CSpotlight: Transforming Healthcare with Bioinformatics Research

Why did you choose to pursue a degree in computer science specifically at the University of Minnesota?

Bioinformatics and computational biology is one of the only programs in the country that is so interdisciplinary. I work at the Mayo Clinic full time and everything I do at school integrates directly what I do at work and vice versa. I think it is one of the most unique programs in the country, and I feel really privileged to be a part of it. 

How did you become interested in computer science? What are your specific interests within the field?

I did not know informatics was a career path and I didn’t know anything about programming. It was all new to me, but I wanted this kind of translational work. Informatics is the study of information, which could be a really broad scope. In particular, I like healthcare information, specifically clinical trial information. This major is the best of all the worlds that I was previously interested in; I just didn’t know it had a name until I found this program. 

Tell us more about your internship experiences.

I haven’t necessarily had an internship because I work full time while going to school, but I work in artificial intelligence and informatics at the Mayo Clinic. A lot of the work we do is looking at clinic notes and trying to figure out how we can create these natural language texts into something that a computer can read and interpret. 

Are you involved in any student groups? What inspired you to get involved? 

I am less integrated into the University of Minnesota student groups, but I do a lot of student participation with a conference called the American Medical Informatics Association Student Working Group. It’s a nice way to meet people who are interested in medical informatics and to learn about how to become an up and coming informatician. It involves people who go on to have productive and helpful careers that do good work for people. 

What do you hope to contribute to the computer science community at the University?

I think the world is showing its fragility right now. There is just a lot going on globally. I want to focus on doing as much good as I can in the research that I’m working on, which will directly impact better healthcare, more equitable healthcare, more representation, and health data. I think that sets a good tone for what University of Minnesota students can do. I like the idea of giving back to the University. I hope to teach there one day and help other students who want to achieve good things too.

Have you been involved with any research on campus?

I am looking at randomized controlled trials that use digital health technologies, which can be anything like virtual reality or cell phone and text message reminders that would go to a doctor. There is not a lot of organization to how those are documented right now. We are using large language models to help us synthesize that data better, allowing  the research community to leverage the data and insights a lot easier. 

What advice do you have for incoming computer science students?

There is something out there that you can be passionate about, but it might just take more exploration and trying different experiences. I find that a lot of the things I am interested in blur the lines between a couple of domains, so it’s not a straight path. I have to create my own. For students coming in, don’t be afraid if there's not a name or a well carved out space for what you’re interested in; it’s OK to make your own. 

What are your plans after graduation?

I will be doing a post doctorate position at Mayo Clinic, and hopefully, I will also be teaching. I will do one adjunct position called Intro to Health AI and it will be for the University of Minnesota-Rochester students that are interested in how AI is integrating into healthcare. 

Are there any additional experiences you did that you would like to highlight in the article?

After you transition out of undergraduate to the real world beyond grade school, it is really important to focus on how you can be excellent yourself and to find team members that make you even stronger. I want more people to focus on how they can raise their own bar and  find teams of people that make you all stronger.