Big Data Health
Science Center

A University of South Carolina Excellence Initiative, the USC Big Data Health Science
Center (BDHSC) serves as a campus-wide interdisciplinary enterprise that conducts
cutting-edge research and discovery, offers professional development and academic
training, and provides service to the community and industry.

NIH T35 Big Data Health Science in Infectious Diseases Summer Research Program

The USC Big Data Health Science Center (BDHSC) continues to contribute to workforce development through its National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) Short-Term Institutional Research Training Grants (T35). The program goes beyond the regular and traditional course of graduate studies by incorporating new courses, seminars, workshops, and collaborative activities during the summer. Please meet our 2023 cohort and learn more about their research interests.

Meet our 2023 Health GIS Scholars

The University of South Carolina (USC) Big Data Health Science Center (BDHSC) is excited to announce the recipients of the 2023 Health Geographic Information Science (GIS) Scholars Program: Erin Looney, MPH Student, Department of Health Promotion, Education and Behavior, Arnold School of Public Health, and Huan Ning, Ph.D. Candidate, Department of Geography, College of Arts and Sciences. Since 2021, a total of six graduate students have been awarded the Health GIS Scholarship.

Summer Workshops in Bioinformatics and Data Analytics

The USC Big Data Health Science Center (BDHSC) will hold summer workshops on bioinformatics and data analytics between June 12 and July 14. The workshop series includes Beginning Linux and Cloud Computing for Bioinformatics, Bioinformatics Analysis in R, Bioinformatics Analysis in Python, and Data Analytics and ML in Python. The workshops are open to all USC faculty and students.

Recent News

The 4th Annual Big Data Health Science Student Case Competition

The University of South Carolina (USC) Big Data Health Science Center (BDHSC) held the fourth Annual Big Data Health Science Case Competition virtually on February 3-5, 2023 ahead of the BDHSC’s other signature event: Annual National Big Data Health Science Conference. In its fourth year, the competition attracted 37 teams from 15 prestigious universities in the U.S.

Accepting Proposals for the BDHSC 2023 Pilot Project Program

University of South Carolina Big Data Health Science Center is seeking proposals for the conduct and uptake of pilot research projects focusing on the Big Data analytics in addressing critical issues related to health behavior, healthcare, and population health. Proposals are due by 5pm on April 14, 2023. Please review the RfP for more specific details regarding eligibility, timeline, allowable costs, etc.

BDHSC Research Data Repositories

The University of South Carolina Big Data Health Science Center (BDHSC) is pleased to announce that USC faculty will now have access to a wide range of BDHSC research data repositories (RDR) for big data health science research. The current research dataset collection includes cell-phone based place visitation data, and Twitter data.

Registration for the 4th Annual National Big Data Health Science Conference is now open!

We are pleased to announce that registration for the 4th Annual National Big Data Health Science Conference is now open. Please visit our conference website at SC Big Data Health Science Center Conference 2023 to learn more about the two-day conference schedule, the incredible lineup of keynote speakers, opportunities for financial assistance, and other specifics.

Researchers develop algorithm to determine when COVID-19 infection happens during pregnancy using nationwide electronic health records

Researchers from the USC Arnold School of Public Health and School of Medicine Columbia have developed an algorithm for identifying the gestational week when COVID-19 infection occurs. Published in PLOS ONE, the method leverages large amounts of data from electronic health records and enables researchers and clinicians to better understand the potential risks to both fetus and mother.

Recent & Upcoming Events

Summer Workshops in Bioinformatics and Data Analytics

June 12 – July 14, 2023

NSF ACCESS HPC Monthly Workshop: Machine Learning and Big Data

May 23 – 24, 2023

An Overview of the Federal Statistical Research Data Centers

March 22, 2023

Deadline for 2023 Pilot Project Proposal Submission

April 14, 2023

National Big Data Health Science Conference 2023

February 11 – 12, 2023

Big Data Health Science Student Case Competition 2023

February 3 – 5, 2023

Keynote Speakers

Michael Amiridis

30th President of the University of South Carolina

Susan Gregurick

Associate Director for Data Science & Director of Office of Data Science Strategy, National Institutes of Health

Refilwe Nancy Phaswana-Mafayu

Director, South African Medical Research Council, University of Johannesburg Pan African Centre of Epidemics Research Extramural Unit & Professor, Epidemiology and Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences

Rena Patel

Assistant Professor, Division of Allergy and Infectious Disease, Department of Medicine & International Clinical Research Center, Department of Global Health, University of Washington

Fahui Wang

Cyril & Tutta Vetter Alumni Professor, Associate Dean, the Graduate School, Department of Geography & Anthropology, Louisiana State University

Michael Wimberly

Professor, Department of Geography and Environmental Sustainability, University of Oklahoma

Thomas Chandler

Dean, Arnold School of Public Health, Professor, Environmental Health Sciences

Valerie Rogers, MPH

Director, Government Relations, Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS)

Linda Jordan, MSc

Principal Analytical Consultant, SAS

Lori Scott-Sheldon, Ph.D.

Chief of Data Science and Emerging Methodologies in HIV, National Institute of Mental Health

Julius Fridriksson, Ph.D.

Professor & Vice President for Research, University of South Carolina

COVID 19 Response

The USC BDHSC has responded quickly to create a comprehensive response in the fight against COVID-19. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, BDHSC has achieved notable results at coordinating existing research efforts and integrating dozens of fields of expertise to find solutions. To date, approximately 25 BDHSC faculty members is working on 19 different research projects. These projects are aiming to provide the framework and resources such as a state-wide data-driven system to fight COVID-19 in South Carolina, the use of social media data to help predict future pandemics and so on.

The scopes of the projects range from investigating the different ways that COVID-19 impacts people; making better predictions of COVID-19; designing telehealth services and technology innovations for the future; and engaging cutting-edge methods through artificial intelligence, data science, computational methods and statistical modeling.

NIH Grant to Develop Data-driven Strategies in Fighting COVID-19

This two-year grant will support the team’s efforts to develop a database system via REDCap and a mobile application for collating surveillance, clinical, multi-omics and geospatial data on both COVID-19 patients and health workers treating COVID-19 patients in South Carolina.

NSF Award for “Monitoring the Spatial Spread of COVID-19 through the Lens of Human Movement using Big Social Media Data”

Three members of the BDHSC have been awarded $108,717 by the National Science Foundation for their project titled “Monitoring the Spatial Spread of COVID-19 through the Lens of Human Movement using Big Social Media Data.

Internal COVID-19 Research Grants

The UofSC Office of the Vice President for Research recently announced the recipients of its special internal funding initiative to support COVID-19 research and scholarship. BDHSC is pleased to announce that of the 42 projects funded, BDHSC faculty serve as PI for 10 projects and Co-I for 7 different projects.