Bioinformatics Training for Dental Researchers Lynn Johnson, Ph.D. University of Michigan

Topics Need for Bioinformatics Training “Core” Competencies Progress Report Collaboration Case Study

Need for Bioinformatics Training: The Clinical Impact Dental Perspective Contributions to Bioinformatics

Dental Perspective Scientific & Technological Advances Human Genome Project –Dental caries –Periodontal disease Miniaturization –Dental lasers –Intraoral cameras

Dental Perspective Communication Technologies Teledentistry for clinical consultations Videoconferencing for education & professional collaboration Web for information dissemination to patients & remote clinicians

Dental Perspective Information Management Decision support tools assist –Complex treatment planning –Integrate numerous and varied clinical information Diagnostic codes assess –Treatment efficacy –Patient outcomes –Practice outcomes

ADA’s Perspective ADA, Future of Dentistry—Today’s Vision: Tomorrow’s Reality “The decades ahead will be witness to advances in science and technology as yet unforeseen. Dentistry will benefit from these advances and must be intimately involved in their progression.”

Contributions to Bioinformatics Standardized vocabularies Databases of information and subsequent knowledgebases Algorithms to extract knowledge from data Simulations of biological systems Robotic devices that link knowledge to the sensing manipulatable world Software for education and professional competence

What are the “Core” Biomedical Informatics Competencies for Dental Researchers?

Bioinformatics Training Goals Match the mission and culture of each school/post-doctoral program. Computer and Information Sciences Clinical Sciences Biomedical Informatics

Facts of Information Technology Technology is short-lived; change is guaranteed Expect current technology skills to help learn/understand future ones Competencies should be independent of current technology

Proposed Approach 1. Core concepts in one course Biomedical informatics overview Needs assessment/Problem analysis Writing software specifications (outcomes) Outcomes evaluation Project and team management Database modeling (relational & objective oriented) Communication & collaboration technologies 2. Applied integration of concepts throughout courses…

Dental Education Progress Report

1 st ) Informatics Faculty Current leadership has diverse training and backgrounds. Here are a few examples…. Dental informatics graduate programs: –Columbia University –University of Pittsburgh

2) Informatics Courses Course Evaluations? Is the curriculum effective? Will it sustain their research? Who has an Informatics course? Marquette University? What are the accreditation standards?

Hurdles to overcome… Lack of expertise in each dental school Lack of courses Lack of accreditation requirements

Potential Solution Clinical Nursing & Health Informatics Consortium University of Iowa Indiana University University of Michigan University of Wisconsin-Madison Committee on Institutional Cooperation (CIC) CIC

Potential Solution Course--Integrated Seminar in Nursing Informatics Combined IP videoconferencing, Web course management & traditional mentoring Leveraged faculty expertise at four institutions 11 geographical locations bridged for each class Pilot for CIC CourseShare –Students participate in inter-institutional course –Students pay tuition & receive credit at home institution

ADA’s Perspective ADA, Future of Dentistry—Today’s Vision: Tomorrow’s Reality “Dental schools should explore regionalization in dental education in which dental schools collaborate to reduce costs and enhance quality in dental education.”

Closing Questions 1. What is the cost to the profession and to patients because graduate students do not have this understanding? 2. If nursing education can begin to solve the problem, why not dental education?

Comments? Questions?