Inaugural Southeast Wisconsin Data Science (SEAWINDS) Research Symposium brings together data experts from the region.

The inaugural Southeast Wisconsin Data Science (SEAWINDS) Research Symposium brought together faculty, trainees, and community organizations from the region to share their knowledge, research, and exchange ideas. Titled "ALL things data science," the symposium comprehensively covered the field, highlighting data science applications in research, current topics and issues, and analytical tools. It provided an unprecedented opportunity for networking and collaboration among data experts in Southeast Wisconsin.

The event commenced with a welcome address by Reza Shaker, MD, Associate Provost of Clinical & Translational Research, Senior Associate Dean, and Director of the Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI). Ernest Amankwah, PhD, co-chair of the symposium and CTSI Associate Director for Data Science, then presented the SEAWINDS Collaborative's vision, mission, and goals. Keynote speaker and co-chair William Hogan, MD, MS, founding director of the Data Science Institute and Mary T. and Ted D. Kellner Chair of Data Science, highlighted the opportunities in Southeast Wisconsin for data science in healthcare and biomedical research. Following the keynote, short presentations covered diverse topics such as digital health, machine learning, artificial intelligence, data science research, and more. Additionally, three podium presentations were selected from over 53 submitted abstracts.

The event, sponsored by the CTSI and the Medical College of Wisconsin Data Science Institute, attracted over 190 registrants, with attendees, presenters, and posters representing CTSI Partner Institutions and others, including Children's Wisconsin, Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin, Marquette University, Milwaukee School of Engineering, the Clement J. Zablocki VA Medical Center, and Versiti.

“This is such a magnificent show of interest and support for Data Science and its application that can play a significant role in advancing health and improving health disparity in Southeast Wisconsin”, shared Dr. Shaker, “This meeting and hopefully it’s outcome represents our 15-year strategy that together we can achieve what we cannot achieve alone.” 

The symposium also featured a lively poster session with 45 presentations. Three posters received recognition: Best Faculty Poster awarded to Angela Mathison, PhD; Best Data Science Methods Poster awarded to Michael Zimmerman, PhD; and Best Early Career Poster awarded to Tahseen Shaik, BS.