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Mission and Goals
The request for the Institute for Health Informatics (IHI) within the Academic Health Center supports the University's goal of becoming a top three
public research university by "facilitating new models of collaboration and cooperation that propel creativity to inspire exploration of new ideas
and breakthrough discoveries." It also responds to the Senior Vice President's 2006-2007 work plan component to "Develop Health Informatics as
a new
interdisciplinary program." Investment in Health Informatics capabilities is a critical building block for future success in clinical sciences,
clinical research and interprofessional education. This Institute will advance the development of Health Informatics defined as the area of
scholarship that applies computer and information sciences to improving health and the health care system through more effective and efficient use of
information.
The Vision
The Institute is an Academic Health Center interdisciplinary, interprofessional organization whose mission is to improve the quality and efficiency
of health care and clinical research through research and education in health informatics. Success in accomplishing this vision will lead it to
become:
- A well-funded research institute with a portfolio of collaborative research grants
- A scholarly collaboration with a continuing record of significant publications
- A resource for informatics education for the health professions
- A source for a new generation of scholars in health informatics
- A hub for collaboration with the private sector in health information technology
The Background
- There is a renewed emphasis on health and biomedical informatics at Research 1 Universities through the nation. The following now have
departments or schools:
| University | Department/School Title |
|---|
| University of Washington | Medical Education and Biomedical Informatics |
| University of Texas | Health Information Sciences (School) |
| University of Michigan | School of Information |
| University of Wisconsin | Biostatistics and Biomedical Informatics |
| Ohio State University | Biomedical Informatics |
| Columbia University | Biomedical Informatics |
| Vanderbilt University | Biomedical Informatics |
| University of Pittsburgh | Biomedical Informatics |
| Arizona State University | School of Computing and Informatics |
| University of Utah | Medical Informatics |
| Oregon Health & Science University | Medical Informatics & Clinical Epidemiology |
| University of Missouri | Health Management Informatics |
| Uniform Services University | Biomedical Informatics |
- The most recent addition to this list, Arizona State University, is investing $6 million in the department of Biomedical Informatics within
the School of Computing and Informatics.
- There are now a total of more than 40 Universities with programs in biomedical or health informatics.
- The nation's and the healthcare community's emphasis on using information technology to improve care quality has led to a dramatic increase
in the visibility of health informatics.
- Research funding opportunities in health informatics have increased significantly in the last three years and are expected to continue to
grow at the federal and state levels.
- The National Institutes of Health has recognized the important role that health and biomedical informatics plays in research on health care
in its Roadmap initiatives, the programmatic funding from the various institutes including NCI, NHLBI and in the CTSAs.
- The strategic positioning of the AHC has created an environment of excellence and collaborations (including the Mayo Clinic) that will assure
the success of this new Institute in achieving its goals.
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Last
modified on April 9, 2007