Tezcan Ozrazgat-Baslanti, Ph.D., a research assistant professor in the division of nephrology, hypertension, and renal transplantation in the College of Medicine at the University of Florida, received a 4-year, $499,364 K01 funding award from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases to develop algorithms for assessing kidney health using electronic health records in the OneFlorida Data Trust.
“In this study, we will develop and validate a phenotyping algorithm that determines computable phenotypes of changes in kidney health and graphical models that predicts transition through the states of kidney health using highly granular electronic health records. This will provide the foundation for changes in the care of patients with acute kidney injury, through identification of those patients at risk of developing acute kidney injury, and progressing to acute and chronic kidney disease.” said Ozrazgat-Baslanti.
Ozrazgat-Baslanti works with the Precision and Intelligence in Medicine partnership (PRISMAP) research group and the Sepsis and Critical Illness Research Center at UF Health, where she has collaborated with other faculty members to develop algorithms that can predict risks for kidney and postoperative complications after surgery.
Azra Bihorac, M.D., a professor of medicine and surgery in the UF College of Medicine, will serve as Ozrazgat-Baslanti’s primary mentor. Other mentors include Mark S. Segal, M.D., Ph.D., professor and chief in the division of nephrology at UF Health; Babette Brumback, Ph.D., professor in biostatistics at UF Health; Panos M. Pardalos, Ph.D., a professor in industrial and systems engineering at UF; and Betsy Shenkman, Ph.D., chair of the department of health outcomes & biomedical informatics in the College of Medicine at UF Health and principal investigator of the OneFlorida Clinical Research Consortium.
“Dr. Baslanti is among the first faculty members trained in data science to receive a K01 award led by a successful multi-disciplinary team of mentors,” Bihorac said. “This is a huge step toward our vision of creating a future biomedical research force that’s trained to handle the emergence of big data, artificial intelligence and informatics in medicine.”
Ozrazgat-Baslanti’s grant award marks another important milestone for UF Health and OneFlorida, according to Bihorac.
“Female data scientists are rare and unrepresented in the field at both the local and national level. This is a huge step toward our goal of increasing the diversity of the workforce,” Bihorac said.