Introducing the DI2 Accelerator — the new home for WashU Digital Transformation. 


What We Do

The DI2 Accelerator, born from Washington University’s Here & Next strategic plan for Digital Transformation, represents a bold vision for success in the new digital economy.

The DI2 Accelerator will expand and support work in the digital domain to grow research excellence, enhance and strengthen educational experiences for our students, and enable operational excellence.

Our goals include: 

Amplify and accelerate the activities of researchers and innovators working in prioritized digital domains. 

Inform the architecture and operations of data and computing infrastructure needed to position the university as a “living laboratory” for digital transformation.

Embed digital competencies into teaching and learning at all levels


What’s Next

Our year 2 objectives are ambitious — and will touch a range of disciplines across the university. Here are just a few.

  • Launch an External Advisory Board, complementing the existing university-wide Internal Advisory Committee.
  • Advance a proposal for a strategic cloud computing partnership to address research computing and data analytics at a university-wide level.
  • Develop a strategic roadmap for AI research and practice across all academic units.
  • Host two major convening events, including an AI & Digital Health Summit on Oct. 18-19.
  • See the full list of year 2 objectives here. 

Digital Solutions Studio

Launched in early 2023 as part of the DI2 Accelerator, the DSS helps faculty bring their research to life through software engineering and development assistance


Convening Events

May 6-8, 2024

Washington University hosts the third installment of Digital Universities US, in collaboration with Inside Higher Ed and Times Higher Education.

AI & Digital Health Summit

Thank you for joining us for two days of field-leading speakers, engaging panel discussions and networking with the community working in this space at WashU. Watch Atul Butte, PhD, deliver the keynote address, ‘From Data to Diagnosis to Delivery: Artificial Intelligence in Precision Medicine,’ now.


Meet the Team

An interdisciplinary team from across the university is working together to transform the way we do things.

Internal Advisory Committee

Yongs Shin, Committee Chair
Douglass C. North Distinguished Professor in Economics

Chandler Ahrens 
Associate Professor, Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts

Peter Boumgarden 
Director and Professor of Practice, the Koch Family Center for Family Enterprise

Lily Dollan
Academic Advisor, University College Patrick Fowler 

Tammy English
Associate Professor, Psychological & Brain Sciences

Patrick Fowler, PhD
Associate Professor, Brown School
Director, Doctoral Program in Public Health Sciences

Greg Hart, PhD, MBA
Chief Technology Officer

Ray Irving  
Director, Center for Digital Education

Tao Ju 
Professor and Associate Chair of Research, Computer Science and Engineering

Pauline Kim, JD
Daniel Noyes Kirby Professor of Law

Katherine Krajcovic, EdD, MBA, PMP, SHRM-SCP 
Executive Director Clinical Affairs and Business Operations

Albert Lai, PhD
Chief Research Information Officer, School of Medicine
Deputy Director, Institute for Informatics, Data Science and Biostatistics (I2DB)
Professor of General Medical Sciences, School of Medicine
Professor of Computer Science and Engineering, McKelvey School of Engineering

II Luscri  
Managing Director and Assistant Vice-Provost, Skandalaris Center for Interdisciplinary Innovation & Entrepreneurship

Joe MacDonald
Assistant Provost and Director of Strategy, Transformation, and Impact

Thomas Maddox, MD, MSc 
Professor of Medicine
Vice President, Digital Products and Innovation, BJC HealthCare

Mary McKay, PhD, MSW 
Vice Provost for Interdisciplinary Initiatives

Jacob Montgomery, PhD, MS 
Professor, Political Science
Chair of Political Science Track for Division of Computational and Data Sciences

Alvitta Ottley, PhD, MS 
Assistant Professor, Computer Science & Engineering

Philip R.O. Payne, PhD, FACMI, FAMIA, FAIMBE, FIAHSI
Janet and Bernard Becker Professor and Director, Institute for Informatics
Associate Dean and Chief Data Scientist
Professor of Computer Science and Engineering

Neil Richards, JD, MA
Koch Distinguished Professor in Law
Director, Cordell Institute

Betsy Sinclair, PhD, MS 
Chair, Political Science
Professor, Political Science 

Liberty Vittert, PhD
Professor, Practice of Data Science

Richard Wahl, MD
Professor, Radiology
Director, The Edward Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology
Head of the Department of Radiology
Professor, Radiation Oncology
Elizabeth E. Mallinckrodt Professor of Radiology

Pam Woodard, MD
Professor, Radiology
Senior Vice Chair, Division of Radiological Sciences
Professor, Biomedical Engineering
Professor, Pediatrics
Professor, Medicine
Hugh Monroe Wilson Professor of Radiology

Implementation Lead

Philip R.O. Payne, PhD, FACMI, FAMIA, FAIMBE, FIAHSI
Janet and Bernard Becker Professor and Director, Institute for Informatics
Associate Dean and Chief Data Scientist
Professor of Computer Science and Engineering

Implementation Team

Rachel Hauck
Portfolio Manager II, Office of Health Information and Data Science

Andrea Krussel, MA
Director of Education and Workforce Development, Office of Health Information and Data Science

Madeline Kuklo
Program Coordinator, Office of Health Information and Data Science

Albert M. Lai, PhD, FACMI, FAMIA
Chief Research Information Officer, School of Medicine
Deputy Director, Institute for Informatics, Data Science and Biostatistics (I2DB)
Professor of General Medical Sciences, School of Medicine
Professor of Computer Science and Engineering, McKelvey School of Engineering

Cynthia L. Marich, MLitt
Executive Director, Office of Health Information and Data Science

Carter Staley
Marketing/Social Media Coordinator, Office of Health Information and Data Science

Laura Swofford
Director of Marketing and Communications, Office of Health Information and Data Science

Janice Woodcock
Manager of Administrative Services and Support; Assistant to the Associate Dean, Office of Health Information and Data Science

Anastasia Zylka
Portfolio Manager, Office of Health Information and Data Science

Carmen Quinn
Administrative Coordinator II

Join Us for Coffee

Curious about Digital Transformation? Have ideas? Want to get involved? Every Thursday, you can join Philip R.O. Payne, Digital Transformation lead, and the Digital Transformation implementation team for coffee while talking all things digital transformation.


Innovation in Action

Digital Solutions Studio Helps Bring Data to Life

This pilot program pairs software engineers with faculty to create useful ways to share research findings.

New Dashboard Helps Researchers Study the Existential Issues of Our Time

The Digital Solutions Studio built the St. Louis Data Dashboard in less than 12 months — an endeavor that would’ve otherwise taken three to five years.

A Project that Studies Origin Stories Gets Its Happily Ever After

The Digital Solutions Studio helped create Stories That Win, a website WashU researchers are using to collect and analyze fairytales and origin stories.

Digital Transformation initiative launches at Washington University

WashU is mobilizing research, education and patient care to establish the university, and St. Louis, as a global hub for transformative solutions to our deepest societal challenges.

Get Involved

Together, we’ll find the spark to drive what’s next.
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