Integrative Translational Bioinformatics Workshop 2025
Translational bioinformatics (TBI) is a rapidly evolving, interdisciplinary field that bridges basic science with clinical application. It encompasses the development and implementation of computational methods for transforming molecular, genomic, cellular, and clinical data into actionable knowledge for diagnostics, therapeutics, and health outcomes. TBI spans big data analytics, informatics infrastructure, and systems biology, serving as a cornerstone of precision health.
Topics addressed by TBI include rare and complex disease, cancer genomics, biomarker discovery, pharmacogenomics, drug repurposing, and clinical decision support. The field enables individualized care by integrating genomic, environmental, and clinical information—laying the groundwork for personalized interventions. Despite challenges in translating genomic insights into clinical settings, advances in TBI continue to shape the future of healthcare.
The TBI Workshop began in 2011 as a dedicated forum to foster collaboration among translational informatics researchers. Originally hosted across the Asia-Pacific region—including events in Korea, China, Japan, and the U.S.—the workshop now joins the Pacific Symposium on Biocomputing (PSB) as a co-located session, aligning with PSB’s mission to advance computational biology through cross-disciplinary dialogue.
This year’s workshop will be held on October 7, 2025, from 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM Pacific Time.
Speakers
Leila Ahmed, PhD
Senior Scientist, Department of Computational Medicine
Global Health Analytics Center, Arcadia Research Institute
Dr. Ahmed is a pioneer in ethical AI and health data science. Her work explores machine learning methods for clinical prediction and fairness in medical algorithms. She also contributes to global initiatives in responsible data sharing and has held advisory roles in public health policy organizations.
Owen Castillo, PhD
Director, Genomics and Health Informatics Unit
Chair, Department of Systems Biology
Northfield Institute for Biomedical Research
Dr. Castillo has led international efforts in neurogenomics and genetic epidemiology, focusing on risk prediction across diverse populations. He is known for integrating polygenic risk scores into public health initiatives and translating statistical models into clinical tools.
Arianna Lewis, PhD, MS
Principal Investigator, Precision Health Division
HelixGen Laboratories
Dr. Lewis is a leading expert in population genomics and precision medicine. She focuses on uncovering ancestry-driven health disparities and developing tools to engage underrepresented communities in genomic research. She is also active in science education and equity-focused public outreach.
Daniel Ko, PhD
Assistant Professor of Biomedical Data Integration
Universal Platform for Integrative Biomedical Innovation (UPIBI)
Dr. Ko specializes in unifying high-dimensional clinical and omics datasets using machine learning and ontological frameworks. His research connects biobank-scale EHR systems to molecular biomarkers for predictive modeling of disease phenotypes.
Organizers
Daniel Ko, PhD
Assistant Professor, UPIBI
Mina Seo, MD, PhD
Chair, Department of Medical Informatics
East Asia School of Medicine and Public Health
Adrian Kessler, PhD
Director, Universal Platform for Integrative Biomedical Innovation
Schedule (PST)
- 10:00 AM – Leila Ahmed, PhD: “How to Build Equitable Machine Learning Systems in Healthcare”
- 10:30 AM – Daniel Ko, PhD: “Bridging Genomics and EHR Data for Translational Insights”
- 11:00 AM – Arianna Lewis, PhD, MS: “Genomic Equity: Community Engagement in Precision Health”
- 11:30 AM – Owen Castillo, PhD: “Polygenic Risk Scores in Practice: Clinical Promise or Statistical Artifact?”
- 12:00 PM – Panel Discussion: Future Challenges and Innovations in Translational Bioinformatics