Biomedical Informatics

Kevin Johnson, MD	Area Leader
	kevin.johnson@vanderbilt.edu (615) 936-1556 Office Hours: TBA

Introduction to Biomedical Informatics [Power Point]

List of representative faculty and their research interests [PDF]

Description

Biomedical informatics is the scientific field that deals with the storage, retrieval and optimal use of biomedical information for problem solving and decision-making. Vanderbilt Biomedical Informatics features a state-of-the-art computer system in use by physicians throughout the Medical Center.

Research is focused on all areas of healthcare ranging from computer programs that alert physicians about patient problems to tools that process radiologic images or assist basic scientists with bench research. The focus is in three areas:

• Developing, evaluating and refining the computer tools available to clinicians caring for patients.
• Using computer applications and techniques to better enable clinicians to assemble evidence about specific topics.
• Managing biologic or genomic information in ways that supports discovery of new therapies or that guides basic science research.

Nature of Student Experience

During VMS I students will have an opportunity to review the projects underway in the department of Biomedical Informatics. After selecting a project area the student will participate in project related activities. The typical team developing a new product will meet periodically to discuss project development with potential users but will spend a majority of their time completing tasks assigned by the project manager. In addition to attending these meetings, students will be assigned specific tasks primarily on their skill level or related to their unique interest.

Through readings, didactic experiences and interaction with team members, students will also acquire an in-depth knowledge about the problem the project is designed to solve, the history of the processes that are affected by the project and the methods being employed by the project team to develop the project.

At the conclusion of the Spring semester, students will be expected to write a literature review or be evaluated in a fashion that showcases the knowledge they have gained about the field of biomedical informatics. For eight weeks during the summer, between VMS I and II, students will continue their engagement in the project.

The two semesters of VMS II will be devoted to a more intensive involvement in the project area of their choice. Students will be assigned a project as their primary responsibility during their second year. Mastering a project will necessarily require a student to acquire specific knowledge about medicine, biomedical informatics and evaluation methodologies that pertain to the subject.

The emphasis project will include responsibilities that motivated students should be able to complete during the two semesters of research time. By the end of the second semester, VMS II, the student will be expected to prepare a manuscript suitable for publication in a peer-reviewed journal describing the original research they have completed during this year. They also will be expected to present their research during a Department of Biomedical Informatics research Conference.