Dr. Ben Reis leads the Predictive Medicine Group in the Computational Health Informatics Program at Boston Children’s Hospital and is Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at Harvard Medical School. His research focuses on understanding the essential patterns of human disease, and on developing novel approaches for predicting disease. He has created systems that allow doctors to predict dangerous clinical conditions years in advance, as well as predictive pharmacology systems that allow public health officials to identify life-threatening adverse drug effects years in advance. Dr. Reis has designed predictive health monitoring systems for regional and national settings, and has advised governments worldwide on establishing biodefense and biosurveillance infrastructures. He has been recognized by the White House for his work on harnessing social networks to promote health, and by the US State Department, USAID and NASA for his work in global health innovation.
Dr. Reis’s main research areas include:
Intelligent Histories: Developing advanced predictive methods that allow doctors to identify important clinical risks, from diabetes to domestic abuse, years in advance.
Predictive Pharmacology: Developing predictive network-based approaches to pharmacovigilance, capable of identifying dangerous drug side effects and interactions years in advance.
Social Networks and Health: The HealthySocial project explores how emerging social networks can be used to promote and spread positive health behaviors, such as blood donation and influenza vaccination. HealthySocial apps have been used by tens of thousands of people worldwide.
Public Health Surveillance: Designing adaptive public health monitoring systems that allow public health officials to maintain situational awareness during times of increased risk and uncertainty, including pandemics and major public events.
Computational Linguistics: The SpeechWars project combines history, politics and language to study and visualize hundreds of years of history. SpeechWars was selected by the United States Library of Congress for inclusion in its official historic collections.
Publications
Correction to: Development and Validation of a Colorectal Cancer Prediction Model: A Nationwide Cohort-Based Study. Dig Dis Sci. 2025 Mar; 70(3):1250. View Abstract
In Response. Anesth Analg. 2025 Jan 30. View Abstract
Unified Clinical Vocabulary Embeddings for Advancing Precision Medicine. medRxiv. 2024 Dec 10. View Abstract
Validation of an ICD-Code-Based Case Definition for Psychotic Illness Across Three Health Systems. Schizophr Bull. 2024 11 08; 50(6):1482-1488. View Abstract
Development and Validation of a Colorectal Cancer Prediction Model: A Nationwide Cohort-Based Study. Dig Dis Sci. 2024 Jul; 69(7):2611-2620. View Abstract
Harnessing the Power of Generative AI for Clinical Summaries: Perspectives From Emergency Physicians. Ann Emerg Med. 2024 Aug; 84(2):128-138. View Abstract
Validation of an ICD-code-based case definition for psychotic illness across three health systems. medRxiv. 2024 Feb 29. View Abstract
The impact of abortion bans on short-term housing needs. Public Health. 2024 Mar; 228:200-205. View Abstract
The value of parental medical records for the prediction of diabetes and cardiovascular disease: a novel method for generating and incorporating family histories. J Am Med Inform Assoc. 2023 11 17; 30(12):1915-1924. View Abstract
An efficient landmark model for prediction of suicide attempts in multiple clinical settings. Psychiatry Res. 2023 05; 323:115175. View Abstract
Improving risk prediction for target subpopulations: Predicting suicidal behaviors among multiple sclerosis patients. PLoS One. 2023; 18(2):e0277483. View Abstract
Estimated Travel Time and Spatial Access to Abortion Facilities in the US Before and After the Dobbs v Jackson Women's Health Decision. JAMA. 2022 11 22; 328(20):2041-2047. View Abstract
Effectiveness of REGEN-COV antibody combination in preventing severe COVID-19 outcomes. Nat Commun. 2022 08 02; 13(1):4480. View Abstract
BNT162b2 Vaccine Effectiveness against Omicron in Children 5 to 11 Years of Age. N Engl J Med. 2022 07 21; 387(3):227-236. View Abstract
Comparing COVID-19-related hospitalization rates among individuals with infection-induced and vaccine-induced immunity in Israel. Nat Commun. 2022 04 22; 13(1):2202. View Abstract
Fourth Dose of BNT162b2 mRNA Covid-19 Vaccine in a Nationwide Setting. N Engl J Med. 2022 04 28; 386(17):1603-1614. View Abstract
Implementing Machine Learning Models for Suicide Risk Prediction in Clinical Practice: Focus Group Study With Hospital Providers. JMIR Form Res. 2022 Mar 11; 6(3):e30946. View Abstract
