The U‑BRITE Hackathon is an annual data science event hosted by the UAB Department of Biomedical Informatics and Data Science in collaboration with the UAB Center for Clinical and Translational Science (CCTS), Heersink School of Medicine, and the Center for Genomic Data Sciences (CGDS). Held every August, the hackathon brings together nearly 80 participants—including biomedical researchers, bioinformaticians, scientists, software developers, and computer engineers from around the world—to tackle pressing biomedical challenges using U‑BRITE’s advanced data infrastructure and tools.
Leading up to the two-day hackathon, participants receive specialized training from world-renowned experts affiliated with UAB’s Department of Biomedical Informatics and Data Science, CGDS, U‑BRITE, and Research Computing. This immersive experience fosters multidisciplinary collaboration and innovation in biomedical data science.
Mission & Goals
Empower team science using data-driven tools and platforms like U‑BRITE’s HIPAA‑compliant data repository and access to Cheaha, UAB’s high‑performance supercomputer, for advanced analysis. DPO UAB
Cultivate collaboration among researchers, developers, clinicians, scientists, and students by forming cross-disciplinary teams from UAB and external participants.
Encourage learning, innovation, and mentorship in biomedical informatics and AI/ML through pre‑hackathon workshops, office hours, and faculty guidance.
Organizing Committee
Name
Role
Department & Institution
Tarun Mamidi
Chair
CGDS, UAB
Shaurita Hutchins
Co-chair
CGDS, UAB
Dr. James Cimino
Co-chair
Department of Biomedical Informatics and Data Science, UAB
Dr. Thanh Nguyen
Co-chair
Department of Biomedical Informatics and Data Science, UAB
Amanda Carballo
Logistics Chair
Department of Biomedical Informatics and Data Science, UAB
Nafisa Sani
Webmaster
Department of Biomedical Informatics and Data Science, UAB
Lisa Shrestha
Communications Committee Member
UAB
Ari Ginsparg
Committee member
UAB
Dana Indihar
Committee Member
UAB
Valeriya Kuznetsova
Committee Member
UAB
Emma Graffice
Committee Member
UAB
Santhosh Karthikeyan
Committee Member
UAB
Zhandos Sembay
Datasets Manager
UAB
Steering Committee
Name
Role
Department & Institution
Dr. Jake Chen
Chair
Department of Biomedical Informatics and Data Science, UAB
Dr. Zechen Chong
Committee member
Department of Biomedical Informatics and Data Science, UAB
Dr. Alex Rosenberg
Committee member
Department of Biomedical Informatics and Data Science, UAB
Dr. Liz Worthey
Committee member
CGDS, UAB
Dr. Amy Wang
Committee member
Department of Biomedical Informatics and Data Science, UAB
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