How do I get started?
Check out our current list of research projects: CHIME-in Student Opportunities in Public Health – Center for Health Informatics
If any of the projects listed appeal to you, submit an interest form. You will then schedule a 15-minute meeting with CHI Director, Dr. Ian Brooks to discuss current project openings. You will work together to choose a project which a) could use a student with your skills, and b) currently has an opening.
Even if none of the listed projects excite you, it’s worth submitting an interest form! Sometimes CHI has projects in development which are not yet public but would benefit from student help.
Do I need to be a current University of Illinois student?
You do not need to be a current student, but you do need an active University of Illinois NetID to be able to access the project management platform.
What are the benefits of researching with the Center for Health Informatics (CHI)?
You get to use your skills to contribute on projects of practical importance to WHO and other public health agencies. You will gain experience working with real data and interacting with domain experts.
Students also may choose to receive course credit for their participation in CHI research. Please see the options for course registration vs. volunteering with CHIME-in below.
Opportunities for Graduate students to work with CHI
| IS 579 | CHIME-in | |
| Work with WHO, CDC, etc. | ✔ | ✔ |
| Work on your own project | ✔ | ✖ |
| Academic credit | ✔ | ✖ |
| Length | Semester | Open |
| Starts | January, May, August | Anytime |
| Open to non iSchool/INFO students | ✖ | ✔ |
Opportunities for Undergraduate students to work with CHI
| IS 189 | IS 389 | INFO 199 | INFO 399 | CHIME-in | |
| Work with WHO, CDC, etc. | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Work on your own project | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✖ |
| Academic credit | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✖ |
| Length | Semester | Semester | Semester | Semester | Open |
| Starts | Jan, Aug | Jan, Aug | Jan, Aug | Jan, Aug | Anytime |
| Open to BSIS Students | ✔ | ✔ | ✖ | ✖ | ✔ |
| Open to INFO minor students | ✖ | ✖ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Open to non iSchool/INFO students | ✖ | ✖ | ✖ | ✖ | ✔ |
Are there assistantships available to work on CHIME-in projects?
No. CHIME-in does not offer paid research opportunities.
What is expected of CHIME-in student researchers?
Time Commitment
If you are taking a research course for credit, the commitment is the university-wide standard of 48 hours per semester for each credit hour.
We ask that CHIME-in volunteers commit a minimum of 2 hours/week on average.
Regular Meetings
Research teams will meet on a weekly basis. The entire CHI program will meet once per month: at that meeting, each research team will summarize their progress in a short presentation.
Reports
Students are expected to provide a written report at the end of the semester. The written reports vary in length and formality based on the nature of the participation – class or volunteer.
Who will I be working with?
Students may work alone or in a larger group, but typically teams are small (2-3 people) and composed of a mix of undergraduates and graduate students.
Most students will also work directly or indirectly with an external partner. Recent teams have worked with WHO, CDC, Champaign-Urbana Public Health District, the Ministry of Health of Burkina Faso, Scientific Animations Without Borders, the University of Cape Town, and others.
How will I interact with external partners?
This varies greatly with the partner, from them joining weekly team meetings, to occasional email exchanges and the final report.
What skills do I need?
Project teams may require expertise in data science, public health, medicine, and foreign languages. Data science needs will range from Excel to machine learning.
What programming language do I need to use?
It is possible to meaningfully contribute to a project without coding at all. Most projects do not have a required language. We prefer that you focus on the details of the project and use whatever language you are comfortable with. Many students use Python or R.
How long will the project last?
Projects typically last a few months. Some are ongoing.
Who will lead the projects?
Project teams will be student-run with oversight from University of Illinois faculty.
Are there leadership opportunities?
Yes. Each team will be led on a day-to-day basis by students.