Indirect protection of children from SARS-CoV-2 infection through parental vaccination. Science. 2022 03 11; 375(6585):1155-1159. View Abstract
Predictive structured-unstructured interactions in EHR models: A case study of suicide prediction. NPJ Digit Med. 2022 Jan 27; 5(1):15. View Abstract
An integrated framework for identifying clinical-laboratory indicators for novel pandemics: COVID-19 and MIS-C. NPJ Digit Med. 2022 Jan 20; 5(1):9. View Abstract
The language of crisis: spatiotemporal effects of COVID-19 pandemic dynamics on health crisis communications by political leaders. NPJ Digit Med. 2022 Jan 10; 5(1):1. View Abstract
Prediction of Suicide Attempts Using Clinician Assessment, Patient Self-report, and Electronic Health Records. JAMA Netw Open. 2022 01 04; 5(1):e2144373. View Abstract
Temporally informed random forests for suicide risk prediction. J Am Med Inform Assoc. 2021 12 28; 29(1):62-71. View Abstract
Prediction across healthcare settings: a case study in predicting emergency department disposition. NPJ Digit Med. 2021 Dec 15; 4(1):169. View Abstract
Effectiveness of a third dose of the BNT162b2 mRNA COVID-19 vaccine for preventing severe outcomes in Israel: an observational study. Lancet. 2021 12 04; 398(10316):2093-2100. View Abstract
Effectiveness of BNT162b2 Vaccine against Delta Variant in Adolescents. N Engl J Med. 2021 11 25; 385(22):2101-2103. View Abstract
Effectiveness of the BNT162b2 mRNA COVID-19 vaccine in pregnancy. Nat Med. 2021 10; 27(10):1693-1695. View Abstract
Safety of the BNT162b2 mRNA Covid-19 Vaccine in a Nationwide Setting. N Engl J Med. 2021 09 16; 385(12):1078-1090. View Abstract
Prediction of patient disposition: comparison of computer and human approaches and a proposed synthesis. J Am Med Inform Assoc. 2021 07 30; 28(8):1736-1745. View Abstract
Accuracy Requirements for Cost-effective Suicide Risk Prediction Among Primary Care Patients in the US. JAMA Psychiatry. 2021 06 01; 78(6):642-650. View Abstract
BNT162b2 mRNA Covid-19 Vaccine in a Nationwide Mass Vaccination Setting. N Engl J Med. 2021 04 15; 384(15):1412-1423. View Abstract
Association of Genetic Variants With Migraine Subclassified by Clinical Symptoms in Adult Females. Front Neurol. 2020; 11:617472. View Abstract
Internet search patterns reveal clinical course of COVID-19 disease progression and pandemic spread across 32 countries. NPJ Digit Med. 2021 Feb 11; 4(1):22. View Abstract
Internet search patterns reveal firearm sales, policies, and deaths. NPJ Digit Med. 2020 Nov 20; 3(1):152. View Abstract
Do Professionalism Lapses in Medical School Predict Problems in Residency and Clinical Practice? Acad Med. 2020 06; 95(6):888-895. View Abstract
Constructing data-derived family histories using electronic health records from a single healthcare delivery system. Eur J Public Health. 2020 04 01; 30(2):212-218. View Abstract
Validation of an Electronic Health Record-Based Suicide Risk Prediction Modeling Approach Across Multiple Health Care Systems. JAMA Netw Open. 2020 03 02; 3(3):e201262. View Abstract
Internet search query data improve forecasts of daily emergency department volume. J Am Med Inform Assoc. 2019 12 01; 26(12):1574-1583. View Abstract
Phase I study of emactuzumab single agent or in combination with paclitaxel in patients with advanced/metastatic solid tumors reveals depletion of immunosuppressive M2-like macrophages. Ann Oncol. 2019 08 01; 30(8):1381-1392. View Abstract
Early Prediction Model of Patient Hospitalization From the Pediatric Emergency Department. Pediatrics. 2017 May; 139(5). View Abstract
Sexual Assault Victimization and Mental Health Treatment, Suicide Attempts, and Career Outcomes Among Women in the US Army. Am J Public Health. 2017 05; 107(5):732-739. View Abstract
Progressive prediction of hospitalisation in the emergency department: uncovering hidden patterns to improve patient flow. Emerg Med J. 2017 May; 34(5):308-314. View Abstract
Using administrative data to identify U.S. Army soldiers at high-risk of perpetrating minor violent crimes. J Psychiatr Res. 2017 01; 84:128-136. View Abstract
Predicting Suicidal Behavior From Longitudinal Electronic Health Records. Am J Psychiatry. 2017 Feb 01; 174(2):154-162. View Abstract
Developing a Risk Model to Target High-risk Preventive Interventions for Sexual Assault Victimization among Female U.S. Army Soldiers. Clin Psychol Sci. 2016; 4(6):939-956. View Abstract
Predicting suicides after outpatient mental health visits in the Army Study to Assess Risk and Resilience in Servicemembers (Army STARRS). Mol Psychiatry. 2017 04; 22(4):544-551. View Abstract
