Members of the McWilliams School of Biomedical Informatics Community have recently achieved noteworthy accomplishments. We want to recognize and applaud these individuals.

• Xiaoqian Jiang, PhD, chair of the Department of Health Data Science and Artificial Intelligence and the Christopher Sarofim Family Professor in Biomedical Informatics and Bioengineering, has been named one of three co-recipients for the 2027 the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Innovation in Societal Infrastructure Award. Click here to read the full news story.
• Please help us congratulate Assistant Professor V. Gail Turner, DNP. She was recently named the Coordinator of the Doctorate in Health Informatics (DHI) program, effective September 1. In her new role, she will continue to contribute to the DHI program by supporting both its students and unique curriculum. Her expertise in healthcare informatics, leadership, teaching, mentoring, and program operations are invaluable as the DHI continues to advance.

• Congratulations to our doctoral students who successfully defended their translational projects or dissertations in recent weeks. These students will each earn their degrees in December of this year. Additionally, we have over a dozen more defenses taking place this semester. We encourage our community to attend and support our DHI and PhD students as they present their translational projects or dissertations.
  • Fares Alahdab defended his translational project on August 31.
  • Theresa Meadows (photo below) defended her translational project on September 9.
  • Enshuo "David" Hsu (photo below) defended his dissertation on September 25.

McWilliams School of Biomedical Informatics (MSBMI) is currently accepting spring 2027 scholarship applications for current students via the new Scholarship Manager portal.

Only current students should apply. This means students starting a new program in spring 2027 who have never completed a class at MSBMI should not apply. Additionally, students that receive an award must complete the fall 2026 in good academic standing in order to have those scholarship funds issued for spring 2027.

Click this link to start your current student scholarship application: Scholarship Manager. The application will close at 11:59 PM CDT on Friday, October 23, 2026 & late applications will not be accepted.

Visit this website to explore what MSBMI scholarships are offered. This website also includes other funding resources for students seeking financial support via scholarships. If students have any questions about the spring 2027 scholarship application, they should email [email protected].

We invite the entire McWilliams School of Biomedical Informatics Community to attend the 9th Annual Glaser Society Proceedings on Friday, October 30. The 2026 Glaser Award Recipient is David Blumenthal, MD, Professor of Practice of Public Health and Health Policy at the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health and the former National Coordinator for Health Information Technology under President Obama from 2009-2011.

Visit our website for the full event agenda. Please RSVP if you wish to attend.

McWilliams School of Biomedical Informatics students, faculty, and staff are invited to attend the Houston Health Department (HHD) Open House – An Academic Health Department Event. The event will be on Thursday, October 8, from 10 AM to 3 PM at UTHealth Houston School of Public Health (1930 Old Spanish Trail).

Meet dozens of HHD professionals representing programs, services, and teams, learn about their work across Houston, and explore opportunities for research, education, service, practicums, networking, and employment. At 10 AM, opening remarks will be provided by UTHealth Houston President, Dr. Melina R. Kibbe, Houston Health Department Director, Dr. Theresa Tran, and other city leaders. The first 50 attendees will receive a small giveaway.

To learn more or register for the event, visit this website: http://go.uth.edu/HHDOpenHouse.

HL7 Break the Code is a free, year-long student experience presented by HL7 International in partnership with the Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management Education (CAHIIM). The program transforms curiosity about health technology into practical, career-ready skills and McWilliams School of Biomedical Informatics is a proud participant.

Many students have expressed interest in participating and we thank you for your interest. On Friday, September 25, the Office of Academic Affairs emailed details to all students with information on the student registration process.

Visit the Break the Code website at https://info.hl7.org/break-the-code to learn more or listen to the student webinar recording.

McWilliams School of Biomedical Informatics at UTHealth Houston, in partnership with The Office of Alumni Engagement, will host the annual AMIA Alumni and Friends Mixer – and we invite you to join us! This event offers an opportunity for alumni and friends, local and beyond, to reconnect with classmates and engage in professional connections within the larger informatics community.

The event is on Monday, November 9, from 5:30 pm to 8:00 pm at AM/FM at 1950 Market Center Blvd. Dallas, TX 75207.

Kindly RSVP by visiting the AMIA26 Mixer website. We hope you can join us in Dallas.

Visit our website for a full list of research seminar dates and access to recordings for past seminars.