IU, Lilly Partner on Data Science Course

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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowA new data science course at Indiana University is the result of a partnership between IU and Indianapolis-based Eli Lilly and Co. (NYSE: LLY). The university says the course is one of the first in the country to use real-world clinical trial data.
The course, which is part of the data science master’s degree program at the IU School of Informatics and Computing, will give students the chance to practice advanced analysis of clinical trial data using real-life information collected from human subjects during drug testing.
"Data science has been called ‘the sexiest job of the 21st century,’" said David Wild, director of Data Science Academic Programs in the IU School of Informatics and Computing and lead instructor for the course. "Those trained to analyze, visualize and report on data can look forward to promising careers in a rapidly growing field. A course based on real-life clinical data from one of the world’s leading pharmaceutical companies will greatly enhance IU’s offerings in this growing area of the information economy."
IU says the use of real clinical data is rare due to efforts required to ensure patient privacy. All data used in the course will go through a de-identification process before being released and strict guidelines will be in place to "dictate how the data can be used and where it can be stored."
The four-week summer class will begin May 10. The university says organizers hope to expand the class offerings in future years.