Out of concern for fetal safety, pregnant people have typically been excluded from drug trials. And when human health is on the line, drug studies assessing fetal safety in animal models may be viewed as far from definitive.

Electronic health records and biobanks can be effectively combined to detect and study Mendelian diseases such as cystic fibrosis.

Out of the electronic health records (EHRs) of patients seen at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, a team in the Department of Biomedical Informatics is creating a COVID-19 patient registry as a platform for research.

Lisa Bastarache, MS, research assistant professor of Biomedical Informatics, and Tony Capra, PhD, associate professor of Biological Sciences and Biomedical Informatics, described the intersection of genetics and electronic health records during last week’s Cutting-Edge Discovery Lecture.

For many years, VUMC has been recognized as a leader in clinical informatics — the application of computer science and information science to the delivery of health care services.

The intersection of genetics and electronic health records will be discussed by two Vanderbilt University researchers during a Cutting-Edge Discovery Lecture on Thursday, Jan. 30. The lecture will begin at 4 p.m. in 208 Light Hall.

Investigators will use computational methods to shed light on suicidal ideation and its relationship to attempted suicide, predict suicidal ideation and suicide attempt using routine electronic health records (EHRs) and explore the genetic underpinnings of both.