Predictions, Pivots, and a Pandemic: a Review of 2020's Top Translational Bioinformatics Publications

Abstract

Summary Objectives: Provide an overview of the emerging themes and notable papers which were published in 2020 in the field of Bioinformatics and Translational Informatics (BTI) for the International Medical Informatics Association Yearbook. Methods: A team of 16 individuals scanned the literature from the past year. Using a scoring rubric, papers were evaluated on their novelty, importance, and objective quality. 1,224 Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) terms extracted from these papers were used to identify themes and research focuses. The authors then used the scoring results to select notable papers and trends presented in this manuscript. Results: The search phase identified 263 potential papers and central themes of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), machine learning, and bioinformatics were examined in greater detail. Conclusions: When addressing a once in a centruy pandemic, scientists worldwide answered the call, with informaticians playing a critical role. Productivity and innovations reached new heights in both TBI and science, but significant research gaps remain.

Biomedical informatics: characterization of the offer of massive open online courses

“…Las barreras culturales y lingüísticas afectan al uso extensivo de estos cursos en diferentes contextos, ya que acaban siendo utilizados mayoritariamente por personas que ya tienen un acceso adecuado a la oferta educativa [7,20]. El conocimiento del inglés es crucial en algunos países como herramienta para mejorar sus economías, y algunos gobiernos están promoviendo políticas para mejorar el dominio de este idioma en su población [21,22]. Sin embargo, el escenario actual de escaso número de recursos humanos formados en informática biomédica hace necesario mejorar la oferta lingüística de estos cursos.…”