BMI 402—Biomedical Informatics: Science and Enabling Technology

BMI 402 builds further upon the general overview of biomedical informatics and its various sub-disciplines as introduced in BMI 401. It offers students a deeper insight in the most relevant theories and practical applications in the field. The first half of the course will review theoretical aspects, principles and techniques that do justice to the relationships between biomedical data and what these data are about. The second half will consist of investigating the extent to which these principles are applied in various biomedical informatics applications and what the consequences are if they are violated. The course will terminate with the various career options open to biomedical informaticists and what requirements in skills and competencies they are associated with. Students will learn how to review, for example, scientific papers, system documentation, commercial white papers and case studies about biomedical informatics applications. They will develop skills in distinguishing science from pseudo-science and objective documentation from sales pitches, report on their findings and provide solid arguments for their conclusions. They will obtain a clear understanding of what is possible in biomedical informatics today, what reliably can be expected to emerge in the forthcoming years and how they can contribute towards these developments as future professionals.