NYU CENTER FOR HEALTH INFORMATICS & BIOINFORMATICS OFFICIAL LAUNCH 11-6-2009 The mission of the Center for Health Informatics and Bioinformatics (CHIBI) is to catalyze transformative changes in biomedicine through breakthrough computational methodological research, best practices services, state of the art infrastructure, and cutting-edge education.
PROGRAM Guest arrival Welcome & program outline Opening remarks by Dean Robert I. Grossman, MD. Opening remarks by Vice Dean Vivian S. Lee, MD, PhD, MBA. Highlights from Year #1 of CHIBI & Upcoming events/activities Research & researcher highlights: Yuval Kluger Ph.D. Alexander Alekseyenko Ph.D. Stuart Brown Ph.D. Alexander Statnikov Ph.D. Conclusion & social gathering
OPENING REMARKS BY DEAN & CEO ROBERT I. GROSSMAN, MD.
OPENING REMARKS BY VICE DEAN VIVIAN S. LEE, MD, PHD, MBA.
WHAT IS HEALTH INFORMATICS AND BIOINFORMATICS ( AKA BIOMEDICAL INFORMATICS )? The science that invents and studies computing methods for discovery, storage, retrieval, and optimal use of biological and medical information and knowledge Brief History of Biomedical Informatics as a Discipline The field of Biomedical informatics is surprisingly old. 1949: In Germany, the first professional organization for informatics, currently known as the Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Medizinische Dokumentation, Informatik und Statistik, was founded by Gustav Wagner. 1960: The first appearance of medical informatics (broadly defined to include biomedical informatics as well as health informatics ) as a term ("Informatique Medicale") occurred in France. 1960s: Specialized university departments and training programs were created as early as the 1960s in France, Germany, Belgium, and The Netherlands. 1970s: Dedicated medical informatics research units also appeared in Poland, and in the U.S. (the identifying term being "Informatiyki Medycznej", and "Medical Informatics" respectively). Today the International Medical Informatics Association has 54 dues-paying national associations as members. Advanced Informatics in Medicine program in EU. NIH-funded training programs at informatics centers of excellence (currently 18 funded programs). The Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) has issued recommendations regarding the importance of and the approaches needed for successful introduction of biomedical informatics education in US medical schools.
HOW IMPORTANT IS HEALTH INFORMATICS AND BIOINFORMATICS? A small but indicative list of cornerstone medical and bioresearch achievements that informatics made/makes possible Medline The Human Genome project CAT-scans, and MRIs Sequence alignment (e.g., BLAST) GenBank & other research-critical databases Microarrays, high throughput proteomics Next generation sequencing Molecular profiling and personalized medicine
UNIQUENESS OF NYU World-class Medical center World-class University World-class Researchers But until 2008: no organized academic informatics Although the need is exponentially increasing And researchers seek informatics service and collaborations daily
NOVEMBER 2009: CENTER FOR HEALTH INFORMATICS & BIOINFORMATICS http://www.nyuinformatics.org/
NOVEMBER 2009: CENTER FOR HEALTH INFORMATICS & BIOINFORMATICS
SELECTED CHIBI ACCOMPLISHMENTS: OCTOBER 2008-OCTOBER 2009 Enabled CTSA award to NYU (previously denied because of lack of informatics!) Hired 5 new informatics faculty in critical new methods innovation and service areas Brought together 15 total faculty and fostered common academic research, teaching and educational environment Launched 3 new research informatics labs with cutting edge research 5 new staff hires and training of new and existing staff High Performance Computing Phase I design & implementation completed and Phase II design completed Launched integrated consultation service: Best Practices Informatics Consultation Service (BPIC) Launched Research and Clinical Data Base Management service Acquisition of computing infrastructure Developed fiscally responsible and sustainable Business Plans with flexible cost recovery and several free service components to researchers Developed full range of next generation sequencing informatics capabilities to support all next generation sequencing protocols Developed extensive and in-depth working relationships with MCIT, CTSA, Genomics Center, CoEs, Cancer Center, and numerous research labs Secured extensive IP portfolio for free use at NYU Launched comprehensive educational activities: tutorials, courses, seminars, invited speakers, resident training Leading the charge for a powerful and cost-effective design of FDW and LIMS for all high-throughput data Informatics participation in >30 grants Launched comprehensive CHIBI web site Launched benchmarking activities spanning sequencing informatics methods, and pathwhay analysis algorithms Faculty grants management and career development: exceeding Dean standards & moving toward consistency with national informatics RPT standards Assembled external advisory board with distinguished advisors >40 papers in peer-reviewed journals including highest-profile journals in biology, medicine and informatics Published 1 book and contracted 2 more
GOALS FOR YEAR #2 High Performance Computing Phase II implementation Design, defend and launch MS/PhD/ Post-Doctoral Training program in Health Informatics and Bioinformatics Execute remaining faculty and staff hires & training Move to final dry lab space Launch walk-in BPIC stage 1 consultation SoPs and Policies, white papers for BPIC and NG sequencing informatics Issue FDW recommendations Issue LIMS advisory report Informatics faculty RPT advisory Library informatics innovations and Library Collaborative Remodel find-a-researcher methods and tools Re-design biorepository informatics Launch data mining unit and pilot projects Further enhance NG sequencing informatics capabilities and expand R&D Cancer Center Informatics Core Continue and enhance education activities with new tutorials, speakers, and classes Strengthen collaborations with Courant and other NYU entities Complete current benchmarking cycle and launch new cycle Broad informatics needs survey Expand informatics faculty grant and paper portfolios; faculty career development Explore regional informatics synergies Expand Web presence functionality and information
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS First and foremost Dean B. Grossman and Vice Dean Lee without their support CHIBI would not exist. The CHIBI faculty, staff and trainees. Special thanks to Heidi Fitterling for organizing this event. Our colleagues at NYULMC and especially: MCIT: Paul Conocenti, Nader Mherabi and their team Webteam: Michael Mainiero, Matt Lisowski, and their team Graphic designers: William Sommer & Korgun Maral CTSI: Co-directors Drs. B. Cronstein and J. Hochman and their staff Vice Dean S. Abramson Department Chairs and Division Chiefs where informatics faculty is housed: especially Dr. M. Blaser, Dr. D. Sabatini, Dr. D. Roth, Dr., B. Cronstein, Dr., Marc Gourevich. The SPA office The Cancer Center Director Dr. Bill Carroll and his associates All our research collaborators, especially Drs Harry Ostrer, Ed Fisher, M. Blaser and their associates The business & administration colleagues who are constantly helping CHIBI: especially Heidi Aronin, Karen Berlinger, Keith O brien, Swasti Raghava, Susan DiGeronimo Wild, Anne Crozat, the HR team, Andrea Hines, Lyllian Mundo.
RESEARCH HIGHLIGHT: YUVAL KLUGER PH.D., DIRECTOR, KLUGER LAB
RESEARCH HIGHLIGHT: ALEXANDER ALEKESYENKO PH.D., MEMBER, MOLECULAR SIGNATURES LAB
RESEARCH HIGHLIGHT: STUART BROWN PH.D., SENIOR INFORMATICS FACULTY RESPONSIBLE FOR NEXT-GEN SEQUENCING INFORMATICS
RESEARCH HIGHLIGHT: ALEXANDER STATNIKOV PH.D., DIRECTOR COMPUTATIONAL CAUSAL DISCOVERY LAB
THANK YOU AND ENJOY!