Shannon Dean, MD
Shannon Dean, MD, has joined St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital as Chief Medical Information Officer at a key time in the hospital’s efforts to enhance the patient experience. Dr. Dean will help oversee the launch of the hospital’s new electronic health record, which is scheduled to go live in October 2022. The initiative is a major part of the St. Jude 2022–2027 Strategic Plan, a 6-year, $11.5 billion effort to accelerate research and treatment worldwide.
Fitting Background
Dr. Dean brings a novel view to the role with her background as a pediatrician, her leadership in health information technology, and her experience in the implementation of new platforms. Her vision is to enhance the hospital’s clinical informatics team and increase provider engagement.
“I’m excited to join St. Jude at such an important time as the institution continues to move forward in health information technology,” Dr. Dean said. “This role allows me to combine all of the things I’ve been passionate about in my career.”
Prior to joining St. Jude, Dr. Dean served as Chief Medical Information Officer for more than 6 years at UW Health in Madison, Wisconsin. In that role, she incorporated health information technology into the institution’s strategic efforts. She worked with information services staff and providers to show how the growing health information field could benefit patient care and workflows.
A native of Wisconsin, Dr. Dean was also Professor of Pediatrics in the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health. A board-certified pediatrician, she worked as a pediatric hospitalist at the university’s American Family Children’s Hospital and St. Mary’s Hospital pediatric unit.
Dr. Dean earned a medical degree from the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health and a Master’s of Medical Management degree from Carnegie Mellon University. She is also board certified in clinical informatics. Dr. Dean served as Medical Director of Inpatient Informatics for UW Health for 5 years and as Pediatric Physician Champion for the system’s inpatient electronic health record launch from 2007 to 2009.
“We want to build on the strong foundation St. Jude has in clinical informatics with an emphasis on clinician engagement,” Dr. Dean said. “This partnership is vital to successful systems as we seek ways for health information technology to support the St. Jude mission.”
