13L
Biomedical Informatics Program Change
2014-03-03
New York City College of Technology, CUNY
CURRICULUM MODIFICATION PROPOSAL FORM
This form is used for all curriculum modification proposals. See the Proposal Classification Chart for
information about what types of modifications are major or minor. Completed proposals should be
emailed to the Curriculum Committee chair.
Title of Proposal
Date
Major or Minor
Proposer’s Name
Department
Date of Departmental Meeting in
which proposal was approved
Department Chair Name
Department Chair Signature and
Date
Biomedical Informatics Program Curriculum Changes
February 13, 2014
Minor
Prof. Armando D. Solis
Biological Sciences Department
February 27, 2014
Academic Dean Name
Academic Dean Signature and
Date
Dean Karl Botchway
Prof. Laina Karthikeyan
March 2, 2013
Brief Description of Proposal
(Describe the modifications
contained within this proposal in a
succinct summary. More detailed
content will be provided in the
proposal body.)
Brief Rationale for Proposal
(Provide a concise summary of why
this proposed change is important to
the department. More detailed
content will be provided in the
proposal body.)
Proposal History
March 2, 2013
A number of minor modifications in the Biomedical
Informatics curriculum are proposed: three courses (PSY
1101, COM 1330, and HSA 4620) will be eliminated from
the list of requirements, and two courses (BIO 3302 and
HSA 4910) will be added to the list of electives.
Eliminating two Gen Ed courses from the list of core
requirement will expand the course options available to
students in specific Pathways categories, and will also
increase the number of elective credits and consequently
restore the role of electives as a solid way to specialize
within the major. One course is being removed from the
list of requirements because the material it covers
significantly overlaps with two other required courses.
Two elective courses are being added to provide an
updated selection that meets the changing landscape of
the field.
This proposal constitutes a first submission.
(Please provide history of this
proposal: is this a resubmission? An
updated version? This may most
easily be expressed as a list.)
Please include all appropriate documentation as indicated in the Curriculum Modification Checklist.
For each new course, please also complete the New Course Proposal and submit in this document.
Please submit this document as a single .doc or .rtf format. If some documents are unable to be
converted to .doc, then please provide all documents archived into a single .zip file.
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Biomedical Informatics Program Change
2014-03-03
ALL PROPOSAL CHECK LIST
Completed CURRICULUM MODIFICATION FORM including:

Brief description of proposal
√

Rationale for proposal
√

Date of department meeting approving the modification
√

Chair’s Signature
√

Dean’s Signature
√
Evidence of consultation with affected departments
√
List of the programs that use this course as required or elective, and courses that use
this as a prerequisite.
N/A
Documentation of Advisory Commission views (if applicable).
N/A
Completed Chancellor’s Report Form.
√
EXISTING PROGRAM MODIFICATION PROPOSALS
Documentation indicating core curriculum requirements have been met for new
programs/options or program changes.
Detailed rationale for each modification (this includes minor modifications)
N/A
√
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Biomedical Informatics Program Change
2014-03-03
Date of Department Meeting Approving the Modification: Feb. 27, 2014
Brief Description of Proposal
A number of modifications in the curriculum of the baccalaureate program in Biomedical
Informatics (BIB) are proposed here. This is the first time the curriculum is being altered since
the program was launched in Fall 2012, apart from the changes made in response to the
Pathways Gen Ed implementation in Fall 2013.
The proposed changes are:
1. To eliminate PSY 1101 (Introduction to Psychology) and COM 1330 (Effective Speaking)
from the list of required courses.
2. To eliminate HSA 4620 (Healthcare Information Systems) from the list of required
courses.
3. To add BIO 3302 (Microbiology) to the Science and Health Professions Elective Area.
4. To add HSA 4910 (Introduction to Public Health Administration) to the Science and
Health Professions Elective Area.
Rationale for Proposal
I. Eliminating PSY 1101 (Introduction to Psychology) and COM 1330 (Effective Speaking) from
the list of required courses
Pathways brought a number of necessary changes to the program curriculum. However, the
aggregate list of courses in the major was largely kept intact, and all specified courses in the old
Gen Ed curriculum remained as requirements, including PSY 1101 and COM 1330. These two
courses were retained and reclassified in a new “Additional Required Courses” category. Even
though these courses fulfill Pathways Gen Ed categories, they currently exist as a new set of
requirements, whose credits are deducted from elective credits.
