“Atul始終堅信，數據能夠改善我們對健康的理解，以及醫療服務的提供。正是基于這一堅定的信念，他孜孜不倦地努力獲取數據，揭示它們與患者和人口健康的關聯。作為一位有遠見的思想家，他是無數人的朋友、導師和靈感來源——包括我自己。”

——Kevin B. Johnson教授，美國醫學信息學院（ACMI）主席（2020-2024）

2025年6月13日，全球知名生物醫學與生物信息學家、醫學信息學領域的先驅Atul Butte教授在與癌癥抗爭多年之后不幸離世，享年55歲。數年前Butte教授在藥明康德全球論壇上暢想數據科學未來的畫面還歷歷在目，如今辭世的消息突然傳來，令人無限惋惜。Butte教授畢生致力于運用計算科學解決疾病診斷和新藥研發中的關鍵難題。他不僅是生物信息學領域的巨匠，更是一位積極描繪計算醫學未來藍圖的開拓者。

圖片來源：加州大學舊金山分校Bakar計算健康科學研究所官網

Butte教授的一生，是融合科技與醫學、造福患者的一生。他在麻省理工學院和哈佛醫學院專攻生物醫學工程學領域，并在2015年加入加州大學舊金山分校（UCSF），成為Bakar計算健康科學研究所的創始所長，將計算科學融入醫療和公共衛生等多個層面。2017年，馬克·扎克伯格和普莉希拉·陳夫婦向UCSF捐贈1000萬美元，支持他領導的研究工作。Butte教授還是加州大學醫療系統的首席數據科學家，通過將多家醫學中心的電子健康記錄進行整合，利用大數據的力量推動全球患者更快獲得更有效的治療手段。最近，他聯合創立的數據驅動洞見和創新中心（CDI2）開展的一項研究，將尋找2型糖尿病潛在療法的時間從數年縮短至數周，充分展現了真實世界臨床數據蘊藏的巨大潛能。Butte教授一生發表近400篇出版物。因為在醫學信息學領域的突出貢獻，他于2024年被美國醫學信息學會（AMIA）授予Morris F. Collen杰出成就獎，這是生物醫學信息學領域的最高榮譽。

走出實驗室，Butte教授將研究成果轉化為多家初創企業，利用數據科學和人工智能技術，在精準醫療、診斷技術和新藥開發領域掀起變革。其中，針對循環腫瘤DNA的一款檢測工具，已經在乳腺癌、宮頸癌、結直腸癌等多種癌癥領域展現出提前發現癌癥復發、指導個體化治療的潛力。他對科研轉化和創新創業的熱忱，也深深影響了他的學生與研究團隊成員。他們已陸續創建了十余家新銳公司，沿著利用數據變革醫學的方向繼續前進。

▲Butte教授曾在藥明康德全球論壇分享數據科學如何推動新藥研發的變革

在學生、同事和朋友眼中，Butte教授遠不止是一名科學家。他兼具卓越的才智與溫暖的人格。他笑聲爽朗，善于傾聽，關愛他人。他堅持倡導開放數據、開放科學與開放合作。2013年，因為在推廣開放科學數據與出版物方面做出的杰出貢獻，時任美國總統授予其“開放科學變革先鋒”（Open Science Champions of Change）榮譽稱號。他的影響力，不僅體現在學術與職業成就中，更體現在每個受他啟發的人身上。正如美國精準醫學委員會（American Board of Precision Medicine）的精準醫學主任Dexter Hadley博士所言：“因為他的存在，學生、同事、機構乃至整個醫療體系都變得更加有遠見、也更具成效。”

在Butte教授的社交平臺賬號中，至今仍置頂著這樣一句話：“世界上的數據再多，如果沒有愿意運用它們的人，也將毫無意義。”（All the data in the world will not make a difference, unless there are people ready to use it.）這句話生動詮釋了他一生踐行的理念。Butte教授雖然離開了我們，但他為醫學未來指明的道路依然清晰：用數據照亮醫學的未知，用科技構筑更健康的未來。

致敬Atul Butte教授，愿您的科學夢想繼續激勵后來者的不懈探索、不斷前行。

Farewell to a Legend: Remembering Dr. Atul Butte

“He held an unwavering belief: that data could improve our understanding of health and how care is delivered. Tirelessly, he worked to gather data and reveal its connections to patient and population health. As a visionary thinker, he was a friend, mentor, and inspiration to countless individuals — myself included.”

