University of Texas at Austin

Cross-
Cutting
Research Area

Computational Medicine

Modeling the Individuality of Health and Disease for More Accurate Decision Making

A Patient-Centric Approach - Providing Diagnosis and Treatment Tailored to Each Individual

Through its advanced mathematical and simulation approaches, computational medicine can build models of human physiology with unprecedented accuracy - from the cellular level to the entire body.

An Overview: Computational Medicine

What is Computational Medicine?

Computational Medicine uses advanced mathematical and simulation approaches to model the human body in a spectrum ranging from the molecule to the organ to the entire body and ultimately, to the health care system. To accurately represent such complex systems, the models need to capture the individuality of health and disease for accurate decision making at all levels. Ranging from the patient to the policy, these require state-of-the-art computational capabilities to make them a reality. The models can be theory–, knowledge–, or data–driven, or any combination of the three.

Current research areas

Research is multifaceted, ranging from foundational advances in theory, methods and algorithms, to real-world impact in societal grand challenge problems.

medical imaging

Medical imaging

molecular biophysics

Molecular biophysics

cardiovascular-science

Cardiovascular Science

neuroscience

Neuroscience

oncology

Oncology

Genomic dataset analysis

Genomic dataset analysis

Computational Medicine Portfolio

Portfolio programs promote cross-disciplinary scholarship and study by bringing together faculty and students from a variety of disciplines whose interests transcend the boundaries of traditional academic departments. The Computational Medicine Portfolio will provide an opportunity for UT Austin graduate students to pursue a program of study that will prepare them to interact and collaborate with members of the medical community on interdisciplinary, cutting-edge research.

Working with partners

The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Oden Institute’s Center for Computational Oncology, led by Dr. Tom Yankeelov, and TACC are working together to find new cancer treatments through integrating oncological data with mechanism-based modeling techniques. MD Anderson is one of the world's largest and most respected centers devoted exclusively to cancer patient care, research, education and prevention. Read more about our collaborations.

The Willerson Center for Cardiovascular Modeling and Simulation, led by Dr. Michael Sacks, at Oden Institute has been a long-standing partner of the Texas Heart institute (THI). The THI is recognized internationally for research programs in cardiology, cardiovascular surgery, regenerative medicine and pathology. The partnership with the Oden Institute is underpinned by research to advance computational modeling of the cardiovascular system with a view to providing tailored care for each individual patient suffering from heart disease — the number one cause of death worldwide.

Centers and Groups

To learn more about projects and people in Computational Medicine, explore the centers and groups with research activities in this cross-cutting research area.

Center for Computational Oncology

Willerson Center for Cardiovascular Modeling and Simulation

Center for Computational Life Sciences and Biology

News in brief

Research on Heart Function Wins Best Student Presentation Award at CMBBE

News

June 1, 2023

Research on Heart Function Wins Best Student Presentation Award at CMBBE

Shruti Motiwale won the Best Student Presentation Award at the International Symposium on Computer Methods in Biomechanics and Biomedical Engineering (CMBBE).

Motiwale is a graduate student working with the Willerson Center for Cardiovascular Modeling and Simulation at the Oden Institute.

Read more

Work-Life Balance - Profile Ally Richardson

Profile

Feb. 15, 2023

Work-Life Balance - Profile Ally Richardson

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Willerson Center Graduate Student Awarded AHA Fellowship

News

Jan. 13, 2023

Willerson Center Graduate Student Awarded AHA Fellowship

  • Natalie Simonian awarded a predoctoral fellowship from the American Heart Association
  • Her research is in developing 3D models of patients' heart valves from ultrasound imaging.

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Lung, Breast and Colorectal Cancer Tackled in Latest Texas Computational Oncology Collaboration.

News

Oct. 12, 2022

Lung, Breast and Colorectal Cancer Tackled in Latest Texas Computational Oncology Collaboration.

