Vanderbilt Biomedical Informatics Training Program

Vanderbilt University proposes a 5-year renewal of its Training Program in Biomedical Informatics and Data Science. Established in 2001, the Vanderbilt program offers MS and PhD degrees in biomedical informatics, nondegree postdoctoral training, and short-term training experiences. The program attracts excellent applicants from a variety of backgrounds, both clinical and scientific, and has strong program outcomes in terms of scientific productivity and successful careers in research. Vanderbilt's commitment to biomedical informatics and data science has produced a uniquely rich and diverse research and training environment.

Department of Biomedical Informatics (DBMI) faculty include leaders in clinical informatics and translational bioinformatics, as well as other subdomains of informatics including clinical research informatics, public health informatics, consumer health informatics, biomedical data science, and people and organizational systems. Faculty are well-funded with external grants, and many also hold part-time operational roles in Vanderbilt University Medical Center that allow them to conduct both foundational and applied informatics research. The MS and PhD degree programs include a core curriculum of courses in biomedical informatics structured around core competencies in computer and information science, biomedicine, social sciences, and research methodology. Degree-seeking students establish competency in these core areas and also pursue specialized study in one of several application domains: clinical informatics, translational bioinformatics, or biomedical data science.

A new specialization in HIV informatics is being developed, in collaboration with the Tennessee Center for AIDS Research and NIAID-funded researchers at DBMI. In addition, the program offers research- intensive nondegree postdoctoral fellowships and a summer research experience. For the period 2023-2027, Vanderbilt requests 11 full-time training positions. The full-time training positions include 7 NLM-funded predoctoral positions for candidates pursuing the PhD and 3 postdoctoral positions with a training endpoint of the research-oriented MS.

In addition, these full-time positions will include 1 NIAID-supported position in HIV informatics. We will continue to recruit through outreach to national and regional institutions, professional societies, and training programs. . The Vanderbilt Training Program in Biomedical Informatics and Data Science has a robust history of meeting the NLM's objectives for biomedical informatics research training, and will continue to do so. Our graduates have excelled in pursuing research to advance informatics as a scientific discipline and apply it to solve problems in health and health care.

Grant Number: 5T15LM007450-24
NIH Institute/Center: NIH
Principal Investigator: Jessica Ancker