About CB2

Since its founding, the Center for Biomedical Informatics and Biostatistics (CB2) has played a pivotal role in supporting the university’s clinical research mission by offering cutting-edge informatics and biostatistics resources. From its inception, the center has prioritized the development and application of innovative tools for clinical data management, biospecimen handling, and statistical consultation. Over the years, CB2 has grown its impact, initially serving the Tucson campus and later expanding to provide support to researchers across the Phoenix campus as well.

By collaborating with researchers in fields like data science and computational research, CB2 has continuously fostered interdisciplinary research and innovation to advance the broader goals of UArizona Health Sciences in the realms of research, education, and clinical care, reinforcing its legacy as a key facilitator of biostatistical and biomedical advancements.

Throughout its history, CB2 has been instrumental in driving forward the UAHS research mission and enhancing its impact through innovation and collaboration. Notable successes include:

In 2014, CB2 was founded by Yves A. Lussier, MD, FAMIA, FACMI as part of the University of Arizona’s strategic initiative to expand its Health Sciences division.
In 2016, CB2 partnered with the Center for Applied Genetics and Genomic Medicine participated in the national Precision Medicine Initiative as they committed significant resources for translating large-scale clinical and genomic data to accelerate disease prevention, early detection and treatment. This commitment contributed to UAHS and Banner Health receiving $4 million from NIH for Precision Medicine Program, which later evolved into the All of Us Program.
Members of CB2 successfully designed and implemented a registration system for the state of Arizona’s 40 COVID-19 testing sites as part of the University of Arizona – State of Arizona antibody testing initiative in 2020 and for the Campus Re-entry initiative. CB2 was responsible for securely notifying patients of their COVID-19 test results and managing the storage of the University of Arizona’s COVID lab data, ensuring both privacy and accuracy throughout the process.
UAHS was awarded $7.3 million to study Long Covid from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to participate in “Tracking the Burden, Distribution, Impact of Post COVID-19 Conditions in Diverse Populations for Children, Adolescents, Adults,” or Track PCC, a national effort to track the impact of post-COVID-19 conditions (PCC) in diverse populations of children, adolescents and adults. CB2 researchers and members serve as co-investigators on this grant.
CB2 researchers are leading a statewide effort as part of the NIH’s RECOVER initiative to study the long-term effects of COVID-19, with a focus on understanding, treating, and preventing post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection (PASC), including Long COVID, which refers to symptoms persisting weeks or months after infection.
CB2 supports researchers by transforming data into actionable knowledge - knowledge that ultimately benefits patients and the broader public. CB2 data scientists collaborated with Clara Curiel, MD, to assist her team with linking clinical images of melanoma lesions with patient data contained in the Patient Registry, Imaging Database and Tissue Bank (PRIT) through the development of software automation that leveraged three unique systems (REDCap, Omero, and OpenSpecimen).
In March 2024, Justin B. Starren, MD, PhD, was appointed director of the CB2. Dr. Starren envisions positioning the university as a national leader in leveraging informatics, biostatistics, and data science to address health challenges faced by underserved populations, including Native American and Hispanic communities.
CB2 is expanding into additional space in the new Grand Challenges Research Building, opening October 2024.