Feasibility of Prioritizing Drug-Drug-Event Associations Found in Electronic Health Records. Drug Saf. 2016 Jan; 39(1):45-57. View Abstract
Predicting non-familial major physical violent crime perpetration in the US Army from administrative data. Psychol Med. 2016 Jan; 46(2):303-16. View Abstract
Effects of Social Network Exposure on Nutritional Learning: Development of an Online Educational Platform. JMIR Serious Games. 2015 Oct 05; 3(2):e7. View Abstract
Internet activity as a proxy for vaccination compliance. Vaccine. 2015 May 15; 33(21):2395-8. View Abstract
Concordance and predictive value of two adverse drug event data sets. BMC Med Inform Decis Mak. 2014 Aug 22; 14:74. View Abstract
Improved de-identification of physician notes through integrative modeling of both public and private medical text. BMC Med Inform Decis Mak. 2013 Oct 02; 13:112. View Abstract
Developing software to "track and catch" missed follow-up of abnormal test results in a complex sociotechnical environment. Appl Clin Inform. 2013; 4(3):359-75. View Abstract
A pharmacoepidemiological network model for drug safety surveillance: statins and rhabdomyolysis. Drug Saf. 2012 May 01; 35(5):395-406. View Abstract
Predicting adverse drug events using pharmacological network models. Sci Transl Med. 2011 Dec 21; 3(114):114ra127. View Abstract
Area disease estimation based on sentinel hospital records. PLoS One. 2011; 6(8):e23428. View Abstract
Measuring the impact of health policies using Internet search patterns: the case of abortion. BMC Public Health. 2010 Aug 25; 10:514. View Abstract
Use of population health data to refine diagnostic decision-making for pertussis. J Am Med Inform Assoc. 2010 Jan-Feb; 17(1):85-90. View Abstract
Longitudinal histories as predictors of future diagnoses of domestic abuse: modelling study. BMJ. 2009 Sep 29; 339:b3677. View Abstract
Effect of environmental factors on the spatio-temporal patterns of influenza spread. Epidemiol Infect. 2009 Oct; 137(10):1377-87. View Abstract
Surveillance Sans Frontières: Internet-based emerging infectious disease intelligence and the HealthMap project. PLoS Med. 2008 Jul 08; 5(7):e151. View Abstract
HealthMap: global infectious disease monitoring through automated classification and visualization of Internet media reports. J Am Med Inform Assoc. 2008 Mar-Apr; 15(2):150-7. View Abstract
AEGIS: a robust and scalable real-time public health surveillance system. J Am Med Inform Assoc. 2007 Sep-Oct; 14(5):581-8. View Abstract
An epidemiological network model for disease outbreak detection. PLoS Med. 2007 Jun; 4(6):e210. View Abstract
A self-scaling, distributed information architecture for public health, research, and clinical care. J Am Med Inform Assoc. 2007 Jul-Aug; 14(4):527-33. View Abstract
Linking surveillance to action: incorporation of real-time regional data into a medical decision rule. J Am Med Inform Assoc. 2007 Mar-Apr; 14(2):206-11. View Abstract
Running outside the baseline: impact of the 2004 Major League Baseball postseason on emergency department use. Ann Emerg Med. 2005 Oct; 46(4):386-7. View Abstract
Measuring outbreak-detection performance by using controlled feature set simulations. MMWR Suppl. 2004 Sep 24; 53:130-6. View Abstract
Syndromic surveillance: the effects of syndrome grouping on model accuracy and outbreak detection. Ann Emerg Med. 2004 Sep; 44(3):235-41. View Abstract
Use of emergency department chief complaint and diagnostic codes for identifying respiratory illness in a pediatric population. Pediatr Emerg Care. 2004 Jun; 20(6):355-60. View Abstract
Using temporal context to improve biosurveillance. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2003 Feb 18; 100(4):1961-5. View Abstract
Time series modeling for syndromic surveillance. BMC Med Inform Decis Mak. 2003 Jan 23; 3:2. View Abstract
Integrating syndromic surveillance data across multiple locations: effects on outbreak detection performance. AMIA Annu Symp Proc. 2003; 549-53. View Abstract
Comparing the similarity of time-series gene expression using signal processing metrics. J Biomed Inform. 2001 Dec; 34(6):396-405. View Abstract
Extracting knowledge from dynamics in gene expression. J Biomed Inform. 2001 Feb; 34(1):15-27. View Abstract
The autapse: a simple illustration of short-term analog memory storage by tuned synaptic feedback. J Comput Neurosci. 2000 Sep-Oct; 9(2):171-85. View Abstract
Stability of the memory of eye position in a recurrent network of conductance-based model neurons. Neuron. 2000 Apr; 26(1):259-71. View Abstract
