On February 26, 2025, the Department of Biostatistics, Epidemiology, and Informatics (DBEI) hosted its highly anticipated 7th Annual DBEI Research Day in the Gaulton Auditorium and Lobby of the Biomedical Research Building. This year’s event focused on “Precision Health in the Era of Artificial Intelligence,” drawing about 150 researchers, clinicians, and innovators from the department, Perelman School of Medicine (PSOM), and the University of Pennsylvania for expert-led presentations on groundbreaking research, research poster competition, and dynamic discussions related to AI-ready data, data science innovation, and implementation science for precision health.
The day began with a captivating keynote address, “From Data to Decisions: AI’s Impact on Personalized Healthcare Delivery,” from Dr. Randi E. Foraker, Professor and Chair of the Department of Biomedical Informatics, Biostatistics, and Medical Epidemiology at the University of Missouri School of Medicine. An esteemed epidemiologist and fellow of the American Heart Association, American Medical Informatics Association, and American College of Medical Informatics, Dr. Foraker is renowned for her research on integrating clinical decision support systems—embedded within electronic health records—into primary care, cardiology, oncology, and palliative care.
In her presentation, Dr. Foraker explored the transformative role of artificial intelligence (AI) in healthcare, particularly in the realm of personalized medicine. She discussed how machine learning (ML) algorithms can analyze extensive healthcare data—such as patient histories and diagnostic results—to detect patterns and predict health risks, enabling healthcare providers to make more informed, data-driven decisions that lead to better patient outcomes.
In addition to the keynote, the event featured the Chair’s Junior Faculty Spotlight Award, an annual recognition created by DBEI Chair, Enrique Schisterman, PhD, in 2024. This award honors junior DBEI faculty whose work exemplifies the successful integration of the department’s core disciplines—Biostatistics, Epidemiology, and Informatics—in advancing health, science, and education. This year’s recipients were Joost B. Wagenaar, PhD, Assistant Professor of Informatics, Yimei Li, PhD, Associate Professor of Biostatistics, and Ellen Caniglia, ScD, Assistant Professor of Epidemiology. The awardees will each receive a research stipend and be invited to present at next year’s DBEI Research Day.
The day also featured the DBEI Research Day Poster Exhibition and Competition, in which students and trainees presented the latest on their group’s research. The exhibition provided a dynamic space for attendees to discuss methodologies, findings, and the future implications of these studies.
Awards were also presented to PhD students, Amelia Schroeder (1st place), Matthew Lee (2nd place), Meghan Gerety (3rd place), and Frederick Xu (4th place) for their posters in the conference’s Research Poster Exhibition and Competition.
The 2025 DBEI Research Day was a testament to the power of collaboration and innovation. The event showcased the exciting advancements at the intersection of precision health and artificial intelligence, and highlighted the collective efforts driving progress. Thank you to all who contributed, making this year’s event a memorable and inspiring success as we continue to push the boundaries of health, science, and education.