Biomedical informatics students showcase research excellence at annual symposium

The Society of Biomedical Informatics Students (SoBMI) held its third annual BMI Spring Symposium on April 13, showcasing research excellence in biomedical informatics.

The student-run organization, headed by Ph.D. candidate Laura Wojtulewicz, aims to promote biomedical informatics student success by providing academic and career support through workshops, informal activities, social interaction opportunities and community outreach through service-oriented events.

Thirty-five attendees, comprised of students, faculty, staff, external researchers and potential students, viewed 18 poster projects by BMI students and faculty in a mock conference-style presentation to prepare students for future professional conferences in the field.  

BMI’s own Chair and Professor Dr. Robert Greenes was the introductory keynote speaker, followed by alumni keynote speaker Dr. Soumya Panchanatham from Maricopa Integrated Health Systems and professional keynote speaker Dr. Ross Mitchell from the Mayo Clinic Scottsdale.

The symposium also functioned as a networking opportunity for BMI students to connect with researchers at Mayo Clinic and T-Gen.

The winning poster project was awarded to Ph.D. candidate Azadeh Nikfarjam’s research, “Emotion Extraction from Colloquial Text,” under the guidance of  BMI Assistant Professor Dr. Graciela Gonzalez.

Other winners also included Bob Leaman, “easiest to comprehend,” and Gazi Islam with “most artistic,” among others.

SoBMI looks forward to expand next year’s event in the effort to bring together a community of researchers who could possibly strengthen and promote the collaborations that occur within biomedical informatics research.