Biomedical research mentor Dr. Tarik Walker

Taught By

Tarik Walker, MD, MPH

Dr. Tarik Walker is a physician-scientist who earned his MD and MPH from Johns Hopkins and is a Research Professor of Bioengineering at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. His work spans infectious disease, HIV prevention, pulmonary genetics, cancer survivorship, health disparities, and community-based biomedical research. As an NIH-funded bioengineering educator and longtime STEM pipeline mentor, Dr. Walker helps students learn how real biomedical researchers turn clinical problems into research questions, study designs, and clear scientific arguments.

Week by Week Curriculum

Week 1: Foundations of Biomedical Research and Translational Medicine

Explore how biomedical discoveries move from lab research to clinical impact
Study the roles of physician-scientists, clinical researchers, and bioengineers
Select a disease, population, or biomedical innovation to investigate

Week 2: Disease Mechanisms, Genetics, and Health Disparities

Examine how genetics, environment, behavior, and social factors influence disease
Compare biomedical approaches across cancer, infectious disease, chronic disease, and public health
Read and analyze primary research articles related to each student's topic

Week 3: Biomedical Study Design and Clinical Research Methods

Understand hypotheses, variables, controls, cohorts, and study endpoints
Compare experimental, observational, clinical, and community-based research methods
Design a conceptual study to investigate an individual research question

Week 4: Biomedical Data, Diagnostics, and AI in Medicine

Review how biomedical researchers analyze datasets, figures, and clinical evidence
Explore diagnostics, biomarkers, imaging, genomics, and AI-assisted medicine
Practice interpreting results and distinguishing correlation from causation

Week 5: From Discovery to Patient Impact

Study how biomedical ideas become interventions, devices, policies, or clinical trials
Discuss bioethics, patient safety, access, health equity, and responsible innovation
Refine scientific writing, figures, tables, and evidence-based arguments

Week 6: Research Symposium and Future Directions in Medicine

Deliver a formal 5–7 minute research presentation
Discuss future directions in biomedical research, translational medicine, and health innovation
Finalize a polished research paper and Biomedical Research Certification

Biomedical Research Lab with Professor (Johns Hopkins MD)

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