Computer scientists put the informatics into bio, health, and medical informatics education (abstract only)

Abstract

There has been an explosion of interest in bioinformatics, medical informatics, and healthcare informatics in the past decade. As a result, many computer science departments are developing courses or degree programs in bioinformatics and/or health informatics. This session is aimed at faculty who are teaching, or developing courses that tie together computer science and biology, medicine, or healthcare. The discussion leaders all have experience teaching courses in healthcare informatics and/or bioinformatics within computer science departments. We will share our expertise and experience on such issues as effectively team teaching interdisciplinary courses, developing case studies and projects, and developing links with biologists and clinicians. Some of the questions we might tackle: What types of courses should be included in degree programs? What role do curricular standards, especially in healthcare, play? What topics belong in interdisciplinary bioinformatics courses? How do we cope with students who may have differing backgrounds and prerequisites? The hope is that we can create an informal network for sharing ideas which will persist after the session. To this end, we will also discuss ways for maintaining a community, perhaps as a mailing list, blog, or website.