The Big Data-Scientist Training Enhancement Program (BD-STEP) was launched by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), in collaboration with the National Cancer Institute (NCI), on September 28, 2015.
Junior-level physical scientist trainees from accredited programs in relevant disciplines will be identified by the National Cancer Institute's Center for Strategic Initiatives (CSSI). BD-STEP matches trainees with VA medical centers across the country to leverage VA data systems, supporting clinically-relevant, year-long training and research opportunities in collaboration with VA clinician scientists.
Approved sites provide graduate-level training in clinical, health services, and/or bioinformatics research for trainees who have demonstrated experience in bioinformatics, modeling, and management of large data sets. Each site provides an overview of how they understand and apply big data in their clinical research setting, including the ethical and legal implications; how data are generated in the course of providing clinical care and how those data are aggregated at local, regional, and national levels; and how BD-STEP trainees will participate in a research project involving such data. More information on the national BD-STEP program is available on the Office of Research & Development BD-STEP webpage.
The BD-STEP program at the VA Palo Alto Health Care System is led by Todd Wagner, PhD and Jennifer Lee, MD, PhD. Fellows at VA Palo Alto will have structured mentoring, in addition to their Stanford (or other academic institution) mentor(s), with VA Palo Alto clinicians and research investigators to gain direct understanding about clinical care and the tremendous capabilities of big healthcare data to impact patient care and the health care system.
BD-STEP fellows will participate in a multi-day "data bootcamp" which orients trainees to the VA's electronic health record databases and excellent network of clinicians, researchers, and operational clinical managers who can facilitate important aspects of the fellow's projects. The VA Data Bootcamp schedule is available here.
Potential mentors are listed below. A list of mentor's previous cancer-related research projects can be found here. The VA Palo Alto BD-STEP fellows and a brief description of some projects can be found here.
Interested in applying for the BD-STEP Fellowship? Visit the Office of Research & Development BD-STEP webpage or contact HERC at HERC@va.gov.
VA Palo Alto BD-STEP Fellowship Co-Directors
Todd Wagner, PhD. Co-Director, BD-STEP Fellowship. Director, VA Health Economics Resource Center (HERC). Professor (Research) of Surgery and (by courtesy) of Health Policy, Stanford University.
Jennifer S. Lee, MD, PhD. Co-Director, BD-STEP Fellowship. Associate Professor of Medicine (Endocrinology, Gerontology, Metabolism) and by courtesy, of Epidemiology and Population Health. Associate Chief of Staff - Research (ACOS-R), VA Palo Alto Health Care System. Chief Medical Officer, Palo Alto VA Cooperative Studies Program Coordinating Center. Staff Physician, Medical Services, VA Palo Alto.
VA Palo Alto BD-STEP Fellowship Potential Mentors
Russ B. Altman, MD, PhD. Kenneth Fong Professor and Professor of Bioengineering, of Genetics, of Medicine (General Medical Discipline), of Biomedical Data Science, and (by courtesy) of Computer Science.
Steven M. Asch, MD. Professor of Medicine (Primary Care and Population Health), and (by courtesy) of Health Policy. Associate Dean for Research, Stanford School of Medicine. Associate Chief of Staff of Clinical Effectiveness, VA Palo Alto Health Care System. Vice-Chief for Research, Stanford Division of Primary Care and Population Health.
Laurence (Loren) Baker, MA, PhD. Bing Professor of Human Biology, Health Research & Policy, Stanford University. Senior Fellow, Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research (SIEPR) and Professor (by courtesy) of Economics.
James D. Brooks, MD. Keith and Jan Hurlbut Professor of Urology, Stanford University. Director, U54 Stanford O'Brien Urology Research Center. Vice Chair, Department of Urology.
Carlos Bustamante, PhD, MS. Adjunct Professor, Biomedical Data Science Department, Stanford University.
David Chan, MD, PhD. Associate Professor of Health Policy and Senior Fellow at the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research (SIEPR). Investigator, Department of Veterans Affairs. Faculty Research Fellow, National Bureau of Economic Research.
Catherine Curtin, MD. Chief of Hand Surgery, VA Palo Alto Health Care System. Professor of Surgery (Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery) and (by courtesy) of Orthopaedic Surgery, Stanford University.
Millie Das, MD. Clinical Associate Professor, Department of Medicine, Stanford University. Chair, VA Thoracic Tumor Board, VA Palo Alto Health Care System. Associate Program Director, Stanford Oncology Program. Chair, VA Cancer Care Committee, VA Palo Alto Health Care System. Chief, Oncology, VA Palo Alto Health Care System.
Oliver Dorigo, MD, PhD. Director and Associate Professor, Stanford Obstetrics and Gynecology, Division of Gynecologic Oncology, Stanford University. Director, Stanford Gynecologic Oncology Clinical Care Program. Director Mary Lake Polan Gynecologic Oncology Research Laboratory Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Stanford University.
Kritee Gujral, PhD. Health Economist, Health Economics Resource Center (HERC), VA Palo Alto Health Care System.
Mary Hawn, MD, MPH, FACS. Emile Holman Professor of Surgery and Chair, Department of Surgery, Stanford University. Staff Surgeon, VA Palo Alto Health Care System.
