Education Workshop:
Navigating Biobank Data: Advanced Strategies for Genetic Epidemiology Research
August 31, 2025| 1:00 – 6:00 PM | Cologne, Germany
The Workshop is open to everyone. The cost to attend is $75 US.
Agenda
(subject to modification)
1:00 – 1:10 PM | Welcome and Opening Remarks
- Overview of the workshop goals
- Speaker introductions
1:10 – 2:10 PM | Session 1: Biobank Design and Data Access – From Data to Insight
This session provides foundational knowledge on the construction and content of modern biobanks, with a focus on linked EHR and -omics data curation.
Topics:
- Principles of biobank design: Sampling strategies and generalizability
- Phenotype data collection via EHRs, surveys, and clinical measurements
- Omics generation, pipelines quality control, and integration of omics/phenotype data
- Challenges in standardization and ethical considerations
- How to access biobank datasets
5 Minute Break
2:15 – 3:45 PM | Session 2: Methodological Advances in Genetic Epidemiology at Biobank-Scale
This session explores state-of-the-art statistical and computational approaches and tools to analyze large-scale biobank data.
Topics:
- Overview of analysis platforms: Key functionalities and limitations of common biobank analysis platforms
- Addressing data access, security, and reproducibility: Ensuring robust and transparent research practices
- Efficient computational workflows for biobank-scale analysis
- Causal inference in biobank data: Mendelian Randomization and simulated trials
3:45 – 4:00 PM | Coffee Break
4:00 – 4:45 PM | Session 3: Computational Approaches for Cross-Biobank Analysis
This session highlights scalable and reproducible methods for analyzing data across the biobanks.
Topics:
- Cross-biobank harmonization
- Handling population stratification, relatedness, heterogeneity and batch effects: Methods to ensure robust analyses
- Tools and platforms for federated analysis: Enabling collaborative research without data sharing
- Scalable computational approaches and pipelines for cross-biobank analysis
4:45 – 5:30 PM | Session 4: Practical Tutorial – A Walkthrough of Cross-Biobank Analysis
A tutorial to guide participants through a cross-biobank analysis workflow, including setup, challenges, and reproducibility.
5:30 – 6:00 PM | Panel Discussion + Q&A: Future Directions in Biobank-Based Research
A closing discussion with all speakers on challenges, innovations, and training needs in the era of biobank-driven discovery.
Topics:
- Preparing trainees for data-intensive research
- Cross-country collaboration and harmonization
- The evolving role of AI and machine learning in biobank studies
- Open Q&A
Workshop Speakers
Bios coming soon!
Session 1:
- Dr. Natalia Rivera, Karolinska Institutet
- Dr. Callie Zaborenko, Indiana University School of Medicine
Session 2:
- Dr. Reedik Mägi, University of Tartu
- Dr. Krista Fischer, University of Tartu
Session 3:
- Dr. Xihao Li, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Session 4:
- Dr. Jacob Williams, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
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