Who We Are

Collaborate. Imagine. Create.

The Bear Institute formed in September 2013 as a strategic and transformational partnership between Children's National Hospital and Cerner Corporation. The institute's cross-disciplinary team of developers, architects, researchers, and clinicians assume operational and administrative responsibilities for Children's IT services, including implementations, system management, and clinical adoption.

At the heart of the Bear Institute is a development hub that focuses on innovation and developing the next and best health IT solution to improve the care of children. The Innovations team works on-site at Children's National, immersed in the care process to learn more about both clinicians' and patients' needs in order to create the best possible solutions.

The Innovations team is comprised of talented software engineers, solution and test designers, solution strategists and a data scientist. The Innovations team has been recognized for their work with Quality Boards that contributed to Children's National earning the HIMSS Davies Award. The team is currently working on a Discrete Variant Record solution which addresses major gaps in the diagnostic process of rare genetic diseases and allows clinicians to enter genetic test result information into their EMR.

Our Purpose: The Bear Institute innovation team, in collaboration with the nationally recognized clinicians and researchers from Children’s National Hospital and the world leading healthcare technology company, Cerner, will deliver digital healthcare technology innovations that are focused on improving health outcomes, quality of care, and experience for the pediatric population, their families, and the supporting clinical staff.

Looking into the Future: Optimal and equitable health outcomes for all children realized through enhanced clinical practices enabled by IT innovation as a key driver in learning, validating, and delivering value quickly to our patients, families and care givers.