  • Three new cancer research projects chosen to receive seed funding as part of program in Oncological Data and Computational Science
  • Third round of seed funding from collaboration between Oden Institute, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, and Texas Advanced Computing Center 

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Willerson Center Postdoctoral Researcher Wins NIH Fellowship

News

Oct. 10, 2022

Willerson Center Postdoctoral Researcher Wins NIH Fellowship

  • Ruth L. Kirschstein Fellowship designed to support highly promising postdoctoral candidates with the potential to significantly advance the study of health
  • Postdoc chosen for her research on uncovering the cellular basis for aortic valve disease

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Tom Yankeelov Wins Best Lecture Award

News

Oct. 7, 2022

Tom Yankeelov Wins Best Lecture Award

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Making A Real Impact - Profile Casey Stowers

Profile

Sept. 13, 2022

Making A Real Impact - Profile Casey Stowers

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The Peter O’Donnell Jr. Postdoctoral Research Fellows 2022-2023

Feature

Sept. 12, 2022

The Peter O’Donnell Jr. Postdoctoral Research Fellows 2022-2023

  • O’Donnell Postdoctoral Fellowship provides funding for outstanding graduates to perform high-level, computational research with exceptional faculty in an interdisciplinary environment
  • Five new postdoctoral researchers join the Oden Institute community for the 2022-2023 academic year

Read more

Postdoc Wins Prestigious H. D. Landahl Mathematical Biophysics Award

News

July 22, 2022

Postdoc Wins Prestigious H. D. Landahl Mathematical Biophysics Award

  • Award given once every four years to a single postdoctoral fellow
  • Chengyue Wu chosen for her extremely creative and high impact contributions for diagnosing breast cancer and predicting its response to therapy

Read more

Media Coverage

July 21, 2022

Michael Sacks featured in Austin American Statesman

Read more at statesman

New Collaborative Biomechanical Breast Modeling Project

News

June 17, 2022

New Collaborative Biomechanical Breast Modeling Project

  • Sacks received $3.7 million R01 grant from NIH to develop an accurate biomechanical model for breast cancer
  • Collaborative effort with MD Anderson Cancer Center and UT Austin's Department of Aerospace Engineering and Engineering Mechanics

Read more

Oden Institute Recognizes 2021-2022 Graduates

News

June 16, 2022

Oden Institute Recognizes 2021-2022 Graduates

  • Event honored 16 students that graduated in May 2022, as well as eight other students who graduated throughout the 2021-2022 academic year
  • "Congratulations to all our PhD and Master's graduate students. Collectively, you represent an incredible set of accomplishments spanning computing, applied mathematics, statistics, machine learning, engineering, science, geoscience, and medicine."

Read more

Oden Institute Awards Ceremony 2022

Feature

May 18, 2022

Oden Institute Awards Ceremony 2022

  • Awards Ceremony finally held in-person after two years of hiatus from COVID  
  • Staff, students and faculty celebrated and recognized for their significant contributions throughout the year

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Tackling Science’s Grand Challenges

News

May 18, 2022

Tackling Science’s Grand Challenges

  • Five successful applicants gain the opportunity to tackle some of society's most pressing challenges 
  • Researchers will take on a broad range of challenges - from water efficiencies, materials science at the exascale,  the development of more energy-efficient algorithms, as well as advancing individualized care for breast cancer patients     

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Changing The Cancer Equation

News

May 17, 2022

Changing The Cancer Equation

  • New research collaboration will integrate two emerging disciplines — computational oncology and machine learning — to transform the future of cancer care
  • Project only made possible thanks to the generosity of Dheeraj and Swapna Pandey

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CSEM Student Awarded NSF Graduate Research Fellowship

News

April 21, 2022

CSEM Student Awarded NSF Graduate Research Fellowship

  • Casey Stowers awarded NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (NSF-GRFP)
  • Her research exploring methods for incorporating genetic data into a multi-scale mathematical model of tumor growth has broad implications for computational science generally

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Barbara Wohlmuth Elected to German National Academy of Sciences

News

April 12, 2022

Barbara Wohlmuth Elected to German National Academy of Sciences

  • Significant honor puts Wohlmuth in the company of scientific figures like Albert Einstein, Max Planck, Charles Darwin and Marie Curie
  • Her election to the German National Academy of Sciences - as a computational applied mathematician – establishes the field as a principal core area for scientific knowledge

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UT Austin and MD Anderson Awarded CPRIT Funding to Advance Oncological Data and Computational Science Collaboration

News

March 2, 2022

UT Austin and MD Anderson Awarded CPRIT Funding to Advance Oncological Data and Computational Science Collaboration

  • David Hormuth and Caroline Chung awarded funding to further cancer research collaboration
  • Research will model effects of therapies on brain cancer patients, incorporating patient-specific data with the aim of enabling personalized treatment

 

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Computational Medicine – A Campus Wide Collaboration

Feature

Feb. 10, 2022

Computational Medicine – A Campus Wide Collaboration

  • New Graduate Portfolio in Computational Medicine combines novel and existing courses from across UT Austin to create a unique program in a rapidly expanding medical field
  • "The practicing physician of the future needs to be able to understand how to think about data: how to visualize, interpret and accurately predict patient outcomes” 

