doctor looking at screens of data

Biomedical and Health Data Sciences

New biomedical imaging and sensing technologies are generating data at an unprecedented pace. The increasing availability of electronic health records data has enabled data-driven inquiry into contemporary health care issues. Researchers in Duke BME are developing innovative data science, machine learning, and digital health modeling approaches to transform multi-scale biomedical data (e.g. multi-omics, imaging, wearable sensors, and electronic health records data) into actionable health insights.

There are extensive collaborations between our BME faculty and Duke University Medical Center clinicians to rapidly translate large-data analysis tools developed at Duke BME for both the patient bedside and broader commercialization.

This research community is supported and enhanced by numerous centers and programs, including: 

Primary Faculty

Jessilyn Dunn

Assistant Professor of Biomedical Engineering

Research Interests: Use of large-scale biomedical datasets to model and guide personalized therapies.

Timothy Dunn

Assistant Professor of Biomedical Engineering

Research Interests: Machine learning, computer vision, neurobiology, animal behavior, computational neuroscience, prognostic modeling, traumatic brain injury

Sina Farsiu

Anderson-Rupp Professor of Biolmedical Engineering

Research Interests: Focused on medical imaging and machine learning to improve the overall health and vision outcome of patients with ocular and neurological diseases (e.g., age-related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, Alzheimer, and ALS) through earlier and personalized therapy.

Roarke Horstmeyer

Assistant Professor of Biomedical Engineering

Research Interests: Computational optics, machine learning, and designing new algorithms for image processing. A main focus is to improve how we capture and use images of microscopic phenomena within a range of biomedical contexts. In general, I like to create new optical devices that can improve…

Mark L. Palmeri

Professor of the Practice in the Department of Biomedical Engineering

Research Interests: Ultrasonic imaging, specifically using acoustic radiation force to characterize the mechanical properties of tissue, and finite element analysis of soft tissue response to impulsive radiation force excitation. Other research interests include ultrasonic bioeffects and mechanical…

Nimmi Ramanujam

Robert W. Carr, Jr., Distinguished Professor of Biomedical Engineering

Research Interests: Biomedical engineering, biophotonics, women's cancers, global health, engineering design 

Amanda Randles

Alfred Winborne and Victoria Stover Mordecai Associate Professor of Biomedical Sciences

Research Interests: Biomedical simulation and high-performance computing

Daniel Reker

Assistant Professor of Biomedical Engineering

Research Interests: Integration of active machine learning, biomedical data science, and biochemical experiments for the analysis and design of personalized therapeutic opportunities.

Lingchong You

James L. Meriam Distinguished Professor of Biomedical Engineering

Research Interests: Quantitative biology, synthetic biology, machine learning, antibiotic resistance, microbiome