagues view information technology as a strategic partner in the school’s future, and that’s incredibly exciting to me,” Lowden said. “When done well, IT helps people be more effective and efficient. It should amplify and add value to our work, not create obstacles. My goal is to listen and collaborate with faculty, staff and students, so we can use technology to best meet the school’s needs.”
Lowden has extensive experience implementing creative solutions for higher education technology challenges. He was instrumental in IU’s adoption of its current course management system, effectively rolled out two-factor authentication to some 200,000 constituents across the state, and was deeply involved in the university’s Decision Support Initiative, the goal of which was to provide timely, relevant, and accurate data to facilitate better decision making.
He also has overseen IU’s enterprise systems that support human resources, payroll, finance, student information, research administration, and other academic and administrative functions. Prior to assuming his current role in 2011, Lowden held multiple other IT jobs at IU dating back to 1998.
He holds a Master of Science in technology and a Bachelor of Science in computer technology, both from Purdue University. He initially began his undergraduate education at Rockford College in Rockford, Illinois, but left to enlist in the Navy during the Gulf War.
Lowden was selected for the new role after a highly competitive national search.
In addition to creating the CIO position, IU School of Medicine’s new strategic plan calls for it to become a “national leader in the innovative use of information technology.” Specific goals include:
- Develop a common information and technology platform to organize and have accessible all research, academic affairs, operational and educational data.
- Develop a transparent culture based on measurement and accountability where everyone understands the key performance indicators that are the highest priority for the institution.
- Become a national leader in the integration of advanced and emerging technologies into the training of medical students, residents and fellows.