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Collaboration on Data and Computational Sciences Announces 2021-2022 Projects to Advance Cancer Breakthroughs

News

Nov. 10, 2021

Collaboration on Data and Computational Sciences Announces 2021-2022 Projects to Advance Cancer Breakthroughs

  • Second round of funded projects announced in cooperative research and educational program in Oncological Data and Computational Sciences
  • Latest projects include new ways for identifying, characterizing and treating prostate cancer, blood-related cancer, liver cancer and skin cancer

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New UT research predicts effectiveness of breast cancer treatments — here’s how

Media Coverage

Oct. 14, 2021

New UT research predicts effectiveness of breast cancer treatments — here’s how

Read more at kxan

Technique Predicts Tumor Response to Cancer Therapy

News

Oct. 5, 2021

Technique Predicts Tumor Response to Cancer Therapy

  • Public/private collaboration led by UT Austin uses new mathematical modeling technique to predict response of tumors in breast cancer patients to first-line therapies
  • Research is “culmination of several years of work in a public-private partnership”  including Oden Institute, BME, Dell Med, Texas Oncology, Dell Seton Medical Center and Austin Radiological Association

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How surgeons are using new technology to get inside brain cancer and destroy it

Media Coverage

Sept. 22, 2021

How surgeons are using new technology to get inside brain cancer and destroy it

Read more at wqad

Oden Institute Joins the Forty for 40 Party

News

Sept. 22, 2021

Oden Institute Joins the Forty for 40 Party

  • First time Oden Institute participates in 40 hours for the Forty Acres  
  • Annual UT Austin fundraising event now in its ninth year

Read more at utexas

Introducing The 2021 Fellowship…

Feature

Aug. 31, 2021

Introducing The 2021 Fellowship…

  • 2021 Peter O'Donnell, Jr. Postdoctoral Fellows bring variety of new skillsets and diverse research interests
  • Scope of projects range from computational modeling at atomic scale to development of tsunami simulation techniques

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Thomas Hughes Honored by Japan Association for Computational Mechanics

News

Aug. 30, 2021

Thomas Hughes Honored by Japan Association for Computational Mechanics

  • Peter O'Donnell, Jr. Chair in Computational and Applied Mathematics inducted with Tayfun Tezduyar from Rice University
  • Tezduyar and Hughes first non-Japanese so honored by JACM

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Shashank Subramanian Awarded BGCE Student Paper Prize at SIAM CSE 2021

News

March 19, 2021

Shashank Subramanian Awarded BGCE Student Paper Prize at SIAM CSE 2021

  • 27-year-old PhD student working at the Center for Computational Oncology with Dr. George Biros.
  • Subramanian was awarded BGCE Student Paper Prize for paper entitled, “A scalable inversion framework for brain tumor growth models in personalized medicine.”

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Modeling The Fate Of A Blood Clot

News

March 10, 2021

Modeling The Fate Of A Blood Clot

  • Rausch to work on five year proposal
  • 'Towards a Fundamental Understanding of Why Thrombus Dissolves, Persists, or Breaks Off'

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Computational Medicine — Moving from Uncertainty to Precision

News

Feb. 12, 2021

Computational Medicine — Moving from Uncertainty to Precision

  • Collaboration between Dell Med, Oden Institute, TACC, industry, government establishes Texas as computational medicine leader
  • Interdisciplinary research group provides a unique combination of resources

Read more at tacc.utexas

UT Austin and MD Anderson Collaboration to End Cancer Welcomed Enthusiastically by State and Federal Stakeholders

News

Nov. 3, 2020

UT Austin and MD Anderson Collaboration to End Cancer Welcomed Enthusiastically by State and Federal Stakeholders

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UT Austin, MD Anderson Announce First Collaborative Projects in United Fight to End Cancer

News

Oct. 19, 2020

UT Austin, MD Anderson Announce First Collaborative Projects in United Fight to End Cancer

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Oden Institute Welcomes Two New Faculty to UT Austin

News

Sept. 17, 2020

Oden Institute Welcomes Two New Faculty to UT Austin

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Computational Modeling Techniques Enable Unprecedented Visualizations of Heart Valve Implant Behavior

News

July 31, 2020

Computational Modeling Techniques Enable Unprecedented Visualizations of Heart Valve Implant Behavior

Read more