Buffalo Research Innovation in Genomic and Healthcare Technology (BRIGHT) Short-Term Training and Education

ABSTRACT Biomedical Informatics is an inherently interdisciplinary field of study that requires researchers to have a knowledge base in numerous domains, including: biology, medicine, public health, ontology, human factors, and data science. This multidisciplinary nature presents as a barrier to precocious students who may have an

interest in Biomedical Informatics but lack the prerequisite foundational skills and knowledge. We aim to reduce that barrier to entry with our proposed research education program by equipping undergraduate and master’s students with the skills to enable them to begin their career via graduate education or workforce

employment. At the same time, we need a special focus on increasing excellence through diversity. The percentage of URMs is low when compared with other disciplines and this needs to be corrected if we are to reach our excellence goals. We propose a 12-week Buffalo Research Innovation in Genomic and Healthcare Technology (BRIGHT)

short-term training and education program at the University at Buffalo’s Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences in the Department of Biomedical Informatics. Every year this program will host 12 top undergraduate and master’s candidates for intensive training in Biomedical Informatics and Data Science

involving didactics, hands-on research, and career development activities. Our overall objective is to recruit and train diverse undergraduate and masters’ students to prepare them for future careers in Biomedical Informatics and Data Science. We will accomplish this objective through the following aims:

Aim 1: Expand trainee’s knowledge base in Biomedical Informatics and Data Science via didactic teaching, including lectures and interactive notebooks. Aim 2: Provide trainees with hands-on research in Biomedical Informatics to develop useful computational and statistical skills and career development opportunities to prepare trainees for

educational programs and future careers in Biomedical Informatics research. Aim 3: Improve outreach programs to increase recruitment of URM trainees to promote diversity in Biomedical Informatics and Data Science educational programs and research careers. The University at Buffalo’s Department of Biomedical Informatics is excited to provide the Buffalo Research

Innovation in Genomic and Healthcare Technology (BRIGHT) short-term training and education program to enable research experiences to attract diverse, talented students to biomedical/data science careers. Furthermore, we will enhance diversity in biomedical informatics research, health, and healthcare by

fostering the next generation of innovative URM researchers who will and are making essential contributions to Biomedical Informatics and Data Science.