IBM, UNC partner on data warehouse for clinical research

A new partnership bringing IBM together with the University of North Carolina Health Care will soon build a data warehouse designed to boost treatment research and personalized treatment.

The Carolina Data Warehouse for Health will include data from UNC Healthcare's EMRs, insurance records, nursing notes and other clinical information sources. To build the data warehouse, UNC will expand its use of IBM's InfoSphere, WebSphere and Health Integration Framework technologies.

Researchers will use the database to speed up research on common, devastating illnesses such as cystic fibrosis, cancer and diabetes, as well as managing care for the chronically ill. Eventually, like their peers in the research world, providers at UNC Health Care hope to provide personalized care for such patients based on genetic factors, demographics and individual risk factors.

Participants are also hoping the database can streamline information gathering needed to get regulatory approval for new research projects.

To learn more about the new partnership:
- read this Information Week piece

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