The Office of the CIO (OCIO) supports the HMS mission by leading the development and implementation of information technologies that enables success through enhanced technology, process improvement, and fiscal discipline.  OCIO provides leadership, integrative management and direction for information technology strategic planning, world-renowned research including Blavatnik initiatives, information systems, and medical education at HMS. The OCIO collaborates with the Harvard University Information Technology and a variety of partners and stakeholders to deliver university-wide services to the HMS community.

Deborah Scott, Chief Information Officer for Harvard Medical School, received a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from California State University, Long Beach, and an MBA from UCLA Anderson School of Management.  

Deborah Scott has been the Chief Information Officer at Harvard Medical School since September 2017.  As CIO for Harvard Medical School, Deborah Scott leads the implementation of the strategic plan and operational redesign for information systems, networking, telecommunications, as well as research and instructional technologies.  She formed a governance structure to support funding and priority setting across in order to meet the education and research needs of the school. Under her leadership, Information Technology provides the IT infrastructure, computing environments, and teaching and learning technologies to support the HMS global preeminence in biomedical research and medical education.  She is responsible for advancing the HMS Information Technology Strategy to enable the school’s mission and its collaborations with the Longwood Medical Area hospitals, with nearly 12,000 teaching and research faculty. Her team also provides the IT Infrastructure for the Harvard School of Dental Medicine, and she serves as a member of the Harvard University CIO Council.

Deborah Scott has more than 25 years of experience in Information Technology leadership in both technical industries and in Higher Education.  Before joining HMS, Deborah served as the Chief Information Officer at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, and as Executive Director & CTO at the University of California, Santa Barbara.  While in her native California, she led a global software development and integration team, led a networking company technology merger following an acquisition, and inaugurated an Information Technology Solutions organization at an aerospace engineering company. Over the years, Deborah has developed and led talented and innovative teams that bring current advances in technology to benefit organizations focusing on engineering, research and education.

The OCIO consists of:

  • Service Management and Reporting
  • Project and Portfolio Management
  • IT Administration: IT Governance, IT Workforce Planning, and IT Finance
  • Client Services