BMI 401—Introduction to Biomedical Informatics

This course will introduce UB undergraduate students to the core theories, concepts, applications, and research being conducted in the field of biomedical informatics. The course provides an overview of the broad and diverse discipline. BMI 401 will explore the role and use of data in today’s healthcare environment. Messaging, terminologies, and interoperability standards, with attention to taxonomies and biomedical ontologies, a unique strength at UB, also will be covered. The course will survey current information management practices in both the U.S. healthcare system, and the biomedical research enterprise to support an understanding of the collection, use, management and oversight of biomedical and health data. Local experience with attacks on data security, and threats to protected health information will serve as real world learning opportunities. BMI subspecialties such as clinical informatics, bioinformatics and translational research informatics, ontology, dental, public, population and consumer health informatics, sociotechnical and human-centered design informatics will be included in the course. Students will be exposed to and learn from UB’s outstanding team of research scientists and technical experts. The course concludes with a brief overview of the leadership and change management issues confronting health care systems and organizations today. Processes such as system needs analysis, strategic and financial planning, implementation and governance models, evaluation methods, such as workflow analysis and usability engineering, and the effective management of interdisciplinary project teams, also will be covered.