Research seminar to focus on lessons of IT advances

Deepak Khazanchi, Ph.D.

Scientists interested in conducting clinical and translational research can take useful lessons from the theories and lessons obtained from information technology (IT) research and practice.

That will be one of the messages Deepak Khazanchi, Ph.D., of the University of Nebraska at Omaha, conveys during the monthly UNMC Clinical and Translational Research Seminar on Monday.

The seminar featuring Dr. Khazanchi, associate dean for academic affairs and professor of information systems and quantitative analysis in the UNO College of Information Science and Technology, starts at noon in the Eppley Science Hall Amphitheater.

“As the fundamental information technology academic disciplines such as computer science, management information systems and software engineering have changed and become more applied and interdisciplinary, many innovative theories, tools and models have come to fruition,” Dr. Khazanchi said. “The same foundational computational and managerial principles that have impacted IT success in organizations can also be used to inform biomedical research.”

Biomedical researchers responding to the recent call for increased clinical and translational research can look back at some of these examples to see what worked and what didn’t, he said.

If you go Dr. Deepak Khazanchi of the University of Nebraska at Omaha will present “The Potential of Information Technology Theories & Tools in Clinical and Translational Research” during a clinical and translational research seminar on Monday at noon in the Eppley Science Hall Amphitheater.

Dr. Khazanchi also plans to highlight some theories, tools, practices and lessons that scientists may find useful as they think about how knowledge from IT disciplines can be used in clinical and translational research.

“There are many aspects of information technology that can be applied to biomedical research that some scientists maybe haven’t thought of yet,” Dr. Khazanchi said. “My hope is that this seminar will highlight some areas that will assist UNMC’s scientists as they head down this new research path.”

The seminar will be recorded and available for investigators who cannot attend. Because the seminar is on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, it may not be televised at all the usual satellite spots around the state. For those not on the Omaha campus, please check your local program schedules to see if the seminar will be televised near you.

The clinical and translational research seminars are held on the third Monday of each month at noon in the Eppley Science Hall Amphitheater.

The next seminar in the series will be on Monday, Feb. 18 when Jane Meza, Ph.D., associate professor in the College of Public Health, presents “Center for Collaboration on Research Design and Analysis: Research support opportunities from the College of Public Health.”

If you have any questions about the seminars or a desire to present at a future seminar, contact Brian Shotwell at bshotwell@unmc.edu or Jennifer Larsen, M.D., at jlarsen@unmc.edu.

For more information about Dr. Khazanchi’s work, visit his Web site at http://khazanchi.ist.unomaha.edu/.