New Graduate Course in Biomedical Data Science

As biomedical research increasingly incorporates data from sensors, sequencing technologies, and electronic health systems, the volume and complexity of available information continue to grow. This explosion of “Big Data” presents new opportunities—and challenges—for scientists, clinicians, and informaticians alike.

Beginning in Fall 2017, UPIBI launched an interdisciplinary graduate-level course titled Introduction to Biomedical Data Science. The course is designed to equip students from a range of professional and academic backgrounds with the foundational skills needed to interpret, analyze, and apply large-scale biomedical data in meaningful ways.

The course emphasizes practical, hands-on experience. Students engage in brief lectures introducing key concepts and methods, followed by guided sessions where they analyze real-world datasets. Each participant also completes a semester-long research project based on their own interests and data sources.

“Our students work with real biomedical datasets using R and other tools to develop new hypotheses and perform exploratory analysis,” said Dr. Naomi Lee, the course director. “By the end of the term, they gain both technical and conceptual understanding of how data science is applied in biomedical research and healthcare.”

Introduction to Biomedical Data Science is a foundational course in UPIBI’s Graduate Certificate in Biomedical Informatics, with additional elective options available for those pursuing in-depth training in data science, machine learning, and clinical informatics.