Foundations of Biomedical Informatics I
4 credits, Fall Semester
This course will introduce students with an interest in biomedical informatics to a wide variety of biomedical data from the macro (e.g. population health) to the micro level (e.g. an individual's DNA). Students will learn about both clinical and translational data used in current biomedical research by exploring the ways these data are generated, stored, managed, and protected. In-depth understanding of the intricacies of biomedical data will prepare students to carry out better analyses in the future, whether this is building biomedical AI models, advancing understanding of the human genome, or improving patients’ health.
This course is aimed towards students with an interest in working with biomedical data and thus a basic understanding of molecular biology is recommended. In addition, students will learn to interact with these data through database queries or via the Linux command line, so a basic computational background is desirable.
Students will be evaluated using a combination of weekly assignments and two exams, both of which will test student’s understanding of different biomedical data formats, important concepts and hands-on data processing skills.