Dr. Michael Blum is the Associate Vice Chancellor for Informatics and a Professor of Medicine in Cardiology at the University of California, San Francisco. Dr. Blum is responsible for the strategic design and implementation of enterprise clinical and research information systems and technologies across UCSF.  Serving concurrently as UCSF’s Chief Medical Information Officer, he provides clinical leadership for the enterprise-wide implementation and optimization of Epic’s electronic health record as well as enterprise data warehousing.  Dr. Blum is an active clinician, specializing in general and preventative cardiology as well as the care of patients with congestive heart failure and valvular heart disease. Dr. Blum is passionate about wellness and the prevention of heart disease through a heart-healthy lifestyle. 

In his role as the Associate Vice Chancellor for Informatics, Dr. Blum also leads UCSF’s new Center for Digital Health Innovation (CDHI). The CDHI is a public-private partnership between UCSF and industry that incubates, validates, and commercializes novel digital technologies.  The CDHI develops internal and external digital health innovations through the proof of concept and pilot phases, validates them in real-world clinical settings, and partners with industry to build the technologies to scale and commercialize them.  The CDHI also provides a resource center to UCSF faculty and trainees, educating them in the technical, business, and intellectual property issues involved with developing and commercializing digital technologies.  

Prior to his medical career, Dr. Blum received his BS in Engineering at Tufts University. He then went on to receive his medical degree from NYU School of Medicine and completed his Internal Medicine residency and Cardiology felllowship at Yale University.  He now leverages his medical and engineering backgrounds as he applies his expertise in technology to health care, employing digital technologies to improve clinical effectiveness, efficiency, quality of care, and patient engagement and to develop new, clinically integrated care models, all in pursuit of Precision Medicine.  

Dr. Blum has been an advisor to numerous healthcare technology start-ups, early stage companies, and industry stalwarts.  He was the clinical lead on the joint Intel-Motion Computing development of the first successful healthcare-specific tablet computer, the Motion C5. Dr. Blum’s input is frequently sought by individuals and companies developing IT products in the EHR, cardiology, collaboration, monitoring, sensor, and mobility spaces. He serves on the board of the Association of Medical Directors for Information Systems and the Physician Leadership Committee of HIMSS. He is a frequent speaker at industry conferences and was recently invited to the White House to collaborate with CMS and ONC on the Blue Button Plus initiative and the administration’s plans to increase patient engagement and use of digital health information. When not working to improve the intersection of technology and healthcare, he can be found on the baseball diamond coaching his sons’ Little League team.