Malin lands Presidential Early Career Award
Vanderbilt University's Bradley Malin, Ph.D., has received a presidential honor for his pioneering approaches for managing and protecting the privacy of electronic health records and research data.
Bradley Malin, Ph.D.
Malin, assistant professor of Biomedical Informatics and research assistant professor of Computer Science, is one of 85 recipients of this year's Presidential Early Career Awards for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE). The annual awards program, established by President Bill Clinton in 1996, is the highest honor bestowed by the U.S. government on young science and engineering professionals.
“Science and technology have long been at the core of America's economic strength and global leadership,” President Barack Obama said in announcing the awards on Nov. 5. “I am confident that these individuals will go on to make breakthroughs and discoveries that will continue to move our nation forward in the years ahead,” Obama said.
Malin, who directs Vanderbilt's Health Information Privacy Laboratory, joined the faculty in 2006 after receiving his Ph.D. in computer science from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh.
In 2008, he was named a Stahlman Scholar in Biomedical Ethics and Society at Vanderbilt. Last year, he received his first research project (R01) grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) — $1.1 million over four years — to develop “Technologies to Enable Privacy in Biomedical Databanks.”
The NIH nominated him for the presidential honor, which is awarded for “pursuit of innovative research at the frontiers of science and technology and a commitment to community service, as demonstrated through scientific leadership, public education, or community outreach.”
“Brad's work in electronic privacy (specifically around health care records and of course BioVU, but with a much, much broader set of implications nationally) is cutting edge worldwide,” said Dan Roden, M.D., assistant vice chancellor for Personalized Medicine. “It is really gratifying that it is now recognized at this level.”
“It is truly an honor to be recognized with this award,” Malin said. “More than anything, it is a clear indication of the support and opportunities that Vanderbilt University has provided in my research endeavors.”
As part of the presidential award, the NIH will extend his R01 grant, sponsored by the National Library of Medicine, with an additional two years of funding.
Malin is one of five current Vanderbilt faculty members to receive a PECASE award.
The others are MacRae Linton, M.D., Medicine and Pharmacology (1997); Bridget Rogers, Ph.D., Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering (2002); Bruce McCandliss, Ph.D., Psychology (2006); and Sharon Weiss, Ph.D., Electrical Engineering and Physics (2009).