“The story just kind of stopped because she was going through Alzheimer’s at the time,” Han said. “I didn’t realize what was going on because I was in the fifth grade, other than the fact that I knew she was sick.”
That experience, Han said, ignited a curiosity. By his senior year of high school, he was helping the nonprofit Alzheimer’s Los Angeles during his summer breaks.
Once Han was accepted into Rice University in 2020, he began volunteering as a data analyst.
“I was especially surprised to hear that [Alzheimer’s Los Angeles] did have data stored and collected, but they never had a chance to analyze what they’ve been storing,” Han said.
Han shared this discovery with classmate Zachre Andrews. After contacting close to 80 nonprofits in Texas, they discovered that, although small businesses use data analysis and statistical modeling to boost efficiency, many health care nonprofits were not.
The duo saw a way to combine their learned skills from statistics, biochemistry and data science to make a meaningful impact, launching Biokind Analytics in May 2022, an entirely student-led nonprofit. Today, more than eight university chapters of Biokind exist nationwide.
Analyzing patient information was important for Biokind’s partnership with Nora’s Home, which serves organ transplant patients, Nora’s Home Development Assistant Morgan Fuhriman said.
“Understanding the data we have really helped us frame group profiles of our various constituents, and that helps us be better stewards,” she said.
By the end of the summer, Han said Biokind Analytics aims to have a total of 18 chapters or universities working with them.
“We’re looking forward to the impact we can bring,” he said.•
In the short time it's been around, Biokind Analytics has partnered with nonprofits across the U.S, including:
- Alzheimer’s Los Angeles
- Heroes for Children (Dallas)
- ALS Association (Houston)
- Hope for Three (Fort Bend County)
- Breast Cancer Foundation (Virginia)
- OneStar Foundation (Houston)
- African American Health Coalition (Houston)
- National Alliance on Mental Illness (Houston)
www.biokind.org
