Dr. Leslie Lenert Named Inaugural Director of BMIHAI

September 11, 2025

Dear Rutgers Health community,

I am pleased to share that Leslie Lenert, MD, MS, an internationally recognized informatics expert, has been named inaugural director of the Center for Biomedical Informatics and Health Artificial Intelligence (BMIHAI), part of the Rutgers Institute for Health, Health Care Policy and Aging Research. Dr. Lenert will also serve as professor in the Division of General Internal Medicine at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School.

Dr. Lenert joins Rutgers from the Medical University of South Carolina, where he was a distinguished professor of internal medicine and held leadership positions as associate vice president of data science and informatics, chief research information officer, and director of the Biomedical Informatics Center. He earned his bachelor’s degree in biomedical sciences from the University of California, Riverside, his medical degree from the University of California, Los Angeles, and a master’s degree in medical information science from Stanford University. He is board certified in internal medicine and is a Fellow of both the American College of Physicians and the American College of Medical Informatics.

A pioneer in the application of data science to health systems, Dr. Lenert has developed mobile health apps, population health tools, and decision support systems that improve patient engagement and care coordination. His experience spans academic research, clinical practice, public health, and federal service, including as founding director of the National Center for Public Health Informatics at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

As BMIHAI’s director, Dr. Lenert will help establish Rutgers Health as a leader in biomedical informatics and health-related AI, building collaborations that advance patient care, research, and education. By uniting expertise in artificial intelligence, biomedical informatics, and health policy, BMIHAI will foster collaboration across Rutgers Health and beyond, creating innovative solutions that transform care delivery in New Jersey and on a national scale.

Please join me in welcoming Dr. Lenert to our community, who will start on November 1.

Sincerely,

Brian L. Strom, MD, MPH
Chancellor