We propose to eliminate these courses as specific program requirements in order to provide
maximum flexibility in Gen Ed course selection for our students. This will also benefit students
by restoring some of the credits originally intended for use on advanced elective courses. With
this change, students will have the complete freedom to pick any course in the “Individual and
Society” and “Speech/Oral Communication” categories of Pathways. It should be noted that
students still have the opportunity to take these specific courses as Gen Ed electives, both in the
respective Flexible Core categories and also in the LAS course category in the College Option.
II. Eliminating HSA 4620 (Healthcare Information Systems) from the list of required courses
The syllabus and course objectives of HSA 4620 (Healthcare Information Systems) overlap
significantly with two new courses that have been launched specifically as core requirements for
the Biomedical Informatics program—namely MED 2400 (Medical Informatics Fundamentals)
and MED 4229 (Healthcare Databases), both offered by the Biological Sciences Department.
MED 2400 was first offered in Spring 2013, while MED 4229 will be offered initially in Fall 2014.
The following table maps the overlap in content between HSA 4620 and MED 2400/MED 4229.
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WEEK
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
Biomedical Informatics Program Change
HSA 4620 Content Area
Health Care Delivery Systems
Paying for Health Care
Collecting Health Data
Acute Care Records
Health Information Management Processing
Coding and Reimbursement
Health Information Management in Alternative Settings
Storage
Statistics
Quality and Uses of Health Information
Meaningful Use Part 1
Confidentiality and Compliance
Electronic Health Records
Meaningful Use Part 2
HIM Department Management
Training and Development
Course Review
no topic specified
Presentations
2014-03-03
Week
covered in
MED 2400
6, 7, 8
9
1, 6, 7, 8
6, 7, 8
Week
covered in
MED 4229
5
10
2, 3, 4, 9
7, 8, 10
11-14
covered elsewhere
in the curriculum
10, 11, 12
13
4, 5
10, 11, 12
3
9
2
15
15
We therefore propose to remove HSA 4620 from the list of required courses. The 3 credits freed
up by this action will be designated for use on advanced elective courses (intended for
specialization within the major). Lastly, it should be noted that HSA 4620 is not a prerequisite for
any other required course in the major, therefore dropping it from the list of requirements
should not affect the program’s course sequence.
III. Adding BIO 3302 (Microbiology) to the Science and Health Professions Elective Area.
Microbiology, long a mainstay of traditional health professions degrees, has become an integral
part of the field of Biomedical Informatics. Microbial genomics is a key subject area of
Bioinformatics, offering a rich landscape for research in molecular phylogeny, diversity, and
evolution. Furthermore, knowledge of the interactions of microorganisms with patients—in the
so-called “microbiome,” or the ecological community of microorganisms that exist among us—is
increasingly becoming a significant aspect of the pathophysiology of certain diseases, and may
provide an important avenue for their diagnosis and treatment.1 Genomic techniques are also
being applied to understanding and tracking disease outbreak and to the surveillance of
microbial resistance.
1
A case in point: the National Institutes of Health has recently launched the Human Microbiome Project,
which aims “to develop tools and datasets for the research community for studying the role of these
microbes in human health and disease.” See: http://commonfund.nih.gov/hmp/index
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Biomedical Informatics Program Change
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BIO 3302, an existing course offered by the Biological Sciences Department, covers important
aspects of Microbiology, and should prove useful for our Biomedical Informatics students as an
elective course. This course is a core prerequisite for a number of healthcare degrees at City
Tech, including Nursing and Dental Hygiene. The department expects to have the resources (lab
space/schedule, equipment, supplies, and personnel) to handle the influx of Biomedical
Informatics students who choose to take BIO 3302 as an elective.
BIO 3302 has the following prerequisite: BIO 1101 (Biology I) or BIO 2311 (Anatomy &
Physiology I), both of which are required courses in the major.
IV. Adding HSA 4910 (Introduction to Public Health Administration) to the Science and Health
Professions Elective Area.
HSA 4910: Introduction to Public Health Administration is a new course offered by the Health
and Human Services Department (beginning Fall 2013). Medical Informatics, a subfield of
Biomedical Informatics, deals with healthcare data, from individual patient records to
demographic and population health data. An emerging subfield of Medical Informatics is Public
Health Informatics,2 which involves “the application of informatics in areas of public health,
including surveillance, prevention, preparedness, and health promotion.”3 Public health issues
and topics, which form the foundation of Public Health Informatics, are covered in-depth in HSA
4910. Because this course could potentially benefit students who choose to pursue a
professional or research career in a relevant subfield of Medical Informatics, we propose that
HSA 4910 be included as an elective course in the Science and Health Professions Elective Area.
