Department Office: HSEB 5700, Health Sciences Education Building, 26 S. 2000 E., 581-4080

Mailing Address: HSEB 5700, 26 S. 2000 E., Salt Lake City UT 84112-5750

Web Address: www.uuhsc.utah.edu/medinfo

Department Chair, Joyce A. Mitchell, Ph.D.

Professors. L. Cannon-Albright, R.S. Evans, J. Facelli, P. Haug, S. Huff, J. A. Mitchell, D. Parker, A. Thomas.  

Associate Professors. B. Bray, N. Camp, J. Clark, R.S. Evans, J. Hales, J. Hurdle, C. Weir.  

Assistant Professors. K. Allen-Brady, L. Frey, S. Meystre, S. Narus, D. Sorenson, C. Staes.  

Adjunct Faculty. D. Avrin, T. Blumenthal, T. Clemmer, M. Egger, B. Farr, C. Gassert, S. Horn, D. Hughes, B. James, G. Katzman, L. Lau, M. Lincoln, A. Morris, W. Peay, R. Rocha, R. Rolfs, M. Samore, N. Staggers, S. Thornton, D. Westenskow, R. Wiggins, S. Williams.

Director for Graduate Studies: Scott Narus, 213-3288, scott.narus@hsc.utah.edu.

The Department of Biomedical Informatics is a clinical science department within the School of Medicine. The department is internationally recognized for its contributions to clinical health information systems, computerized decision-making, evaluation of computerized patient care, genetic epidemiology/bioinformatics, medical imaging, and biomedical informatics research. Facilities for research include University Hospital, Intermountain Health Care (IHC), LDS Hospital and other IHC related hospitals and clinics, the Department of Veterans Affairs Salt Lake VA Medical Center (VAMC), Utah Department of Health, and HealthInsight, the PRO for Utah and Nevada. Current education and research opportunities range from basic to applied sciences encompassing three tracks—health care/clinical informatics, clinical research and translation informatics, and public health informatics—for the MS and PhD degrees and a graduate certificate.

Contact the department for a graduate program booklet. See the department’s Web page or the Graduate Information section of this catalog for more information.

Health Care/Clinical Informatics. Developing and evaluating Clinical Expert Health Information Systems has been and continues to be a major emphasis of the Department of Biomedical Informatics at Utah. The HELP System, operational at LDS Hospital, is an example of such a system. Emphasis is on the clinical components of such systems and their integration into the more traditional administrative and financial aspects of HIS. Computerized Decision Support and Computer aided Quality Assurance are key concepts taught in this track. Students are given both course work and practical project experience in working with an HIS.

Translational Informatics. Designed to give students a thorough training in genetic epidemiology and bioinformatics and translational informatics through course work in human genetics, molecular biology, computer science, and statistics. Students learn through practical training in the methods and software used in analysis of genetic data and through training in a specific area of the student’s choice.

Public Health Informatics. Our newest track is Public Health Informatics. Unique opportunities are available for students to work with the Utah Department of Health, HealthInsight, the Utah Professional Review Organization (PRO), and other health care enterprises in the region. Students will also be able to work with the Public Health program at the University of Utah School of Medicine. The major emphasis of this track will be to build practical informatics system solutions, which integrate data from the broad and rich clinical data sources.

Admissions Requirements. Admissions requirements include the following: an undergraduate degree with a GPA of 3.3 or better (B+ average); 3 letters of recommendation from people who know the academic capabilities of the applicant; a written personal statement outlining the educational and working background, computer knowledge, and career interests of the applicant; GRE scores (or MCAT scores averaging at least 60% if a physician); training or professional experience in a computer language such as C++ or Java; and training or professional experience in basic statistics. International applicants must demonstrate proficiency in the English language with a score of 600 or higher on the TOEFL and 50 or higher on the TSE or Speak Test.

Degree Requirements
Ph.D. The Ph.D. degree is offered through the Graduate School, whose requirements apply. Departmental requirements include approximately 40 semester hours of formal course work taken inside and outside of the department. Graduate work at other institutions, including that taken for a master’s degree, may be applied (at the discretion of the student’s advisory committee) toward satisfaction of the course work requirement. Also required are 14 or more hours of research work (taken as BMI 7970) leading to an original dissertation. The student must have a GPA of 3.0 or better (B average), pass a comprehensive examination at the Ph.D. level, pass qualifying exams, and defend the dissertation. BMI 6010, BMI 6030, BMI 6040, BMI 6700, BMI 6105 or equivalent experience, and BMI 6110 are required before a student may take the comprehensive examination. Four semesters of BMI 7000 are required and four semesters of BMI 7010 are required after completing the comprehensive examination. In addition, each track has its own required courses. As soon as possible, the student should select a track and form a committee of five members; one member will be appointed by the department and the remaining four may be selected by the student. One of them must be a University faculty member from outside the Biomedical Informatics Department. The student’s thesis advisor, who must be a faculty member from within the department, chairs this committee. Formal course work requirements are determined in consultation with the advisor and the committee.

M.S. The master’s degree requires 23 semester hours of formal course work with a grade of B- or better and seven semester hours of research (taken as BMI 6970) leading to a thesis. Students must pass a comprehensive examination at the M.S. level or better and defend a thesis. BMI 6010, BMI 6030, BMI 6040, BMI 6700, BMI 6105 or equivalent experience, and BMI 6110 are required before a student may take the comprehensive examination. Four semesters of BMI 7000 are required. In addition, each track has its own required courses. There are three faculty members (selected by the student) on the master’s committee. No restrictions about departmental ties apply except that the thesis advisor must be a member of the department.

Fellowships. Predoctoral and postdoctoral National Library of Medicine Fellowships for Training in Medical Informatics are available for qualified candidates. Current fellowship funding is limited to US citizens and permanent residents.

BMI Course Descriptions