A $483,620 federal grant is about to transform how Spelman College prepares the next generation of biomedical scientists — and it couldn’t come at a more critical time. Mentewab Ayalew, Ph.D., a professor of biology whose students have earned spots at some of the nation’s most prestigious graduate programs, has secured three years of funding from the National Institutes of Health to build an integrated genomic data science curriculum. The investment addresses an urgent national need: the biomedical research workforce is facing a severe shortage of professionals trained to manage the massive datasets that are now driving breakthroughs in cancer research, human genetics, neuroscience, and disease prevention.
“Highly efficient processes for generating sequence and other high-throughput data have profoundly transformed the field of biomedical science,” Ayalew explains. “Research in cancer, major diseases, human genetics, neuroscience, and behavior is now data-driven in ways that were unimaginable just a decade ago.”
The paradigm shift has been dramatic. Biomedical data has essentially transformed many areas of research into new branches of information science, creating what Ayalew identifies as a critical skills gap in the research workforce.
Her solution is both ambitious and practical: four interconnected modules woven throughout Spelman’s biology curriculum, from introductory courses serving 50-80 students to specialized electives and hands-on research experiences. Six faculty members — Drs. Dongfang Wang, Nazia Mojib, James Melton, Steve Kioko, Ethan Rundell and India Nichols-Obande — will collaborate with Ayalew to ensure that genomic data science concepts are reinforced across multiple courses and contexts.
The curriculum’s first module tackles MSH2 variants associated with colon cancer through Bio 125, Molecular Biology and Genomics. Taught by a six-member faculty team across four sections, the course will introduce 50-80 first-year students each semester to cloud-based computing, association studies, and data privacy and ethics—foundational skills for modern biomedicine.
India Nichols-Obande, Ph.D., assistant professor of biology, will launch a new 300-level course on genome-wide association studies of sleep and circadian biology, serving 12 students per semester in advanced data science techniques. In the future, a course will guide approximately 30 students annually through Bio 332, Microbiology, where they will learn to retrieve pathogen data and perform analytics using Google’s Gemini AI.
The pride and joy of Ayalew is her own undergraduate research course, where approximately 10 students each year contribute to her microbiome research conducted in collaboration with North Carolina State University and Johns Hopkins University—work soon to be published in Nature Genetics, one of the field’s top-ranked journals.
For Ayalew, this interdisciplinary approach is deeply personal. “I always knew I would never confine myself to one thing,” she reflects. “I was interested in everything. I liked all the STEM fields but also had an appreciation for the humanities and the social sciences. I like interdisciplinarity. We have to go where knowledge takes us. We should embrace interdisciplinary collaboration.”
Her students see the impact firsthand. “The semester has just begun, and you’ve already opened doors for students like me, who want to become physicians, to develop independent thinkers,” says Skyy Lewis, C’2026, a junior biology major on the pre-med track and certified clinical medical assistant.
“I have the opportunity to work with Dr. Ayalew in a classroom setting and a research environment which allows me to see your duality, commitment, and passion for this project. By working closely with you, Tobias, Nonie, and several colleagues I’ve been able to embrace my curiosity, stay up to date on current advancements, network, and overall build my confidence in navigating roadblocks.”