The prerequisite of HSA 4910 is: admission to the Health Services Administration Program or
program approval. Prof. Josef Baum, Program Coordinator of the Health Services Administration
Program, has agreed to give approval to any advanced BIB student (i.e., students with at least 60
credits in the degree) who chooses the course as an elective in the major.
Evidence of Consultation with Affected Departments
1. Email exchange with Profs. Smyth and Tsenova, course coordinators of BIO 3302 –
attached
2. Email exchange with Prof. Josef Bohm (Program Coordinator, Health Services
Administration) – in progress
The remaining email exchanges will be appended to this Proposal Form once they are
completed.
2
Yasnoff WA, O’Carroll PW, Koo D, Linkins RW, Kilbourne EM (2000). Public Health Informatics: Improving
and Transforming Public Health in the Information Age. J Public Health Management Practice, 6(6), 67-75.
3
http://www.amia.org/applications-informatics/public-health-informatics
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Biomedical Informatics Program Change
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I. Evidence of consultation regarding adding BIO 3302 as a BIB elective
From:
To:
CC:
Date:
Subject:
Liana Tsenova
Armando Solis
David Smith; Laina Karthikeyan
Thursday - February 13, 2014 6:54 PM
adding BIO 3302 as BIB elective
Dear Prof. Solis,
I am delighted to write this in enthusiastic support of your proposal for adding BIO 3302
Microbiology to the list of elective classes for the Baccalaureate program in Biomedical
Informatics.
The Microbiology course at City Tech is intended for nursing, dental hygiene and other
healthcare majors. Some of the topics we explore include general and medical microbiology,
virology, immunology and infectious diseases. The students also become acquainted with some
practical microbiological diagnostic methods.
I think that BIO 3302 should be part of the BIB curriculum since anyone in the biomedical field
should be aware of problems related to microbial structure, (bacteria and viruses), microbial
genomics, immune response and emerging infectious diseases. Such knowledge is critical to
understanding the dynamics of health and disease, and is also a very important component of
diagnosis and treatment.
As a Microbiology co-coordinator, I strongly support the proposal for adding BIO 3302 as a BIB
elective.
I will be glad to provide more information if necessary.
My best regards,
Liana Tsenova, M.D.
Associate Professor
Biological Sciences Department
Interim Program Coordinator BSRS
Department of Radiologic Technology and Medical Imaging
New York City College of Technology
300 Jay Street, P313
Brooklyn, NY 11201
Ph. 718.260.5960
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Biomedical Informatics Program Change
2014-03-03
I. Evidence of consultation regarding adding BIO 3302 as a BIB elective, continued
From:
To:
Date:
Subject:
Davida Smyth
Armando Solis; Liana Tsenova
Thursday - February 13, 2014 7:53 PM
Microbiology added to BIB curriculum
Dear Profs Solis and Tsenova,
Along with what Prof Tsenova wrote, I'd like to add the following:
The field of microbiology is a rapidly evolving one and has recently embraced the genomics era.
Medical microbiology is adapting to this field by integrating DNA sequencing and genomics as a
means of rapidly diagnosing and characterizing infectious disease agents and to investigate the
molecular evolution and adaptation of strains within the patient and hospital and to new
geographical regions. In basic research, bioinformatics is integral to the study of the genetics,
and regulatory and metabolic pathways of microorganisms. Advances in genomics have also
generated insights into the human microbiome with metagenomics being another evolving field
that our students will likely be exposed to in the coming years.
Currently, members of the faculty are engaged in scholarly activities involving the genomic
sequencing and molecular evolution of bacterial pathogens. These faculty also mentor
microbiology students as part of the emerging scholars program. There are also plans to
integrate research in microbial genomics into the microbiology curriculum with the department.
