ENABLE 2024 Teaches Undergrads Health Informatics
September 3, 2024
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2024 ENABLE Cohort[/caption]
CHIP was thrilled to host 5 students over the summer for the ENABLE program! The Extensible Network-Accessible Biomedical & Health Informatics Lifelong learning Environment (ENABLE) is a seven-week program for undergraduate students. The face-to-face boot camp exposes students to Biomedical Health Informatics (BMHI) principles and encourages them to explore advanced training or careers in BMHI. The program focuses on training and diversifying the next generation of health data experts and exposing students to health informatics that may not otherwise have the opportunity for such training. ENABLE is designed to encourage and train program participants to develop projects embedded in their community as well as pursue additional training in data science and health informatics. The curriculum emphasizes health care data management, data analytics, and data visualization. This year, camp activities included faculty presentations and guest lectures, field trips to SAS and Renci, data mining and text mining, introduction to R programming, data visualization, introduction to statistical analysis, introduction to machine learning, and healthcare disparities.
Students in the program work on projects throughout the 7 weeks. They use healthcare data sets, clean data, create data visualizations and analyze data as part of their projects.. This year, project topics were extremely varied and focused on student specific areas of interest.
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ENABLE 2024 Cohort at Final Presentations[/caption]
Justin States from NC A&T, majoring in bioengineering, titled his final project "A Study of Hip Fractures". He used audit data from the United Kingdom on the management, treatment, and outcomes of hip fracture patients. Justin collated and analyzed data focused on how his data could support improvements in patient outcomes and help guide healthcare policy for hip fracture management.
Beayonie Washington from Bennett College, majoring in journalism, had very little exposure to data management and programming prior to ENABLE. However, she successfully finished a project titled "From Menarche to Menopause: Tracing patterns in women’s global health", which analyzed the ages of females starting menarche or menopause globally and ways that data could support female reproductive care from a public health perspective.
Azreen Anwar from UNC-Chapel Hill, neuroscience major and data science and chemistry minor completed a project titled "Exploring Data Science in Health: Analyzing vulnerable populations that may be disproportionately affected by drug disparities". She looked at prescription cost data in the state of Florida comparing regions and populations to identify questionable pricing among vulnerable populations(if any).
Jessea James from Salem College, majoring in mathematics completed her project titled "Operation SWEET: Diabetes Prevention", which looked at data of diabetes in Saint Lucia, the increase in prevalence of the disease and reasons for that increase.
Xena Eriksen from Salem College, majoring in health science and mathematics completed her project titled, NC Mask Ban: A Predictive Analysis. She looked at the North Carolina mask ban law that took effect June 2024 and focused on evaluating public health and safety concerns resulting from the bill.
All students presented their final projects in the last week of the camp and impressed CHIP leadership, UNC School of Medicine partners and family and friends. Many thanks to program coordinator Addie Griffin and teaching assistants Pamela Chacon Uscamaita and Abhi Bhatia who worked together to successfully run the ENABLE program.
New PhD Cohort Reps Established
September 3, 2024
The CHIP Doctoral program successfully established a student committee last academic year, led by students Abhi Bhatia and Elizabeth Kwong. This year, under the guidance of Abhi and Liz, the doctoral student committee has established cohort representatives! This is a very exciting development for the doctoral student committee. Cohort reps will broaden the student perspective when the program is planning activities, create a stronger sense of community among the PhD students, and increase student engagement going forward. The student representatives listed below will have a voice in CHIP core faculty meetings as well as work closely with CHIP leadership to ensure student needs and feedback are carefully considered when planning and making programmatic decisions.
CHIP Doctoral Cohort Representatives
CHIP Welcomes New Core Faculty
September 3, 2024
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Can Chen, PhD[/caption]
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Melissa Haendel, PhD, FACMI[/caption]
CHIP is excited to welcome 2 new faculty members to our program! Melissa Haendel, PhD, FACMI, joined UNC as the Sarah Graham Kenan Distinguished Professor in the Department of Genetics within the School of Medicine in April 2024. In addition to her primary appointment, she has a role of professor in both the Department of Pediatrics and School of Data Science and Society. She joins UNC-CH from the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, where she led the Translational and Integrative Sciences Lab and was the Chief Research Informatics officer, Marsico endowed chair in data science, and a Professor of Biomedical Informatics in the CU School of Medicine.
