Dr. Tavinder Ark Joins Data Science Institute

Dr. Tavinder Ark has joined the Data Science Institute (DSI) as primary faculty. Prior to her appointment in the DSI, she was with the Kern Institute where she was the Director of the Data Science Laboratory.

“We are very excited about Dr. Ark bringing her expertise in data analytics and visualization and machine learning to the Data Science Institute,” said Dr. William Hogan, Mary T. and Ted D. Kellner Chair in Data Science and Director of the Data Science Institute (DSI). “Her work aligns closely with the institute’s strategic plan and furthers my vision in building it.”

Dr. Ark’s research develops and studies data science innovations in the creation and evaluation of new curricula in the health sciences. She created Night on Call (NOC), an application that collects data on medical students to assess readiness of near graduates for internship. NOC is in use across a consortium of medical schools in the United States.

“I'm thrilled to be joining the Data Science Institute at such an exciting time. Data-driven approaches have immense potential to transform education, research, and clinical practice across the health sciences. The DSI provides an ideal environment to continue pushing these boundaries and collaborate with brilliant minds across disciplines. I look forward to the opportunity to contribute to innovative research, enhance learning, improve patient care, and advance the use of data driven knowledge in medical education.

She also provides faculty, researchers and students mentorship in methodology, statistics and analysis of research projects, curriculum and assessment data. Her work has involved creating resident score cards using data from the EpicCare electronic health care system in use at Froedtert Health. She has created infrastructure to conduct growth trajectories of various learners and has conducted studies on the effective use of data visualization to aid student learning and enhance faculty curriculum development.

Dr. Ark has a Master of Science (Cognitive Psychology) from the Department of Psychology at McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario. She subsequently obtained her PhD in Measurement, Evaluation, and Research Methodology at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver.

Prior to joining MCW in 2019, she served as Statistics, Measurement and Research Methodology Consultant in the Department of Medicine at New York University, New York, NY. Previously, she held several positions, including working at a Data Linkage Center at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, British Columbia.