Spotlight on BU SHARE Data Science – A New Student Organization
Boston University Students in Population Health Advancing Research and Education in Data Science (BU SHARE Data Science) is a newly forming student organization at BUSPH. Debbie Cheng and Laura White are the faculty mentors of the organization. BU SHARE Data Science hopes to bring together graduate students interested in health data science through networking, mentorship, training, and outreach. We spoke to the five members of the group’s executive board to find out more!
Tell us about your background and how you became interested in the field of data science.
Sam Gebeh (2nd Year Epidemiology PhD Student): I am a second-year doctoral student in the Department of Epidemiology with research interests in HIV and Emerging Infectious Diseases. Over the past few years, I have worked in the field of Public Health with a huge focus on infectious disease surveillance, epidemic preparedness, and response in Liberia, West Africa. I was also involved in the development of several public health policies, guidelines and interventions to improve population health outcomes in limited resource settings.
With the rapid increase and advancement in complex health data, I see Population Health Data Science as a great opportunity to generate evidence for better understanding the health of the population, guiding public health actions and, overall, improving population health.
What is your role in BU SHARE Data Science? What inspired you to help found this new student organization?
Beverly Ge (2nd Year Environmental Health PhD Student): Currently I’m one of the co-chairs of the organization. I feel fortunate that a professor in our department recommended that Flannery and I join in the group’s earliest days. The opportunity immediately stood out to me because data science is embedded within so much of our work in the Environmental Health field, even if we don’t explicitly name it. There are so many benefits to developing skills in data science; no matter the dataset, you can be empowered to understand the story that it tells. Moreover, across different departments at BU, people gain expertise in different aspects of data science. I was therefore also excited by the possibility of bringing together folks to SHARE their knowledge (see what I did there?) and create new collaborations.
What is the purpose of BU SHARE Data Science, in your own words?
Jordan Ahn (1st Year Biostatistics PhD Student): SHARE Data Science is a student-run organization working in collaboration with the PHDS program. Our primary goal is to create an environment where individuals of different fields and backgrounds can share their unique perspectives on health data science. Our current members range across a variety of fields such as environmental health, epidemiology, and biostatistics; we hope to further broaden the diversity of our organization in an effort to effectively explore a multifaceted field like health data science. We also plan to serve as a resource for students to develop concrete skills in data science, as well as create a collaborative network of passionate students through a mentorship program.
What is the status of the organization right now?
Flannery Black-Ingersoll (2nd Year Environmental Health PhD Student): SHARE Data Science is currently awaiting approval to be established as an official student organization at BUSPH. We are in the process of planning events for Spring 2024 and would be happy to have more folks join us as we develop various programming events for this semester!
What kinds of activities is your group planning?
Ruby Barnard-Mayers (4th Year Epidemiology PhD Student): We are planning a number of activities. This coming semester we are focused on activities that will build and foster community for students interested in data science. We are planning a student social as our first networking event. We are also hoping to create a mentorship program for students to connect with data science faculty across the university.
Use this link to sign up to join the group, or pass it along to a BU graduate student who may be interested.