The mission of the UT Biomedical Informatics Lab (BMIL) is to design cost-effective, computer-based decision aids. The BMIL develops decision support systems for clinical decision making and scientific discovery using artificial intelligence and signal processing technologies. The BMIL's research portfolio also includes projects in biometrics. Please direct inquiries regarding the Biomedical Informatics Lab to Mia K. Markey; here is Dr. Markey's CV.

What is Biomedical Informatics?

In recent years, biomedical informatics has come into usage as a name encompassing the converging, related fields of medical informatics and bioinformatics. The term medical informatics has been used to refer to the study of the optimal storage and use of medical data for clinical decision making and related tasks, while bioinformatics has been used to refer to the study of the optimal storage and use of biological data in biomedical research. ("Clinical informatics" is now more commmonly used than "medical informatics"). The underlying principles and computational tools are similar whether the data derive from a clinical or basic research source. Moreover, as techniques such as DNA microarray analysis enter medical practice, the distinction between bioinformatics and medical informatics will become increasingly arbitrary. The current research portfolio of the Biomedical Informatics Lab emphasizes the role of biomedical informatics in clinical decision making, though we also have projects in informatics for scientific discovery and in biometrics.

What is Biomedical Engineering?

Biomedical Engineering is the use of science, mathematics, and technology to design solutions to problems in biology and medicine than impact people's lives. Computational biomedical engineering, including biomedical informatics, is concerned with solutions that will be implemented in software or with the computational modeling and analysis of designs that will be implemented using any medium. While computers are used throughout all areas of biomedical engineering, computational biomedical engineering is concerned with the development of novel computational methods or applications.

Educational Opportunities

We are committed to increasing the diversity of the engineering workforce. Students participate in research in the UT Biomedical Informatics Lab at the high school through graduate levels. More information is available for prospective students.

Contact

Please direct all enquiries concerning the UT BMIL to Mia K. Markey.