New tools & research strategies in personalized health

Summary

Content

This course adopts a multidisciplinary approach to explore key aspects of personalized health. Following six to seven weeks of ex cathedra lectures delivered by renowned experts covering a broad range of topics, students will form groups of four-five. Under the guidance of a PI and TAs acting as a coaches, each group will investigate a specific problem, analyze its underlying factors, and propose potential solutions. The course will culminate in an oral defense of the project.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of the course, the student will be able to:

• Identify and explain the core principles of personalized health
• Discuss new technologies within the context of personalized health

Transversal skills

• Write clear and structured scientific or technical reports
• Deliver effective oral presentations
• Apply appropriate work methodologies and collaborate effectively within a team
• Receive and respond to feedback in a constructive manner
• Monitor progress against a defined plan and adjust it as needed
• Collect, organize, and interpret relevant data
• Persevere through challenges or initial setbacks to identify optimal solutions
• Use both general-purpose and domain-specific IT tools and resources

Teaching methods

A combination of ex-cathedra lectures, discussions, personalized coaching, group project work, and an oral defense of the final project.

Expected student activities

• Attend all lectures
• Actively participate in class discussions
• Collaborate effectively within a small group
• Contribute to the preparation and development of a group project
• Present and defend the project in an oral examination

Assessment methods

Written Component:
An individual mid-term assessment in the form of a multiple-choice questionnaire (MCQ), based on lecture content.

Oral Component:
Group presentation of the project, evaluated on the following criteria:

• Quality and clarity of the slides
• Clarity and depth of the oral presentation
• Ability to respond to questions
• Evidence of balanced contribution among group members in the preparation and delivery of the presentation

Project Component:
Assessed based on:

• Relevance to the field of personalized health
• Clear explanation of the scientific and/or clinical background
• Coherent research strategy
• Ability to use feedback from the teaching team
• Integration of a multidisciplinary perspective

Supervision

Office hours -> No
Assistants -> Yes
Other -> Coach and contact persons for project

Resources

Bibliography: No prerequisite
Notes/Handbook: When possible, copies of the slides will be provided

Marc Friedli & Jacques Fellay

15.15-16.00
Marc Friedli, Scientist, Unit of Precision Medicine, EPFL
New tools and research technologies in personalized health: Introduction

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16.15-17.00
Gaia Barazzetti, Research Ethics Compliance Officer, Research Office, EPFL
Ethical and social issues in personalized health 1/2

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17.15-18.00
Nathalie Brandenberg, Scientist, van der Goot lab, EPFL; Co-Founder, SUN bioscience SA and Doppl SA
The Role of Organoids in Precision Health

15.15-17.00 
Olivier Michielin, Head of the Oncology Department at the Geneva University Hospitals (HUG)
TBD

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17.15-19.00
Mina Bjelogrlic, Head of Machine Learning, Human-Machine Interfaces in clinical settings Group, UNIGE
Leveraging Electronic Health Records, Medical Knowledge, and Information Technologies for Medical Discoveries

15.15-16.00
Raphael Gottardo, Director, Translational Biomedical Data Science Group @ CHUV & Full Professor in the Faculty of Biology and Medicine @ UNIL
Leveraging Single-Cell and Spatial Data for Personalized Health: A Computational Perspective

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16.15-18.00
Caroline Samer, Pharmacogenomics and Personalised Therapy Unit, HUG & UNIGE
Pharmacogenomics & personalized therapies: the right drug at the right dose for the right patient

No class scheduled—group work can be completed at your convenience.

Group Work 2/3

No class scheduled—group work can be completed at your convenience.

Group Work 3/3

No class scheduled—group work can be completed at your convenience.

15.00-19.00
Exam: Group presentations 2/2