Researcher Spotlight: Blake Anderson

What is your professional background?
I completed medical school at Emory, did one year of general surgery at University of Florida, then internal medicine residency at Emory. I completed the one-year Chief Resident for Quality and Patient Safety program, where I started my work in analytics. I’ve been acquiring and analyzing large data sets at the VA for the past five years and am now working with Emory data sets to make predictive algorithms using machine learning techniques. I practice general internal medicine at 1525 Clifton Rd. and also work at the COVID monoclonal antibody/acute respiratory clinic.

In what division do you work, and who is your mentor?
I work in the Division of General Internal Medicine and my mentor is Ted Johnson.

Briefly describe your research. Why is it important?
I’m interested in making electronic health records work for us as clinicians rather than the other way around, but I told my eight-year-old son that I use computers to try to predict the future. I’m using clinical data warehouse data, patient reported symptom surveys, and remotely obtained digital biomarkers from wearables to predict adverse outcomes in COVID-19 outpatients to allow for earlier interventions. There is a wealth of information stored in our databases that is not easily accessed by traditional methods. By using machine learning algorithms, clinical decision making can be aided by that data in minimal time and not have to filter through “note bloat” in the health record. I hope to make the algorithms dynamic using remotely obtained data going forward.

What do you like most about Emory? 
I like that I have the opportunity to not only provide patient care, but also shape the future of patient care collaborating with world renowned experts. It also helps that my father, Larry Anderson, MD is also on faculty and I get to collaborate with him.

What is your favorite movie or TV show?
Disney Plus is the main thing playing in my house most of the time. “The Mandalorian” is my current favorite.

What do you like to do in your spare time?
I have two boys, ages three and eight. We like to build things in the back yard.  

What is a fun fact about you?
I grew up only a few miles from Emory and am a proud graduate of the DeKalb County Public Schools System. 

About the Author

Emory Department of Medicine
The Department of Medicine, part of Emory University's School of Medicine, promotes excellence in education, patient care, and clinical and basic research.

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