Dr. Peter Joseph Embí, MD, MS, is a physician, researcher and leader in biomedical informatics who has spent much of his career exploring how health data and technology can improve medicine. His work has become particularly relevant as artificial intelligence and data-driven healthcare continue to transform the medical field.
Dr. Embí earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Florida and his medical degree from the University of South Florida. He completed internal medicine residency at Oregon Health & Science University, followed by training in biomedical informatics and rheumatology and immunology.
Over nearly three decades, Embí has combined clinical medicine, research and academic leadership. At Vanderbilt University Medical Center, he served as a professor of biomedical informatics and internal medicine, chaired the Department of Biomedical Informatics and became founding director of the ADVANCE AI Center.
His research and leadership have focused on making better use of health information, evidence and emerging technologies. He is also credited with helping establish clinical research informatics as a field and developed the concept of algorithmovigilance, which involves systematically evaluating and monitoring artificial intelligence systems used in healthcare.
A major new chapter in Embí’s career began in 2026. The National Institutes of Health announced that he had been selected to become director of the National Library of Medicine (NLM). He began the position in September 2026, becoming the fifth director since NLM became the National Library of Medicine in 1956.
The position places Embí at the center of an organization responsible for the world’s largest biomedical library and major research programs in biomedical informatics and computational health data science. He will help guide the institution during a period when artificial intelligence, large datasets and digital health technologies are rapidly changing how medical research is conducted.
Embí has also been recognized by leading professional organizations. He is a member of the National Academy of Medicine and serves as president of the American College of Medical Informatics. His honors include the William W. Stead Award for Thought Leadership from the American Medical Informatics Association.
Dr. Embí’s career offers an interesting example of how the modern physician’s role is expanding. Alongside traditional clinical knowledge, today’s medical leaders increasingly need to understand data, technology and artificial intelligence. His new leadership role at the National Library of Medicine gives him an opportunity to help shape that future on a national and international scale.
