CHDS Highlights
We were pleased to host several distinguished lectures and events over the last year. These events featured leading experts at the forefront of health data science research and provided excellent opportunities for learning and collaboration.
We began the new year with Dr. Nina Cesare (Research Scientist, Boston University School of Public Health) presenting “Real World Digital Data for Public Health Research: Challenges and Opportunities.” Her talk highlighted how epidemiology and machine learning can be integrated to tackle complex health disparities.
In March, we continued the Health Data Science Distinguished Speaker Series with Dr. Bhramar Mukherjee (Senior Associate Dean for Public Health Data Science and Data Equity, Yale School of Public Health) presenting “Unveiling Bias: A Statistician’s Quest for Data Representation in Health Research” at the BU Center for Computing & Data Sciences. Dr. Mukherjee drew from her expertise in biostatistics and epidemiologic modeling in her lecture on statistical methods for understanding infectious disease dynamics and health inequalities. This cross-disciplinary event was co-sponsored by the SPH Department of Biostatistics, the Hariri Institute and the Providence/Boston Center for AIDS Research.
In April, we hosted Dr. Debarghya Mukherjee (Assistant Professor, Boston University School of Pubic Health) for his talk on “Learning from Data: Two Aspects of Fairness.” Dr. Mukherjee shared insights from his research on leveraging large-scale electronic health record data to advance precision medicine and improve clinical decision-making.
Alongside the BUSPH Department of Epidemiology and the Hariri Institute for Computing and Computational Science and Engineering, we also co-hosted a Hackathon for Health Equity on April 26th. This event aimed to introduce undergraduate students to data-intensive equity-focused health research, via a highly mentored and curated 4-hour hackathon.
In May we closed out the academic year with a Distinguished Speaker Series seminar featuring Dr. Mary L. Gray’s (Senior Principle Researcher, Microsoft Research) “Bridging AI Divides: Community-Driven Innovation for Equitable AI.” Dr. Gray spoke about the intersection of data science, ethics, and societal impact in healthcare. Her presentation focused on responsible AI development and strategies for equitable data stewardship.
Over the summer, we collaborated with students at O’Bryant High School in Roxbury on a Peer Overdose Prevention Project funded by BUSPH. The project, which aimed to address rising youth overdose rates, supported the development of an innovative curriculum over 10 weeks by 14 students in collaboration with partners from Boston University and Boston Medical Center, The curriculum covers topics such as overdose recognition, response, and risk reduction, and equips teens with life-saving knowledge and empowers them as leaders to foster safer, healthier school communities.
We jumped right into fall with our 3rd Annual Health Data Science Poster Session on September 3rd. Our annual poster session showcased the latest research by students, staff and faculty from across Boston University and Boston Medical Center. The event provided an excellent opportunity to engage with emerging projects across diverse topics in health data science and to network with peers and mentors. The poster session also gave the eight Pilot Awardees the opportunity to present the results of their projects.
Presenters shared their work at the poster session, and pilot awardees shared updates on their projects. (L-R: Kathryn Lunetta, Carlos Diaz-Rodriguez, Charlene Ong, Justin Lui, Samantha Hall, Kerrin Gallagher, Kayoko Shioda, Koichiro Shiba)
We thank all the speakers and attendees who contributed to these successful events and encourage everyone to stay connected for future programming.