Tina Hernandez-Boussard, PhD, MS, MPH. Associate Dean of Research and Professor of Medicine (Biomedical Informatics), Biomedical Data Sciences, Surgery and Epidemiology & Population Health (by courtesy), Stanford University.
John Leppert, MD, MS. Professor of Urology and (by courtesy) of Nephrology, Department of Urology, Stanford University. Chief of Urology, VA Palo Alto Health Care System. Director of Urologic Oncology, VA Palo Alto Health Care System.
Lawrence Leung, MD. Maureen Lyles D'Ambrogio Professor of Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine.
Jan Liphardt, PhD. Associate Professor, Bioengineering, Stanford University. Founder, CancerBase.org.
Karl Lorenz, MD, MSHS. Section Chief, VA Palo Alto-Stanford Palliative Care Program. General Internal Medicine and Palliative Care Consultant, VA Palo Alto. Professor, Stanford University School of Medicine.
Parag Mallick, PhD. Associate Professor (Research), Department of Radiology, Stanford University.
Arash Momeni, MD. Assistant Professor of Surgery (Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery), Stanford University. Director, Clinical Outcomes Research, Division of Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery, Stanford University. Ryan-Upson Scholar in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Division of Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery, Stanford University.
Arden M. Morris, MD, MPH, FACS. Professor of Surgery and (by courtesy) of Health Policy, Stanford University. Vice Chair for Clinical Research, Stanford School of Medicine Department of Surgery. Director, Stanford-Surgery Policy Improvement Research and Education Center, Stanford School of Medicine Department of Surgery. Attending Surgeon, Division of General Surgery, VA Palo Alto Health Care System. Adjunct Professor, Departments of Surgery and Family Medicine, University of Michigan.
Mark Musen, MD, PhD. Professor of Medicine (Biomedical Informatics), Stanford University School of Medicine. Director, Stanford Center for Biomedical Informatics Research, Stanford University School of Medicine.
Lorene Nelson, PhD, MS. Associate Professor of Epidemiology and Population Health, Stanford University. Faculty Director of Research, Stanford Center for Population Health Sciences.
Lesley S. Park, PhD, MPH. Senior Research Scientist, Epidemiology and Population Health, Stanford University. Co-Chari, Cancer Core and COVID-19 Core, Veterans Aging Cohort Study. Founding Co-Director, Stanford Population Health Summer Research Program.
Suzann Pershing, MD, MS. Chief, Ophthalmology and Eye Care Services, VA Palo Alto Health Care System. Vice Chair for Education, Stanford Univesrity Department of Opthamology. Associate Professor of Ophthalmology, Byers Eye Institute at Stanford University School of Medicine.
Liam Rose, PhD. Health Economist, Health Economics Resource Center (HERC), VA Palo Alto Health Care System.
Sherri Rose, PhD. Professor of Health Policy, Stanford University. Founding Co-Director, Stanford Population Health Summer Research Program.
Maya Rossin-Slater, PhD. Associate Professor of Health Policy and Associate Professor (by courtesy) of Economics, Stanford University. Senior Fellow, Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research (SIEPR).
Nigam H. Shah, MBBS, PhD. Associate Professor of Medicine (Biomedical Informatics Research) and of Biomedical Data Science, Stanford University. Chief Data Scientist, Stanford Healthcare.
Michael Snyder, PhD. Stanford W. Ascherman Professor of Genetics. Chair, Department of Genetics, and Director of Center of Genomics and Personalized Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine.
Leslee L. Subak, MD. Katharine Dexter McCormick and Stanley McCormick Memorial Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Professor (by courtesy) of Urology, Stanford University. Chair, Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Stanford University School of Medicine.
Alex Sox-Harris, PhD, MS. Core Investigator, Center for Innovation to Implementation (Ci2i), VA Palo Alto Health Care System. Professor (Research) of Surgery, Stanford University School of Medicine.
Suzanne Tamang, PhD, MS. Assistant Professor of Medicine, Immunology and Rheumatology, Stanford University School of Medicine. Computational Systems Evaluation Lead, Program Evaluation Resource Center (PERC), Office of Mental Health and Suicide Prevention, VA. Faculty Fellow, Stanford Center for Population Health Sciences.
Diem Tran, PhD, MPP. Health Economist, Health Economics Resource Center (HERC), VA Palo Alto Health Care System.
Philip S. Tsao, PhD. Professor (Research) of Medicine (Cardiovascular Medicine), Stanford University School of Medicine.
Anita Vashi, MD, MPH, MHS. Physician investigator, Center for Innovation to Implementation (Ci2i), VA Palo Alto Health Care System. Assistant Professor, Department of Emergency Medicine at UCSF and Stanford University (affiliated).
Wing Hung Wong, PhD, MS. Stephen R. Pierce Family Goldman Sachs Professor of Science and Human Health and Professor of Biomedical Data Science, Stanford University. K
Donna Zulman, MS, MD. Associate Professor, Medicine, Stanford University. Associate Director, Center for Innovation to Implementation (Ci2i), VA Palo Alto Health Care System.
Last Updated: March 19, 2024