# Transforming Analytical Learning in the Era of Big Data: A Summer Institute in Biostatistics and Data Science

> **NIH NIH R25** · UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN AT ANN ARBOR · 2024 · $242,033

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
The global pandemic that we are currently facing has further underscored the importance of harnessing
information from heterogeneous data sources and turning them into actionable knowledge. Building a
diverse, intellectually dynamic and socially progressive workforce in data science is more important than
ever. We propose a six-week long undergraduate summer institute in Biostatistics and Data Science:
“Transforming Analytical Learning in the Era of Big Data” to be held in person at the Department of
Biostatistics, University of Michigan (U-M), Ann Arbor, with a group of approximately 30 undergraduate
students from 2022-2026. The program builds on the success of our existing Big Data Summer Institute (BDSI)
supported by a NIH BD2K Courses and Skills grant award (2016-2018) and a SIBS award from NHLBI (2019-
2021). Over the past five years we have trained 204 undergraduate students. Of the students who have
finished their undergraduate degree, approximately 52% have pursued graduate education in a
relevant discipline and 32 have already enrolled in a relevant graduate program at the University of
Michigan. Our past cohort contains approximately 52% women and 17% underrepresented minority students.
We plan to expose program students to diverse techniques, skills and problems at the intersection of Big Data
and Human Health. We primarily focus on four genres of health Big Data arising in Electronic Health Records,
Genomics, Infectious Disease Epidemiology and Imaging. The mentored research projects will be defined
primarily in cardiovascular and infectious diseases in collaboration with clinicians and public health scientists.
The trainees will be taught and mentored by a team of interdisciplinary faculty from Biostatistics, Statistics,
Computer Science and Engineering, Epidemiology and Medicine, reflecting the shared intellectual landscape
needed for Big Data research. At the conclusion of the program there will be a capstone symposium
showcasing the research of the students via poster and oral presentation. There will be lectures by U-M
researchers, outside guests and a professional development workshop to prepare the students for graduate
school. There will be a series of panel discussions, focus groups and workshops on the importance of diversity,
equity, inclusion and ethics in data science and interactive programming that discuss the role of data science
in reducing health disparities. Along the way students are expected to form lasting bonds over shared research
experiences and social activities. The program has strong institutional support from multiple units and centers
on campus and leverages the cross-disciplinary intellectual richness of the University of Michigan.
The resources developed for the summer institute, including lectures, assignments, projects, template codes
and datasets will be freely available through a Wiki page and a YouTube channel so that this format can be
replicated anywhere in the world. This democra...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10869861
- **Project number:** 5R25HL161795-03
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN AT ANN ARBOR
- **Principal Investigator:** Jian Kang
- **Activity code:** R25 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $242,033
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2022-07-01 → 2024-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10869861

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10869861, Transforming Analytical Learning in the Era of Big Data: A Summer Institute in Biostatistics and Data Science (5R25HL161795-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10869861. Licensed CC0.

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