Faculty and trainees in the Department of Biomedical Informatics conduct informatics research across the breadth of biomedicine, including research in clinical informatics, bioinformatics (genomics, proteomics, metabolomics, etc.), pharmacogenomics, systems biology, translational informatics, personalized medicine, and computational informatics. We also have a strong affiliation with the Informatics Center, a crown jewel of the Vanderbilt University Medical Center that is entrusted with responsibility for: (a) providing the essential information infrastructure for patient care, management, research and education -- including the support for informatics-related research and, (b) fusing scholarly research in biomedical informatics with the dissemination of the resultant knowledge to individuals through its education programs and into operation through the infrastructure. (DBMI Faculty Research Interests)
The synergy between an academic department and the Informatics Center creates an unparalleled multidisciplinary and collaborative environment for informatics research. Our faculty work closely with faculty in the clinical specialities, biomedical and biological sciences, computer science, bioengineering, biomathematics, oncology, genetics, to name a few. Researchers have access to real-world problems and operational resources. Faculty and trainees are involved in a host of activities and projects within the Department, the Informatics Center, throughout the Vanderbilt University campus, and through regional and national consortia /networks. The aligning of research and clinical missions also serves as a mechanism to align research interests with the strategic initiatives of the medical center. Students learn how to exploit knowledge from a rigorous academic program in order to design, implement, and evaluate real-world informatics applications. The medical center benefits from a modern information technology infrastructure and architecture in the 21st century to achieve a scale of productivity not possible with traditional systems. This infrastructure has resulted in millions of dollars of funding annually from sponsors such as:
- Agency for Healthcare Policy and Research (AHRQ)
- Brain & Behavior Research Foundation
- Department of Defense
- Mallinckrodt Foundation
- National Alliance for Research on Schizophrenia and Depression (NARSAD)
- National Cancer Institute (NCI)
- National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS)
- National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR)
- National Institute of General Internal Medical Sciences (NIGMS)
- National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)
- National Library of Medicine (NLM)
- National Opinion Research Center (NORC)
- National Science Foundation
- PhRMA
- The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
- Veteran’s Health Administration
Through recent faculty recruitment of national leaders and young talents, aggressive buildup of informatics infrastructure, and highly successful and nationally important research projects, Vanderbilt University Medical Center has become a national leader in biomedical informatics. The sections to the left represent a subset of the many historical and ongoing initiatives of the DBMI.
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Vanderbilt University Medical Center has a long history of innovation in clinical informatics. Until 2017, VUMC developed its own clinical information systems, but has now transitioned to Epic. VUMC has also seen increasing interest in clinical informatics research and operational projects throughout the university and medical center, including frequent requests for data, as well as ideas for clinical informatics interventions.
The goal of VCLIC is to enable clinical informatics research and practice. The Center's goals are:
- Faculty, students, and staff in DBMI and Vanderbilt clinical departments find it easy to access data, test innovations, and evaluate results.
- People throughout Vanderbilt can readily find and access clinical informatics experts and collaborators.
- Vanderbilt is recognized as a top education program in clinical informatics nationally.
- Vanderbilt is a top recipient of NIH funding for clinical informatics research.
- Center members are recognized locally, nationally, and internationally for their expertise in and contributions to the field of clinical informatics.