25
COM Outlook . Winter 2015
lighted the group’s achievements
with four awards for research, ser-
vice, and recognition. The majority
of the newest graduates earned their
degrees with distinction as 12 at-
tained highest honors and 10 finished
with honors. This year, an additional
accolade was created—the Direc-
tor’s Award—to honor a student or
students who have overcome signifi-
cant challenges in the pursuit of their
degree. Clarissa Alexander, M.S.B.I.
(’14) overcame a brain tumor, pur-
sued an internship, published a
paper about her experiences while at
the National Institutes of Health, and
graduated with honors, while Ste-
phen Amoah, M.S.B.I. (’14) suffered
a stroke that impaired his physical
and cognitive functions, especially
his speech. Along with accommoda-
tions the program made to meet his
particular needs, his tenacity and
perseverance enabled him to attain
his ambitions and earn his degree.
The remarkable achievements of
those in the program, coupled with
Dr. Lou’s guidance and goals for
growth, have kept NSU-COM at the
forefront of the field. “We want to
build a very solid program that will
provide students the skills they need
to accomplish various health infor-
mation technology implementation
tasks,” she explained.
The interprofessional pathways
Dr. Lou builds throughout the
university and nationwide foster
collaboration with computer science,
public health, business management,
nursing, and education. The Biomedi-
cal Informatics Program offers an in-
valuable opportunity to work on the
cutting edge of health care. “We want
our students to have more hands-on
experience before they graduate by
establishing relationships for intern-
ships and practicum experiences at
more than 100 sites, including Cleve-
land Clinic Florida, Palmetto General
Hospital, the National Institutes of
Health, and the Mayo Clinic,” Dr.
Lou said proudly. “Where we once
begged for spots, we now have the
hospitals contacting us.”
Last year, Dr. Lou and her team
collaborated with NSU’s Cen-
ter for Psychological Studies and
NSU-COM’s Area Health Educa-
tion Centers Program on a poster
Jennie Q. Lou, M.D., M.Sc.
, who
serves as founding director for the Biomed-
ical Informatics Program, is a professor of
biomedical informatics, public health, and
internal medicine. In addition to teaching
and advising students, Dr. Lou oversees
the recruiting and marketing for students
and faculty members, curriculum develop-
ment and quality assurance, research, and
student practicum site establishment.
Steve E. Bronsburg, Ph.D., M.S.,
M.H.S.A.
, assistant professor and aca-
demic adviser, is responsible for teaching
courses, assigning student project practi-
cums, and pursuing scholarly research. He
is also involved in developing community
relationships in an effort to recruit stu-
dents and establish practicum sites.
Jesse Singer, D.O., M.P.H.
, associate
professor, joined the team in October.
Most recently, he worked in New York
City, serving as the assistant commissioner
Getting to Know…the Biomedical Informatics Team
for the bureau of the Primary Care Informa-
tion Project at the NYC Department of Health
and Mental Hygiene. He is board certified in
public health and preventive medicine.
Christine Nelson, B.S.
, program manager,
assists Dr. Lou with the daily workings of
the program. She likes to say her job is to do
whatever needs to be done in order to make
the program run. In addition, she recently
become an NSU-COM Biomedical Informat-
ics Program student and hopes to someday
expand her role into research and teaching.
Mirlyn Hurry
serves as administrative
assistant for the program, supports Dr.
Lou, and works closely with the other
team members.
Pictured (from left) are Drs. Lou and Bronsburg, Mirlyn Hurry, Christine Nelson, and Dr. Singer.
