PRAIRIE VIEW, Texas (Feb. 4, 2026) – As the world marks World Cancer Day, Prairie View A&M University is expanding its role in the fight against complex diseases through a new academic initiative that blends biology, data science, and advanced computing tools.
With nearly $500,000 in funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ NIH-National Cancer Institute, PVAMU will develop a certificate in Computational Genomics and Biomedical Data Science designed to prepare students for careers at the forefront of biomedical and health research.
Dennis Daniels, M.P.H., D.P.H.
The initiative will be led by Dr. Dennis Daniels, director and professor of the Texas Undergraduate Medical Academy and senior associate dean of the School of Public and Allied Health at PVAMU. Daniels is joined by a multidisciplinary team of PVAMU faculty and staff supporting the program’s development and delivery.
The certificate will train students in genomic analysis, biomedical data interpretation, and data science tools used to study complex diseases, including cancer, fields that continue to grow as precision medicine and data-driven research reshape health care.
The award reinforces PVAMU’s commitment to expanding access to high-demand STEM fields while strengthening its ability to prepare graduates for data-intensive science and precision medicine, areas that continue to shape how diseases are studied, understood, and addressed.
A modified version of this story was originally published at pvamu.edu/research.
-PVAMU-