Sara Horst, MD, MPH, Professor of Medicine in the Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, and Medical Director of Telehealth Ambulatory Services at Vanderbilt Health, has been appointed Vice Chair for Clinical Informatics and Care Transformation in the Department of Medicine, a newly created position, effective July 6.
An advocate of the use of telehealth and other technologies to enhance and streamline patient care, Horst previously served as Associate Vice Chair for Digital Health Operations and as Interim Vice Chair for Clinical Affairs in the Department of Medicine.
“As Associate Vice Chair for Digital Health, Dr. Horst has demonstrated a strong track record of working with institutional and departmental leaders and faculty to study and implement innovative strategies including clinical informatics and HealthIT to improve efficiency and reduce burdens on clinicians,” said Anna Hemnes, MD, the Elsa S. Hanigan Professor of Pulmonary Medicine and Chair of the Department of Medicine.
“In this new role, she will lead departmental strategy to incorporate new and innovative technologies to provide the highest quality patient care while improving efficiency and clinician satisfaction,” Hemnes said. “Her deep knowledge in this space will be invaluable to driving strategy and implementation moving forward.”
Horst earned her medical degree and completed residency training at The Ohio State University. After completing a gastroenterology fellowship and earning a master’s degree in public health from Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, she joined the VUSM faculty in 2011.
Her specialty is the care of patients with inflammatory bowel disease, including Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. Horst is a fellow of the American College of Gastroenterology and the American Gastroenterological Association, and associate editor of the American Journal of Gastroenterology.
Horst contributes to the development of digital health at Vanderbilt Health as a HealthIT medical director, Epic physician builder and physician champion, and as a steering committee member of the Clinical Informatics Center.
Her honors include six Five-Star excellence awards for overall quality of doctor care, a Vanderbilt Health Credo Award for her contributions to developing telehealth during the COVID-19 pandemic, and, in 2022, a Physician Builder Award for devising and implementing new content and tools for Vanderbilt Health’s Epic-based HealthIT system, eStar.