John H. Holmes, PhD, FACMI

Dr. Holmes received his bachelor’s degree in sociology from the University of Pennsylvania, a master’s degree in information systems design and doctorate in information science from Drexel University. Beginning in 1982, he rose through the ranks of research staff of the Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics Unit at the University of Pennsylvania, and on the occasion of election to the College has a primary appointment in the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine as Assistant Professor of Medical Informatics. Over the past two and a half decades Dr. Holmes has developed and taught courses in informatics and database management for clinical research and epidemiology. His research interests are in the areas of evolutionary computation and machine learning approaches to knowledge discovery in databases, information systems infrastructures for epidemiologic surveillance, clinical decision support systems, semantic analysis, and information systems user behavior. He has done innovative work in the use of game-based approaches to reducing delays in seeking care for suspected coronary syndrome and a game-based intervention for 4th to 6th graders to teach children about appropriate antibiotic use.

He has led development of several computerized interventions for reducing health disparities in minority populations, and established a national-scale surveillance system for capturing data on children involved in motor vehicle crashes. Recently he has been applying methods from population-based surveillance to proteomic and genomic data for molecular and genetic epidemiology and the genetics of complex traits. His election to the College recognizes his sustained contributions to informatics research and education.