Lai named assistant dean for biomedical informatics; Kannampallil becomes assistant dean for data science and chief data scientist
Two senior faculty leaders recently stepped into exciting new roles. We are continually grateful for their dedication to furthering both our mission and the science. Albert Lai – Assistant Dean for Biomedical Informatics Albert Lai, PhD, will now serve as the assistant dean for biomedical informatics while continuing in his current role as chief research information […]
NIH-funded project convenes AI enthusiasts around new dataset, builds cross-sector capacity for vocal diagnostic research
I2DB student poster places third In collaboration with 12 institutions across North America, WashU Medicine I2DB recently convened the Voice AI Symposium and Hackathon from April 22–24 in Tampa, Fla. Voice as a Biomarker of Health is one of four data-generation projects in the National Institute for Health’s Bridge2AI Voice consortium, a transformative initiative to […]
Six teams win $50K in 2025-26 Big Ideas competition
The Institute for Informatics, Data Science and Biostatistics (I2DB) and the BJC Healthcare Innovation Lab are pleased to announce that six winners have been selected in the 2025-26 Big Ideas competition. The winning teams listed below will each be awarded a grant of $50,000 in research funds. Project Title Team Members (Team/Project Leads bolded) Leveraging Large Language Models (LLM) to Summarize […]
OHIDS administrative leaders promoted
We are pleased to announce the promotion of two senior administrative staff leaders within the Office of Health Information and Data Science (OHIDS), effective Jan. 1, 2025. We are confident that their expertise, dedication, and leadership will continue to enhance the vital work being done within OHIDS and beyond. Cynthia Marich – Chief-of-Staff Cynthia Marich […]
AI imaging analysis demonstrates value of personalized Alzheimer’s insights
Congratulations to doctoral student and first author Sayantan Kumar, who recently published “Analyzing heterogeneity in Alzheimer Disease using multimodal normative modeling on imaging-based ATN biomarkers” in Alzheimer’s & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association. Kumar worked under the supervision of senior authors Aris Sotiras, PhD, assistant professor for WashU Medicine Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology […]
Study reveals impact of secure messaging on clinician workload and cognitive burden
A new paper published by I2DB faculty and students in the Journal of General Internal Medicine looks at associations between clinicians’ secure messaging use and workload. Congratulations to Dr. Daphne Lew, first author, and Dr. Sunny Lou, senior author, along with co-authors, Dr. Thomas Kannampallil, and doctoral students Laura Baratta and Linn Xia on this […]
Developing an AI model to predict postoperative risks
A team at WashU, led by Dr. Chenyang Lu, has developed cutting-edge AI models to predict postoperative complications using surgical notes. Dr. Joanna Abraham, associate professor of anesthesiology, emphasized the importance of early risk identification, stating that this versatile model could enable clinicians to proactively tailor interventions to improve patient outcomes. Read the full story […]
Recap of the 2025 I2DB Scientific Symposium: Bridging Causal Inference and Data Science to Advance Medicine
The I2DB Scientific Symposium on February 12th, 2025, was a remarkable event that drew a diverse array of attendees and featured an impressive list of speakers and programming. The symposium saw robust participation from the scientific community, attracting experts, researchers, and students from various institutions and disciplines. The event kicked off with our lightning talk […]
I2DB faculty co-authors paper on social risk factor screening in rheumatology patients
Congratulations to Dr. Daphne Lew, Assistant Professor of Biostatistics, along with Dr. Alfred Kim, an Associate Professor in WashU Medicine’s Division of Rheumatology for being co-senior authors on an exciting publication in ACR Open Rheumatology on patient-reported social risk factor (SRF) screening among rheumatology outpatients. The researchers aimed to determine the feasibility of implementing routine […]
Dr. Joanna Abraham to direct I2DB’s Center for Applied Health Informatics
On March 1, 2025, Dr. Joanna Abraham became director of I2DB’s Center for Applied Health Informatics (CAHI). She brings a wealth of experience and a visionary approach to using informatics in clinical care and population health. An associate professor with WashU Medicine Anesthesiology dually appointed with I2DB, she holds a Doctorate in Information Sciences and […]