Foundations of Clinical Data and its Applications
BMIF 204
Subject & Catalog Number
Course Information
Description
Foundations of Clinical Data and Its Applications is a hands-on course exploring how clinical data drives healthcare and bioinformatics. Students study data sources (EHRs, claims, ICU records), interoperability standards (HL7/FHIR), and data engineering (normalization, validation, storage). Core topics include disease and treatment-outcome prediction, causal inference and target-trial emulation, and real-world evidence generation. The course addresses high-dimensional data, time-related biases, temporal drift, and regulatory/ethical issues such as privacy, fairness, and historical bias. Through team labs using real EHR and claims data, students gain practical skills in preprocessing, feature selection, longitudinal analysis, causal study design, and communicating ethical implications—preparing them to design robust, data-driven solutions for clinical challenges.
Available for Harvard Cross Registration
NOTE: This course requires additional sections; you will be prompted to choose secondary components during the Add to Cart process