Thanks again,
Davida
Davida S. Smyth PhD
Assistant Professor
Biological Sciences Department
P313
Office Hours:
12:45-1:45 pm Tues
5-6 pm Thur
Advisement by appointment
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Biomedical Informatics Program Change
2014-03-03
CHANCELLOR’S REPORT FORM
Section AIII: Changes in Degree Programs
AIII.1. The following revisions are proposed for the Biological Sciences Department
Program: Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Informatics
Program Code:
Effective: Fall 2014
A change of required courses
FROM:
TO:
REQUIRED COURSES IN THE MAJOR
Credits
REQUIRED COURSES IN THE MAJOR
Credits
General Education Common Core:
42 credits
General Education Common Core:
42 credits
I – Required Core 1 (4 courses, 12 credits)
English Composition (2 courses, 6 credits)
ENG 1101
English Composition I
ENG 1121
English Composition II
Mathematical and Quantitative Reasoning 2
Life and Physical Sciences
I – Required Core 1 (4 courses, 12 credits)
3
3
3
3
English Composition (2 courses, 6 credits)
ENG 1101
English Composition I
ENG 1121
English Composition II
Mathematical and Quantitative Reasoning 2
Life and Physical Sciences
3
3
3
3
II – Flexible Core (6 courses, 18 credits) From the list of approved courses
select one course from each of the following areas; no more than two courses
may be selected from any discipline.
II – Flexible Core (6 courses, 18 credits) From the list of approved courses
select one course from each of the following areas; no more than two courses
may be selected from any discipline.
World Cultures and Global Issues
US Experience in its Diversity
Creative Expression
Individual and Society
Scientific World
One additional course from any Flexible Core area
World Cultures and Global Issues
US Experience in its Diversity
Creative Expression
Individual and Society
Scientific World
One additional course from any Flexible Core area
3
3
3
3
3
3
III - College Option requirement (12-13 credits)
One course in speech/ oral communication 3
3
3
3
3
3
3
III - College Option requirement (12-13 credits)
3
One course in speech/ oral communication
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3
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Biomedical Informatics Program Change
One interdisciplinary liberal arts and sciences course
3
Two additional liberal arts to reach a minimum total of 42 credits in general
education. In meeting their general education requirements overall, students
must take at least one advanced liberal arts course 4 or two sequential
courses in a foreign language4.
6
2014-03-03
One interdisciplinary liberal arts and sciences course
3
Two additional liberal arts to reach a minimum total of 42 credits in general
education. In meeting their general education requirements overall, students
must take at least one advanced liberal arts course 3 or two sequential
courses in a foreign language4.
6
Writing Intensive Requirement
Writing Intensive Requirement
Students at New York City College of Technology must complete two
courses designated WI for the associate level, one from GenEd and
one from the major; and two additional courses designated WI for the
baccalaureate level, one from GenEd and one from the major.
Students at New York City College of Technology must complete two
courses designated WI for the associate level, one from GenEd and
one from the major; and two additional courses designated WI for the
baccalaureate level, one from GenEd and one from the major.
PROGRAM-SPECIFIC DEGREE REQUIREMENTS 70-71 CREDITS
PROGRAM-SPECIFIC DEGREE REQUIREMENTS 76-77 CREDITS
Biological Sciences and Molecular Informatics
BIO 1101
Biology I
BIO 1201
Biology II
BIO 2311
Anatomy and Physiology I
BIO 2312
Anatomy and Physiology II
BIO 3350
Bioinformatics I
BIO 3352
Bioinformatics I I
BIO 3354
Computational Genomics
BIO 3356
Molecular Modeling in Biology
BIO 3526
Pathophysiology
BIO 3620
Molecular and Cell Biology
37
4
4
4
4
4
4
3
3
3
4
Computer and Healthcare Informatics
21
MED 2400
Medical Informatics Fundamentals
3
MED 4229
Healthcare Databases
3
CST 1101
Problem Solving with Computer Programming 3
CST 1201
Programming Fundamentals
or
CST 2403
C++ Programming I
3
CST 1204
Database Systems Fundamentals
3
HSA 3510
Health Services Management I
3
HSA 4620
Healthcare Information Systems
3
Biological Sciences and Molecular Informatics
BIO 1101
Biology I
BIO 1201
Biology II
BIO 2311
Anatomy and Physiology I
BIO 2312
Anatomy and Physiology II
BIO 3350
Bioinformatics I
BIO 3352
Bioinformatics I I
BIO 3354
Computational Genomics
BIO 3356
Molecular Modeling in Biology
BIO 3526
Pathophysiology
BIO 3620
Molecular and Cell Biology
37
4
4
4
4
4
4
3
3
3
4
Computer and Healthcare Informatics
18
MED 2400
Medical Informatics Fundamentals
3
MED 4229
