As chief data officer, James D. “Jim” Buntrock, M.S., will play a key leadership role in implementing a comprehensive data strategy across education, research and clinical pillars to power the mission and vision of The University of Texas Medical Center and its anchor, Dell Med.
Buntrock brings more than three decades of experience at the forefront of health care data and technology. Over his 34-year career at Mayo Clinic, he led major enterprise initiatives that transformed how data and technology support clinical care, research and education. His work included modernizing Mayo’s electronic health record, pioneering cloud computing strategies for patient-centered care, leading Mayo’s data partnership with Google Cloud, liaising with researchers across the organization and integrating data-driven artificial intelligence into clinical practice.
Buntrock has contributed to innovations in large language models, computational linguistics, bioinformatics and biomedical data management. Notably, he led two open-source software initiatives in partnership with the Cancer Biomedical Informatics Grid and the National Center for Biomedical Ontology as part of the National Centers for Biomedical Computing. In addition, Buntrock previously directed an IT fellowship program at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and is passionate about developing the next generation of leaders in health technology.
As chief data officer, Buntrock will provide strategic leadership for how Dell Med manages, curates and leverages data to drive impact. Reporting to Michael J. Ryan, he will partner closely with technology leaders to align data efforts with broader digital and technology strategies underpinning the enterprise’s approach to academic medicine. In addition, he will define the infrastructure needed to support data goals, ensure regulatory compliance and data security, and embed privacy standards across all initiatives.
Texas Health Data Science Center
Buntrock will lead development of the future Texas Health Data Science Center envisioned as a dynamic hub for data-driven innovation in research, public health, predictive analytics and operational excellence. He will work across Dell Med and UT to ensure that academic and industry partners can tap into the center’s capabilities to accelerate transformative, real-world impact.
More About Jim Buntrock
Buntrock spent 13 years in an executive leadership role in the Department of Information Technology at Mayo Clinic. His legacy includes the creation of pioneering centers focused on clinical and translational science, individualized medicine, regenerative biotherapeutics, offshore software development and the science of health care delivery.
He has also provided technology leadership for several nationally recognized biomedical informatics grants, including eMerge: Electronic Medical Records and Genomics, Strategic Health IT Advanced Research Projects, the Pharmacogenomics Research Network and the Patient Center Outcomes Research Institute.
Buntrock began his Mayo career in 1991 as a software developer working on early health informatics and electronic medical record projects. In addition to serving as an instructor in biomedical informatics at the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science, Buntrock has been a mentor and collaborator to countless individuals with whom he generously shares knowledge and insights through town halls, guest lectures, internships and technology fellowships. He holds a master’s degree in management science from Cardinal Stritch University. On a personal note, Buntrock’s family includes his wife, Martha, and four children, three daughters pursing ambitions in medicine and one son in high school.