Can Chen, PhD is an assistant professor at the School of Data Science and Society with a secondary appointment in the department of mathematics in the College of Arts & Sciences. He received a B.S. degree in mathematics from the University of California and an M.S. degree in electrical and computer engineering and a Ph.D. degree in applied and interdisciplinary mathematics from the University of Michigan. His research interests span a diverse range of fields, including control theory, network science, tensor algebra, numerical analysis, data science, machine learning, deep learning, hypergraph learning, data analysis and computational biology.
Puthran Shares Strategy that Helped her Land New Role
August 29, 2024
Meet CHIP alum Disha Puthran! Disha is a fall 2023 graduate and recently secured a new position at Clinical Architecture as a Clinical Informaticist. Read more about Disha and her recommendations for the internship and job search.
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Disha Puthran, MPS BMHI[/caption]
Tell us more about what you will be doing as Clinical Informaticist with Clinical Architecture. What are you most excited about?
As a Clinical Informaticist II, I will be involved in mapping healthcare terminologies, addressing interoperability challenges, and resolving data quality issues to enhance Clinical Architecture's software products. I'm particularly excited to apply and further develop the concepts I've learned during my Master’s in Biomedical and Health Informatics. This role will allow me to leverage my expertise in health information systems, data management, and clinical informatics to positively impact healthcare outcomes.
How did you secure the position? Any strategies that worked particularly well for you?
My approach typically involves tailoring my resume to closely match the job description, ensuring that all relevant skills and keywords are emphasized. Additionally, I often connect with hiring managers on LinkedIn or send a thoughtful cold email after applying for a position to enhance my chances of being selected for an initial screening or interview.
I initially applied for a Product Analyst position at Clinical Architecture and sought a referral from a friend, which helped me secure an interview. After the first-round interview, I realized that my experience didn't fully align with the specific requirements for that role. However, the HR team reached out to inform me about a Clinical Informaticist position that was not yet open but would soon be available. They felt it was a better fit for my background, and I immediately informed the HR team about my interest. After completing all the interview rounds, I was ultimately offered the position.
Any advice for securing an internship and position after graduation for our current MPS BMHI students?
Having a real-office internship is crucial for gaining a solid understanding of the job market and exploring different types of roles. I strongly recommend that students start their search for internship opportunities from the very first day of their master’s program. This proactive approach will help them master the application process and increase their chances of securing a valuable internship by the summer term.
Many organizations offer summer internship programs that are carefully designed to help students acclimate to a real-world office environment. Securing multiple positions during your master’s program—whether as a research assistant, teaching assistant, or through internships—is crucial for significantly enhancing your experience and employability. Companies often value how you’ve applied your skills in real-world settings over simply learning them through coursework. These roles provide you with practical experience, allowing you to demonstrate your ability to apply theoretical knowledge to real challenges, which is highly sought after by employers.
Here are some effective strategies for successfully finding internship positions:
- Network Actively: Engage with professionals in the industry through LinkedIn, webinars, and conferences. Networking can often lead to valuable opportunities.
- Tailor Applications: Customize resumes and cover letters for each job application, emphasizing relevant skills and using industry-specific keywords.
- Leverage School Resources: Take advantage of the school’s career services and alumni network to explore job and internship opportunities.
- Seek Referrals: Start by building strong relationships with professionals in your field and finding a mentor who can guide you in your career. Whenever possible, seek referrals from your connections within the company to enhance your chances of landing an interview.
- Gain Experience: Pursue internships or volunteer opportunities to build practical experience making yourself a stronger candidate.
Ginjupalli Presents at NACCU Conference
May 6, 2024
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CHIP master's student Jyothsna Ginjupalli[/caption]
CHIP Master's student Jyothsna Ginjupalli recently had the opportunity represent UNC Chapel Hill on a student panel focused on Mobile Credentials at the 2024 National Association of Campus Card Users (NACCU) Conference. The NACCU is dedicated to administrators managing campus identification programs in higher education. Ginjupalli works as a data analyst intern in the one card office on UNC Chapel Hill, which has allowed her to apply some of the data analysis and visualization skills learned in the classroom to her work. The conference provided a valuable opportunity to learn more about campus identification programs, network with industry professionals, and share her insight as a student using mobile credentials. The panel explore a range of topics, including digital expectations, student experience, improvements in convenience on campus and more. The panel was very well-received by attendees. Ginjupalli's experience working with the campus identification program at UNC, along with her pursuit of her degree in health informatics and familiarity with how technology can make a significant impact on efficiency and experience, allowed her to contribute a unique perspective to panel.