Call for Abstracts: PSB 2018 Workshop on Diversity and Disparity in Biomedical Informatics

With the growing importance of Precision Medicine, it has become imperative that all segments of society are fully engaged and represented in biomedical informatics.
We face a two-fold challenge: improving the diversity in the biomedical informatics workforce and improving the diversity in study cohorts.

Reduced diversity in patient cohorts leads to disparities in contributions from diverse groups which results in experimental results that are not fully reflective of demographics. A diverse informatics workforce is an essential component to achieving diversity in patient cohorts.
The under-representation of specific groups in both the biomedical informatics workforce as well as in patient cohorts contributes to an ongoing disparity; these groups are not equitably benefiting from advances in informatics research. 

We invite researchers from different fields to present high impact research in these areas including (but not limited to):

1. Methodological approaches to the collection and analysis of data sets that can enable the study of minority health and health disparities. This broad topic could include:
   1. Investigations of different pharmacogenomics responses of diverse groups to specific therapies.
   2. Genome informatics (including SNP and epigenetic analysis) associated with representative diseases in diverse groups.
   3. Studies that involve mining/analysis of EHR data to better understand unique disease parameters associated with minority populations and to provide improved insight into treatment and outcome differences experienced by diverse groups.
   4. Data integration methodologies with specific emphasis on identifying differing disease etiologies, incidence, prognosis, and treatment among gender and minority populations.
   5. Investigations of barriers and opportunities for clinical implementation of precision medicine among diverse populations including studies of minority patients’ perceptions about genomic-guided medicine.

2. Assessments of informatics workforce diversity and discussions of approaches to its resolution which could include:
   1. Discussions of causes and circumstances that perpetuate the lack of diversity including areas such as workforce “pipeline” development and targeting as well as the role of implicit bias in trainee and professional recruitment activities
   2. Analysis of the roles of majority and minority colleges and universities
   3. Strategies for increasing diversity in the informatics workforce

3. The importance of diversity in the Precision Medicine Initiative “All of Us” challenge. This topic directly addresses the critical importance of diverse groups in the recently announced NIH Precision Medicine Initiative (PMI) and could include the following topics:
   1. Implications of reduced diversity in patient cohorts.
   2. Mechanisms of building trust with traditionally under-represented groups.
   3. Roles of and mechanisms for establishing effective partnerships between community organizations and research institutions and the meaningful engagement of community members as part of multidisciplinary research teams.
   4. Innovative methods to overcome the reduced diversity in patient cohorts.

 

Interested researchers please submit a one-page abstract of your presentation to DDBIatPSB18@gmail.com by August 1, 2017. References and one figure are optional and do not contribute to page limit. Invitations for presentation will be sent out by August 15, 2017.

 

Philip R.O. Payne, PhD, Washington University
William M. Southerland, PhD, Howard University
S. Joshua Swamidass, MD, PhD, Washington University
Laura Wiley, PhD, University of Colorado
ClarLynda Williams-DeVane, PhD, North Carolina Central University