Informatics Program

Brian Ostasiewski

Informatics Program Director

Brian Ostasiewski joined Wake Forest in 2010.  In addition to leading the Informatics Team, he has been responsible for creating the Translational Data Warehouse (TDW) and improving research opportunities with data. He heads the Clinical Research Network (CRN) Program, facilitating multi-site research with partner institutions. Within the Center for Biomedical Informatics (WFBMI), he runs the Summer Internship program which yearly recruits up to 16 students to work on Informatics projects. Prior to joining Wake Forest, Brian had programming and technical lead roles at IBM, GE, Noregon, and two startups, one involved in network security and the other in 3D radiology imaging and structured reporting.

 Programming Team

Michael Horvath

Programming Team Lead

Michael joined Wake Forest in 2010 and is the Lead Programmer on the Informatics Team. He oversees the design and architecture of software applications by the team as well as leads efforts to expand and improve the TDW and its related tools and content with a particular focus on clinical terminology standards and ontologies.  He was instrumental in the initial implementation of the Translational Data Warehouse at Wake Forest as well as the national pilot for the first Shrine based data sharing network.  Michael received his bachelors and masters degrees in Computer Science from Wake Forest.

Irina Viviano

Programmer/Analyst

Irina joined the Informatics Team in early 2020. She works to support the research mission by providing tools and data to researchers with a particular focus on enhancing the self-service capabilities of the TDW. Her background is in Math and Computer Science, and received her MS in Computer Science from Wake Forest.

Virginia Lawson

Data Analyst

Ginny joined the Informatics Team in 2019 after completing her Master's degree in Health Informatics. She creates interactive, dynamic dashboards that allow users to better visualize and more effectively engage with healthcare data. She enjoys simplifying complex data for users and providing researchers and administrators with data insights that help to monitor progress of healthcare research programs and initiatives.

Sapan Bhandari

Programmer/Analyst

Sapan joined the informatics team in August 2021 after completing his Master of Science in Computer Science from Wake Forest University in May 2021. His work is focused on further development of the Child Health Improvement through Computer Automation (CHICA) application at Atrium Health Wake Forest with Dr. Stephen Downs. Sapan received his bachelor’s degree in Computer Science & Engineering and his interests include Java application development, deep learning, and big data technologies.  

 Database Team

Aaron Bridges

Database Team Lead

Aaron joined the Informatics team in 2019.  He is responsible for leading the Database Team and specializes in data extraction, ETL processes, and providing data and support for various research initiatives.  Aaron holds nine Epic certifications specific to the Clarity and Caboodle data models. He also has over 10 years of experience in Healthcare Data Management within various Reporting/Analytics roles. 

Kobby Sekyere

Database Programmer

Kun Wei

Database Programmer

Kun Wei’s work focuses on the CRN Program.  He plays the primary role in the data extraction, transform, and load (ETL) of Common Data Models such as PCORnet from the TDW, EPIC EHR, and other clinical systems.  He is a certified EPIC Clarity developer and also works with researchers to craft pseudocode models and generate feasibility analyses for clinical trials and run study queries, using SQL and SAS.

Wendell Futrell

Database Programmer

Wendell has more than 18 years programming and application development experience.  He has been involved in end-to-end report development, building stored procedures across multiple database technologies for internal and external clients. Additionally, Wendell served in the United States Marine Corp for 5 1/2 years working in two American Embassies demonstrating responsibility and dependability. His current primary responsibility is building TDW ETL processes. Wendell is a certified Clarity Report Writer and interacts directly with clients to understand and clarify their data requirements. 

Hui Wang

Database Programmer

Hui joined the Informatics team in 2021. He supports ETL processes populating an array of downstream research common data models, and also has an active role in fulfilling research-related data requests. Hui works directly with researchers to transfer data into structured formats for intended analyses. He is a Microsoft Certified Professional and SAS Certified Professional. In addition to data extraction skills, he also has experience in programming with R, Python, VBA and C#. Prior to joining Wake Forest, Hui had data scientist and analyst roles in LabCorp, Merck, and Harvard University.

 Project Management Team

Larisa Rodgers

Project Management Team Lead

Larisa joined Wake Forest in 2020 and leads the informatics project management team. She manages Wake’s participation in STAR and other Clinical Research Networks, supporting Wake’s vision of promoting better health through collaboration, excellence and innovation. Larisa is also working closely with WFBMI on the creation and management of educational opportunities, tools, and funding. Prior to joining Wake Forest, Larisa held program management roles at the Duke Clinical Research Institute/Duke Forge and at UNC-Chapel Hill’s Carolina Health Informatics Program. Larisa earned her MSW from University of Connecticut and a Research Administration Certificate from Wake Forest. 

Laya Mohan

Associate Project Manager

Laya Mohan earned her Master of Arts in Health Communication from Wake Forest in May 2020, and joined the Informatics Team as an Associate Project Manager the following fall. Laya works in tandem with WFBMI, marketing and managing various core faculty projects, courses, and research under this umbrella. In addition, she works with Informatics Team programmers to market and inform Wake Forest researchers of newly developed tools and resources to enhance their research. Laya also coordinates with external researchers for collaboration, brings guest speakers to lecture, and plans large scale events within the Center.

Abigail Nerogic

Associate Project Manager

Abby joined Wake Forest in 2020 as a Clinical Studies Coordinator supporting cancer survivorship trials. In 2021, she joined the project management team to handle researcher’s data requests and data needs. Abby received her Bachelor of Science in psychology from the University of Tampa. Throughout her time there, she supported various faculty research projects. She also designed her own project with a focus on student’s utilization and awareness of mental health resources on campus with data collection still on-going.

 Infrastructure Team

William Ford

Infrastructure Team Lead 

Will joined in 2018 as a developer with the informatics team.  He maintains several of our web applications including i2b2 and ACT, acts as a technical liaison and data broker for partner networks, web developer, and system administrator for our Windows and Linux servers.  His interests include operations management and site reliability engineering. Will earned his MBA from Wake Forest University.