Jacob Kean, PhD

Research Scientist / Investigator

Jacob Kean, PhD, serves as the Acting Director of the VA Informatics and Computing Infrastructure (VINCI), a key resource within the VA's Office of Research & Development (ORD). VINCI provides researchers with nationwide access to high-value VA patient data, supports health services research, epidemiology, decision support, and business intelligence, and does so in a robust analytical environment, ensuring researchers can select, transform, and analyze patient data in a secure, centralized location.

As an Associate Professor in the Department of Internal Medicine at the University of Utah, Dr. Kean conducts research focusing on creating and operating research networks and learning health systems to improve patient-centered outcomes, supports the development and evaluation of value-based care initiatives in the Office of Population Health, and serves as a Core Educator in the Spencer Fox Eccles School of Medicine, supporting the development, implementation and sustainment of trustworthy student assessment across the undergraduate medical education program.

Dr. Kean completed his PhD at Indiana University and post-graduate training as a Visiting Scientist at Boston University, Visiting Scholar at the University of Texas, as a VA Fellow at the NIH Training Institute on Dissemination and Implementation Research, as a Research Scientist in Residence at Datavant, and through the completion of a post-doctoral Master’s degree in Measurement, Evaluation, Statistics, and Assessment from the University of Illinois – Chicago.