Health Data Warehouse (HDW)

Research Activities

The Health Data Warehouse (HDW) supports a wide range of interdisciplinary research projects that utilize secure data storage, AI-driven analytics, and custom software development. Faculty and researchers across Lehigh University use HDW’s infrastructure to analyze restricted datasets, develop predictive models, and create AI-driven tools for health and business applications.

Secure Data Storage and Analysis

HDW provides high-security computing environments for faculty handling restricted or sensitive datasets. HDW also offers in-house expertise in machine learning modeling and biostatistics which can be leveraged by HDW affiliates.

• Chad Meyerhoefer (Economics) and his student Nate Rhodes use HDW to house and analyze data from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES).

• Bridget Dever (Educational Psychology) and her student Jess Lathrop use HDW to manage and analyze datasets from The Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research.

AI-Powered Behavioral and Public Health Research

ODIN, HDW’s real-time behavioral research platform, is supporting faculty conducting ecological momentary assessment (EMA) and just-in-time interventions:

• Jong Shin (Population Health) is preparing to use ODIN for a longitudinal study on sleep quality.

• Lucy Napper (Psychology) and her student Gavin Fox are using ODIN to study alcohol consumption among college students, linking behavioral patterns with environmental and physiological markers.

Data-Driven Business and Health Research

HDW’s DANTZIG platform provides live AI-powered data mining for faculty conducting research in public health and business analytics:

• Gabrielle String is using DANTZIG to analyze WASH (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene) data from the Ivory Coast, uncovering patterns in sanitation access and public health outcomes.

• Michael J. Rivera (Business Information Systems) is using DANTZIG for data mining and hypothesis generation in business and economic forecasting.

Custom Software Development for Research

HDW provides full-stack software development services for interactive data platforms and predictive modeling tools:

• Tom McAndrew (College of Health) is collaborating with HDW to build a crowdsourced forecasting system that aggregates expert predictions for influenza epidemic trajectory modeling.

At the Health Data Warehouse (HDW), we specialize in bridging the gap between complex academic research and functional, high-performance technology.

DECISIONCAST

A prime example of our custom development services is our collaboration with Dr. Tom McAndrew (College of Health) to build DECISIONCAST—a sophisticated, full-stack crowdsourced forecasting system. Our team engineered a seamless platform that aggregates expert human predictions and integrates them with predictive modeling tools to track influenza epidemic trajectories in real time. 

• By providing this modernized technical foundation, HDW empowers Lehigh faculty to transform theoretical research into interactive, cutting-edge software solutions that drive public health innovation.

OUR CAPABILITIES

Full-Stack Software Development: End-to-end engineering of responsive, interactive web and mobile applications tailored for research environments.

Predictive Modeling & Analytics: Integration of advanced statistical models and AI-driven analytics into functional software interfaces.

Crowdsourced Data Systems: Development of secure, scalable platforms designed to aggregate and weight expert human input for complex forecasting.

Healthcare Data Interoperability: Expert development of HL7 and FHIR data integration projects, ensuring seamless communication and standardized data exchange across disparate healthcare systems.

Our specialized infrastructure is now powered by the Proxmox Virtual Environment (VE), following a strategic migration from ESXi 8 to leverage the superior flexibility and performance of an open-source hypervisor. This shift provides HDW with high-availability clustering, integrated backup solutions, and the ability to handle both virtual machines and lightweight containers—ensuring the high-performance computing power necessary for data-intensive discovery. 

Modernized Infrastructure (Proxmox VE): Having migrated from ESXi 8, we utilize the Proxmox Hypervisor for native clustering, and high availability without the friction of high cost proprietary licensing. 

Data Visualization & Dashboards: Creating intuitive, real-time visual interfaces that transform raw data into actionable insights for decision-makers.

Custom Research Infrastructure: Designing bespoke digital tools that align with grant requirements and academic workflows to enhance departmental research capacity.

Funding

The Health Data Warehouse (HDW) strengthens Lehigh University’s ability to secure external research funding by providing a scalable, secure, and compliant computing environment that enhances faculty grant applications.

HDW’s infrastructure has supported research funded by federal, state, and private agencies, including projects using restricted datasets from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and the Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research.

HDW fosters partnerships with industry, healthcare organizations, and government agencies, offering trusted infrastructure for collaborative research, sponsored projects, and interdisciplinary initiatives. To sustain growth, HDW is exploring grant opportunities, institutional partnerships, and cost-recovery models to expand its capabilities while maximizing return on investment.

Educational Opportunities

HDW provides transformative educational experiences for students and faculty engaged in health data science, artificial intelligence, and computational research.

Through SALUS, HDW maintains a curated archive of over 3,000 public datasets, supporting:

• Coursework integration, allowing faculty to use real-world data in big data analytics, predictive modeling, and machine learning instruction.

• Independent study projects give students hands-on experience with data science, AI, and computational modeling.

• Research assistantships, where students work directly with faculty using secure computing environments, advanced analytics, and research software development.

The Health Data Warehouse (HDW) serves as a hub for interdisciplinary training and workforce development, equipping students with in-demand technical skills needed for careers in health informatics, biomedical data science, business analytics, and AI-driven research.