The University of Pittsburgh proposes a five-year renewal of its training program in Biomedical Informatics. This program has grown steadily since its inception in 1987. It currently has 32 trainees, 15 of whom are supported by the training grant. The program offers categorically-funded training positions in dental informatics and health librarianship informatics. Most program trainees seek academic degrees through one of three established """"""""medical informatics tracks"""""""" within the university's degree programs in information science, intelligent systems, and public health. Applications to the program have increased steadily in recent years, and graduates of the program are finding excellent employment opportunities. The program is supported by an interdepartmental core faculty with 24 members, all of whom are experienced educators and active researchers. The program is administered through the university's Center for Biomedical Informatics, which provides administrative support, space, and equipment for the trainees. A tightly knit leadership/ administrative group of four co-directors and three very experienced staff members supports the program director in the overall operation of the program. As a next step in the evolution of the program, the University of Pittsburgh approved on June 11, 2001, a new degree program in Biomedical Informatics. The new program, based in the School of Medicine, will award certificates as well as masters and doctoral degrees. The degree program will commence in 2001-2002 and will be in full operation when the proposed renewal funding commences in the 2002-2003 academic year. While we will maintain the degree track in intelligent systems, we expect that most degree-seeking students in the future will pursue the Biomedical Informatics degree. We are developing, within the framework of the new degree program, special concentrations in bioinformatics, dental informatics, and health services research. We request 15 full-time funded training positions per year for the period 2002-2007, maintaining the number of grant-funded trainees at its present level. Two of these positions will be reserved for library informatics trainees and two for dental informatics trainees. For the remaining 11 """"""""uncategorical"""""""" positions, we will recruit students with a wide range of backgrounds and interests, expecting that at least four trainees will be supported for study in bioinformatics. We will extend our efforts to recruit trainees from under-represented minority groups.
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