We have established a community of CCOM Informaticists who are applying these skills in their work at UIHC and collaborative research on campus. You are invited to join us with presentations, journal clubs, and other activities. Previous meeting information and links to recorded presentations may be found here.
Biomedical and Health Informatics Community Meeting
March 12, 2026 | 12:00-1:00 pm CST | via Zoom (campus colleagues may request the link)
Advancing Maternal Health Through Translational Research and Machine Learning
Mark Santillan, MD, PhD, FACOG, FAHA
Clinical Research Director, Maternal Fetal Tissue Bank
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology
University of Iowa Health Care
Join us for an inspiring seminar featuring Dr. Mark Santillan, Clinical Research Director of the Maternal Fetal Tissue Bank at University of Iowa Health Care. Dr. Santillan, alongside his research partner and colleague, Donna Santillan, PhD, has built one of the nation’s most impactful maternal-fetal biobanks—now housing hundreds of thousands of samples that are fueling breakthroughs in pregnancy health. Their work is transforming how researchers study conditions such as preeclampsia, environmental exposures, and the lifelong health impacts of pregnancy on both mothers and children.
A leader in translational science, Dr. Santillan brings extensive expertise in clinical data acquisition, molecular biology, and large-cohort research. As the Principal Investigator of the Population project of the University of Iowa American Heart Association Strategically Focused Research Network in Hypertension, he developed the statewide PREDICTV network, enabling prenatal providers across Iowa to contribute clinical data and biospecimens from a diverse patient population. His career, rooted in early research experiences at Loyola University Chicago, reflects a deep commitment to understanding the mechanisms behind high risk pregnancies and uncovering the biological underpinnings of conditions modern medicine still struggles to explain.
Dr. Santillan will share findings from his recent publication in the American Journal of Physiology–Heart and Circulatory Physiology, which explores how pregnancy places profound physiological stress on the maternal cardiovascular system. In this work, he and his colleagues examine how machine learning can improve our understanding of cardiovascular adaptations during pregnancy and enhance prediction of pregnancy related cardiovascular complications—now one of the most rapidly rising contributors to maternal mortality. Attendees will gain insight into emerging ML platforms, challenges related to model interpretation and bias, and the vital ethical considerations that accompany the integration of AI in maternal health research.
Clinical Informatics Journal Club
The Clinical Informatics Journal Club, also hosted by Dr. Lindsey Knake, is incorporated into the clinical informatics lectures. For more information, please contact clinical informatics.
Announcements
Upcoming Conferences
- EPIC XGM Expert Group Meetings, April 27 - May 8, 2026 Verona, Wisconsin
- Call for Presentations Preview Document
- AMIA Amplify Informatics Conference, May 18 - 21, 2026, Denver, CO
- For the first time, AMIA is uniting the Clinical Informatics Conference and the Informatics Summit into one comprehensive spring event
- The AMIA Student Volunteer Program offers waived conference registration to a limited number of current AMIA student members - applications due March 18, 2026
- AMIA Annual Symposium, November 7 - 11, 2026, Dallas, TX
- Call for Submissions Deadline: March 10, 2026
Upcoming Biomedical and Health Informatics Seminars
- April 9, 2026 - Anna Krupp
- May 14, 2026 - Aamer Imdad
- June 11, 2026 - Lemuel Benedict Non
- July 9, 2026 - Heath Davis
If you are interested to present your research at future meetings, please contact Lindsey Knake or Marian Carson.
Program Director
Dr. Lindsey Knake, MD, MS
Director, Biomedical & Health Informatics Development
lindsey-knake@uiowa.edu
(319) 353-6368