Following a national search, David Haggstrom, M.D., MAS, has been appointed director of Regenstrief Institute’s William M. Tierney Center for Health Services Research.
As the new director, Dr. Haggstrom also will serve as the Sam Regenstrief Endowed Scholar in Health Sciences Research. Dr. Haggstrom is an accomplished physician-scientist with a record of innovation and a clear vision for collaboration across interdisciplinary programs. He had served as interim director since April.
“I am excited to have someone of Dr. Haggstrom’s caliber and experience join our team as we lead Regenstrief Institute into the future,” said Peter Embí, M.D., M.S., president and chief executive officer of Regenstrief Institute. “Dr. Haggstrom’s vision for multidisciplinary collaboration will help us leverage all of Regenstrief’s expertise to transform the delivery of healthcare and positively impact the lives of people and populations, which is a primary goal.”
“I am honored to have been selected as the new director of health services research at Regenstrief and to be part of the leadership team for this pioneering organization,” said Dr. Haggstrom. “Regenstrief’s work, especially in the area of health services research, has had a profound impact on healthcare and patients. My plan is to continue this tradition through ongoing collaboration, while seizing upon new opportunities to innovate and impact the field.”
Dr. Haggstrom first joined Regenstrief, Indiana University School of Medicine and the Richard L. Roudebush VA Medical Center in 2006. He received his medical degree from the University of Nebraska and completed an internal medicine residency at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center. His postdoctoral training included a general medicine fellowship at San Francisco General Hospital, a master’s degree in clinical research from the University of California, San Francisco, and a position in the Cancer Prevention Fellowship Program at the National Institutes of Health’s National Cancer Institute.
Dr. Haggstrom’s research focuses on cancer health services research. He studies care coordination, quality measurement and the implementation of programs designed to improve the quality of healthcare delivery across the cancer care continuum, including cancer survivorship. He has extensive research experience in applied medical informatics, including personal health records, electronic patient-reported outcomes and health information exchange.
In one recent example, Dr. Haggstrom and colleagues identified striking socioeconomic and racial disparities in health behavior across 34 Indiana counties. Findings like these provide information to address health disparities and improving health outcomes.
In addition to his role at Regenstrief, Dr. Haggstrom will continue as an associate professor of medicine at IU School of Medicine, Division of General Internal Medicine and Geriatrics and core investigator of the VA HSR&D Center for Health Information and Communication at the Indianapolis VA. His professional affiliations include the Society of General Internal Medicine, Academy Health and the American Medical Informatics Association. He currently is a deputy editor of the Journal of General Internal Medicine.
Dr. Haggstrom has received grant support from the VA Health Services Research and Development Center for Health Information and Communication, the NIH’s National Cancer Institute, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Walther Cancer Foundation and other federal programs and non-profit foundations. He has published widely in medical and health services research peer-reviewed literature.
Clinically, Dr. Haggstrom delivers primary care to patients as a general internist at the Roudebush VA Medical Center. More recently, he has provided emergency department care for veterans suspected of having COVID-19.
About Regenstrief Institute
Founded in 1969 in Indianapolis, the Regenstrief Institute is a local, national and global leader dedicated to a world where better information empowers people to end disease and realize true health. A key research partner to Indiana University, Regenstrief and its research scientists are responsible for a growing number of major healthcare innovations and studies. Examples range from the development of global health information technology standards that enable the use and interoperability of electronic health records to improving patient-physician communications, to creating models of care that inform practice and improve the lives of patients around the globe.
Sam Regenstrief, a nationally successful entrepreneur from Connersville, Indiana, founded the institute with the goal of making healthcare more efficient and accessible for everyone. His vision continues to guide the institute’s research mission.
