Asst. Professor Tyler G. James amps up his research knowledge with MEL-STaR training program

Tyler G. James, Ph.D., MCHES, has been accepted into the Michigan Embedded LHS Scientist Training and Research program – also known as MEL-STaR -- through the Department of Learning Health Sciences at the University of Michigan. He began his training in August and expects to wrap up in 18 months.  

James is focusing on applying health informatics methods to his work in CHARGE syndrome, a rare genetic disorder among children that can affect the eyes and ears, heart, respiratory, genital and urinary systems, and overall physical development.  

Read Tyler et al’s recently published paper, “Trends in U.S. National Institutes of Health Funding for CHARGE Syndrome Research, 2000 to 2024,” published in the American Journal of Medical Genetics. Part A.  

“The MEL-STaR training is providing the opportunity for me to accomplish some of my career development goals,” he said. “I am incredibly thankful for this opportunity.” 

MEL-STaR training prepares scholars for careers that strive to improve individual and population health by employing methods that combine identification of gaps in care, data analytics, generation of new knowledge, and implementation of knowledge into practice.  

Scholars work in settings where improvement is needed, and their work is grounded in fundamental principles of patient centeredness and fair access to healthcare. The fields of informatics and implementation science are central to the work of MEL-STaR Scholars. 

James said he has a broad interest in health Informatics, which includes Natural Language Processing. NLP in clinical research uses large language models and machine learning to analyze free-text clinical notes which can be rich with data related to patients’ conditions, history, and medical decision making.  

“I’m excited to learn how to use NLP and work effectively with teams applying NLP,” James said. “NLP in mixed methods research is also a rapidly developing area, with other Family Medicine faculty ... really leading this methodological development.   

MEL-STaR Scholars take three courses from the Health Infrastructures and Learning Systems (HILS) graduate degree curriculum offered by the Department of Learning Health Sciences. Courses are taken fully online, with no scheduled classes, or in residential format. 

MEL-STaR labs are housed within U-M departments, statewide Collaborative Quality Initiatives, VA centers for quality improvement, networks of federally qualified health centers, and national research networks. Lab work affords opportunities for learning and research in environments where Learning Health Science research is already taking place. Training complements the core Health Information Learning Science curriculum by providing scholars an environment to design, test, implement and evaluate healthcare improvement strategies.  

“I hope to get a broader understanding of Learning Health Systems research and practice,” James said. “I have a strong understanding of community and clinical health education from my previous training. As a Master Certified Health Education Specialist, I am experienced in dissemination and implementation of evidence-based practices in community settings.  

“Learning Health Systems focuses on healthcare structures and systems and identifies opportunities to improve patient care and clinical processes using real-world data,” he added. “This will complement my existing skillset, while also providing funds to continue my research.