Healthcare Databases
3
CST 1101
Problem Solving with Computer Programming 3
CST 1201
Programming Fundamentals
or
CST 2403
C++ Programming I
3
CST 1204
Database Systems Fundamentals
3
HSA 3510
Health Services Management I
3
Internship/Research Course
MED 3910
Internship/Research in Biomedical Informatics 5
Internship/Research Course
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MED 3910
Biomedical Informatics Program Change
Internship/Research in Biomedical Informatics 5
Additional Required Courses
13-14
ENG 1101
English Composition I
Met as Gen Ed
ENG 1121
English Composition II
Met as Gen Ed
MAT 1475
Calculus I 5
4
MAT 1372
Statistics with Probability
3 or
or
MAT 2572
Probability and Mathematical Statistics
4
PHIL 2203
Health Care Ethics
3
PSY 1101
Introduction to Psychology
3
COM 1330
Effective Speaking
Met as Gen Ed
Free Elective Credits to equal 120 6
Total General Education Common Core credits:
Total program-specific required and elective credits:
Total Credits for Degree:
42
78
120
2014-03-03
Additional Required Courses
10-11
ENG 1101
English Composition I
Met as Gen Ed
ENG 1121
English Composition II
Met as Gen Ed
MAT 1475
Calculus I 5
4
MAT 1372
Statistics with Probability
3 or
or
MAT 2572
Probability and Mathematical Statistics
4
PHIL 2203
Health Care Ethics
3
Free Elective Credits to equal 120 6
Total General Education Common Core credits:
Total program-specific required and elective credits:
Total Credits for Degree:
Students are strongly urged to consult degree requirements for “doubleduty” courses: degree requirements that also meet CUNY Pathways general
education requirements in that category.
2 Biomedical Informatics is a STEM degree program, requiring 4 or 5 credit
courses in mathematics and science. Students may elect to use their required
4 or 5 credit Math or science courses to meet Common Core requirements in
Mathematical and Quantitative Reasoning, Life/ Physical Sciences, or
Scientific World.
3 An “advanced” course is at the 2000 level or higher and has a prerequisite in
the same or a closely related discipline. Examples of courses with prerequisites in closely related disciplines are: ECON 1101 + SOC 3301; PSY
1101 + SOC 2403.
4 Please see department advisor for details.
5 Students who elect to take MAT 1475 without the requisite math background
will be required to take MAT 1175, 1275, and /or 1375 in preparation,
depending upon initial placement. This will increase the number of required
credits for the degree by 4-12.
6 The number of free elective credits will vary depending upon the programspecific courses students use to meet Common Core requirements.
1
Students are strongly urged to consult degree requirements for “doubleduty” courses: degree requirements that also meet CUNY Pathways general
education requirements in that category.
2 Biomedical Informatics is a STEM degree program, requiring 4 or 5 credit
courses in mathematics and science. Students may elect to use their required
4 or 5 credit Math or science courses to meet Common Core requirements in
Mathematical and Quantitative Reasoning, Life/ Physical Sciences, or
Scientific World.
3 Students who have already met this requirement may choose any other
liberal arts and science course in its place.
4 An “advanced” course is at the 2000 level or higher and has a prerequisite in
the same or a closely related discipline. Examples of courses with prerequisites in closely related disciplines are: ECON 1101 + SOC 3301; PSY
1101 + SOC 2403.
4 Please see department advisor for details.
5 Students who elect to take MAT 1475 without the requisite math background
will be required to take MAT 1175, 1275, and /or 1375 in preparation,
depending upon initial placement. This will increase the number of required
credits for the degree by 4-12.
6 The number of free elective credits will vary depending upon the program1
42
78
120
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Biomedical Informatics Program Change
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specific courses students use to meet Common Core requirements.
Rationale: Eliminating two Gen Ed courses (PSY 1101 and COM 1330) from the list of core requirements will expand the course options available to students in
specific Pathways categories, and will also increase the number of elective credits and consequently restore the role of electives as a solid way to specialize within
the major. One course (HSA 4620) is being removed from the list of requirements because the material it covers significantly overlaps with two other required
courses (MED 2400 and MED 4229). Two elective courses (BIO 3302 and HSA 4910) are being added to provide an updated selection that meets the changing
landscape of the field.
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