It is with great pleasure that I welcome you all to the new Department of Biomedical Informatics and Data Science here at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). As the 28th department within the Heersink School of Medicine, our goal will be to conduct both hypothesis-driven and data-driven research that will make discoveries in their right that can then be used to support other biomedical research and clinical care.  All of this work will also serve the dual role as educational opportunities for trainees at all levels of learning.

We at UAB believe that our transition from an institute to a department comes at a critical time in the world, where artificial intelligence has increasingly become a normal part of society. While we have previously competed as an institute successfully for large grants, including the eMERGE Consortium and the Center for Clinical and Translational Science, I am aiming for our goals as a department to take us to even greater heights. I am excited to lead upcoming research opportunities focusing on improvements in relation to advancements within genomic-based learning health systems, natural language processing, bioinformatics, and various other areas.

We are looking to expand UAB’s reputation as a national leader in biomedical informatics and data sciences, while helping students become the next generation of informatics researchers and increasing our visibility globally. I, along with the faculty and staff, am enthusiastic about the future as we look to shape the future of health care through the improvement of patient outcomes while accelerating biomedical research.

Our department has various partners across the university committed to its success, and I am confident that our educational programs on the undergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral levels will serve as a catalyst to enhance collaborative opportunities.

I look forward to the innovative endeavors that our department will embark on, which will pave the way for dynamic growth and collaboration. We sincerely hope you enjoy what our department will have to offer, and of course, go Blazers!

James J. Cimino, M.D.
Distinguished Professor of Medicine
Chair, Department of BIomedical Informatics and Data Science