I’m very pleased to welcome you to the inaugural edition of our monthly newsletter, designed to provide you with an insider view into our vital work in supporting the School of Medicine, the School of Nursing, the School of Public Health, and Yale Health.
“Health Sciences IT” at Yale University is a relatively new and emergent organization within the Yale IT ecosystem. Our complex (and sometimes confusing!) organizational structure reflects the broad service areas of our portfolio, integrations with central ITS, and diverse partnerships across campus and with Yale New Haven Health System (YNHHS).
As our tagline says, we’re building capabilities from foundational to translational. Our job is to advance technology innovation and delivery, seamlessly coordinate and deliver essential IT shared services, and deliver positive impact Yale University's academic, research, clinical missions for the health sciences.
Our incredible teams and talents include:
Technology Support Services (IT and AV)
Application Services
Clinical Systems
Strategy & Portfolio
Health Sciences Enterprise Analytics
Research Systems
In our newsletter, you'll find project spotlights showcasing key IT initiatives across the health sciences that are driving new operational efficiencies and strategic goals. We'll also highlight collaborative success stories, demonstrating innovation and shared achievements in health sciences technology and how our solutions positively impact patient care, research outcomes, and academic achievements.
A newsletter thrives on its readers, so if you find this valuable, please share it! Your support helps broaden the dialogue, foster collaboration, and amplify our impact. Thank you for being part of our journey!
Wies Rafi, Ph.D.
Associate Chief Information Officer, Health Sciences Division
At Your Service
In January, Health Sciences IT launched Freezer Monitoring to give researchers peace of mind their samples are stored appropriately.
Your Data
In February, we released enhancements to the School of Medicine Research Data Mart, which brings together proposal data with faculty data to facilitate department leads and administrators to anticipate grant income for their budget projections and measure the success rate of proposals.
The Horizon
In March, Health Sciences IT launched a pilot Lifecycle Refresh for the Department of Internal Medicine to achieve same-day equipment delivery for new computers. Following the 3-month pilot, Health Sciences IT will assess the interest and feasibility of expanding to other departments and schools.
Making it easier for people with Yale-YNHHS dual roles: Health Sciences IT is partnering with university departments and YNHHS to simplify systems for people who work across both organizations. The vision is for access to email, calendar, files, and directory lookup from both accounts in one place.
Got Health Requirements?Health On Track, launched Jan 2024, is Yale’s enterprise system for tracking health requirements. Health requirements may include vaccinations, tests, or examinations and vary depending on one's role at Yale. They may be related to safety or labor laws, or university policies. Through Health On Track, individuals may view assigned requirements, see how to complete them, and submit documentation as needed.
Process improvements using automation: The School of Nursing has leveraged self-service low-code solutions to work more efficiently by automating workflows. A combination of Microsoft Power Automate, Forms, and Tasks has proven to be an effective combination to quickly create automated workflows that were historically managed through email. Three units have introduced these automatics to improve efficiency: Doctor of Nursing Practice, the Office of Global Affairs and Planetary Health, and the Clinical Support Unit.
Community Spotlight featured the new Campus Health website and described how YaleSites training programs and resources helped its builder develop a beautiful, content-rich site that serves the community.