— Professor Kevin B. Johnson, President of the American College of Medical Informatics (2020–2024)

On June 13, 2025,the industry lost a prominent leader in biomedical science and informatics. Professor Atul Butte passed awayafter a years-long battle with cancer, at the age of 55.The memory of Professor Butte sharing his visionary outlook on the future of data science at the WuXi Global Forum a few years ago remains clear, making the news of his sudden passing all the more heartbreaking. A pioneer in medical informatics, he devoted his career to addressing some of the most complex challenges in disease diagnosis and drug development through the transformative power of computational science. Professor Butte was not only a distinguished figure in bioinformatics but also a visionary who helped shape the future of computational medicine.

Source: Bakar Computational Health Sciences Institute, University of California San Francisco

Professor Butte’s journey was one of fusing technology with medicine — and of using that fusion to benefit patients everywhere.Trained in biomedical engineering at MIT and Harvard Medical School, he joined the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) in 2015, where he became the founding director of the Bakar Computational Health Sciences Institute. There, he embedded data science into healthcare and public health across multiple dimensions. As the inaugural Chief Data Scientist for the University of California Health System, he spearheaded the integration of electronic health records from multiple medical centers — harnessing big data to accelerate the delivery of effective treatments to patients around the world.Most recently, through the Center for Data-Driven Insights and Innovation (CDI2), which he co-founded, Professor Butte led a study that dramatically shortened the timeline for identifying potential treatments for type 2 diabetes—from several years to just a few weeks—showcasing the immense untapped potential of real-world clinical data in transforming therapeutic discovery.Over the course of his life, he authored nearly 400 publications and, in recognition of his groundbreaking contributions to medical informatics, was awarded theMorris F. Collen Award of Excellenceby the American Medical Informatics Association in 2024—the highest honor in the field.

Professor Butte’s impact extended far beyond academia.A relentless innovator, he co-founded multiple companies—including Personalis, Carmenta, and NuMedii—that applied genomic data and artificial intelligence to revolutionize diagnostics, drug discovery, and precision medicine.Among his ventures, technologies such as circulating tumor DNA detection tools have shown great promise in predicting cancer recurrence and guiding individualized treatment.

Just as remarkable was the ripple effect of his mentorship—many of his students and colleagues went on to establish their own pioneering companies, continuing his mission to transform medicine through open science, computational innovation, and a steadfast commitment to improving human health.

To his students, colleagues, and friends,Professor Butte was far more than a brilliant scientist—he was a rare blend of intellectual brilliance and genuine compassion. He laughed wholeheartedly, listened with intention, and cared deeply about the people around him.A steadfast advocate of open data, open science, and open collaboration, he championed transparency and accessibility in research. In 2013, in recognition of his outstanding contributions to promoting open scientific data and publications,he was honored by the then-President of the United States as an Open Science Champion of Change.His influence extended far beyond his academic and professional accomplishments—it lived on in every individual he inspired. As Dr. Dexter Hadley, Director of Precision Medicine at the American Board of Precision Medicine, reflected, it was because of his presence that students, colleagues, institutions, and entire health systems became more visionary, more ethical, and more effective.

A simple sentence, pinned to the top of Professor Butte’s social media account, perfectly encapsulated the core belief that drove his work: “All the data in the world will not make a difference, unless there are people ready to use it.”

This guiding belief was more than a statement—it was a call to action that shaped his career and inspired those around him. Though he is no longer with us, the path he illuminated remains clear: a future of medicine powered by data, driven by technology, and anchored in a deep, unwavering commitment to advancing human health.

參考資料：

[1] UCSF Scientist Receives High Honor for Exceptional Career. Retrieved June 16, 2025, from https://www.ucsf.edu/news/2025/04/429896/ucsf-scientist-receives-high-honor-exceptional-career

[2] Atul Butte, MD, PhD, FACMI, to be awarded Morris F. Collen Award of Excellence at the AMIA 2024 Annual Symposium. Retrieved June 16, 2025, from https://amia.org/news-publications/atul-butte-md-phd-facmi-be-awarded-morris-f-collen-award-excellence-amia-2024

[3] Champions of Change: Open Science. Retrieved June 17, 2025, from https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/champions/open-science

[4] Remembering Atul Butte, MD, PhD. Retrieved June 17, 2025, from https://chancellor.ucsf.edu/news/remembering-atul-butte-md-phd

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