Reflections on Medicine, Computer Science, and Clinical InformaticsGeoff Rutledge, MD, PhDCofounder and CMIO

16,000 Physicians. No waiting room.

Medicine, Computer Science, and Clinical Informatics

Intro and background

What is Biomedical Informatics?

Career paths in Biomedical Informatics

Lessons from Academia and Industry

HealthTap University

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My Path to Academic Informatics

Undergrad and Med School math physics computer science, then biology,

biochemistry and medicine A med school with a strong clinical tradition (McGill)

Clinical medicine Internal Medicine residency, practice of Emergency

Medicine at community hospitals Clinical faculty at UCSD and Stanford

Informatics Stanford program in Medical Information Sciences Faculty at Harvard Medical School

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What is Biomedical Informatics?

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Components of NLM Informatics Training Programs:

• Bioinformatics and/or computational biology

• Translational informatics and clinical research

• Structural informatics (imaging)

• Clinical informatics

• Public health informatics

Biomedical Informatics

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Basic Research

Applied Research

Biomedical Informatics Methods, Techniques, and Theories

Imaging Informatics

Clinical InformaticsBioinformatics Public Health

Informatics

Molecular andCellularProcesses

Tissues andOrgans

Individuals(Patients)

PopulationsAnd Society

From E.H. Shortliffe

Biomedical Informatics Research Areas

BiomedicalKnowledge

BiomedicalData

KnowledgeBase

InferencingSystem

DataBase

DataAcquisition

BiomedicalResearchPlanning &Data Analysis

KnowledgeAcquisition

TeachingHumanInterface

TreatmentPlanningDiagnosisInformation

RetrievalModel Dev.

ImageGeneration

Real-time acquisitionImagingSpeech/language/textSpecialized input devices

Machine learningText interpretationKnowledge engineering

<domain name> Informatics

The practice of informatics, most generally, requires the presence of two components:

(1) A set of skills and methodologic tools derived from knowledge of the basic informational and computing sciences; and

(2) Knowledge, experience, and activity in one or more application domains. The coexistence of, and interactions between, these key components gives meaning and significance to informatics as a field

(Friedman, ACMI)

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Clinical Informatics

My motivation: Improve processes and outcomes of clinical care, using

automation

There are many paths and career options to accomplish this

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Career Paths in Biomedical Informatics

Academic Research, teaching, administration

Health-system operational roles EG CIO, CMIO, or director for information technology Digital library management

Corporate research and development For profit and non profit organizations

Business opportunities From startups to mid size to mega corporations

• Biotechnology/pharmaceutical companies• Medical/hospital information system companies• Online/mobile

Interactive Health

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What I Learned in Academia

Creating a credible research agenda while in a full time clinical faculty role is “challenging”

A research career requires dedicated time for gestation• Spend that time with a very smart group of researchers

The right mentor can make all the difference

Research opportunities/awards come easily to those who have all their ducks lined up

Right training Right institution Right mentors/advisors Right preliminary/foundational research

Your measure of success is publications Having high impact is good But productivity is measured by quantity Closely linked to future success in funding

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What I wish I had figured out sooner

How to pick your research topic First, pick your ideal next job

• Where is it? • Who will interview you for that job?• Who will be in the audience at your job talk?

Make sure your job talk will be compelling for the people in that audience

• If the results of your research are not interesting to your next employer, then you picked the wrong employer (or the wrong research)

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My Path to Industry:

Internet Startups The potential of the Internet for health was obvious 20 years ago Healtheon was an early entrant in Internet health Wellsphere pursued a model of wellness, and consumer health

information for the healthy

HealthTap Now 2 years old, has led the new era in Interactive

Health The power of mobile

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Moving From Academia to IndustryA well capitalized small company is an incredible opportunity

• An early phase company will change it’s business plan and objectives with some regularity

• You can redefine yourself regularly (you have to adapt)• Seize opportunities as they arise

Starting your own company is hard Requires a team effort, and knowledge of the hurdles It’s best to be either naïve or brilliant Success often depends on timing

What I wish I had learned sooner Business is business, retain your perspective Diversify

• Your personal stake in the business is already huge, maintain perspective (diversify)

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Observations On Working in Industry

Take time to figure out how the business works

Trust and respect are earned It is lethal to expect special treatment based on your credentials or prior

accomplishments

Be kind, respectful, and helpful to your colleagues

Put the company’s needs first Position everything you do as essential to the pursuit of company goals

Don’t ignore corporate politics Make yourself helpful/indispensible to others Figure out who is threatened by you – make them your advocate (and be aware

you could be blindsided)

Be flexible: Consider opportunities that involve work outside your areas of expertise/experience

Especially if there is no one better equipped to figure it out than you, and even more so if it is important to the future of the business

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MissionMeasurably prolong the life expectancyof humankind and improve people’s quality of life by enabling immediate access to the best health experts and their knowledge anytime, anywhere

Get in touch with your

health

What Patients Do

80% consumers go online

1.4 billion health searches/month (Google)

Health fastest growing mobile category

But it’s Not Helpful

What’s missing?

Trusted

Physicians

15,000

Physicians

116Specialties

50States

25%of doctor visits are questions and answers

The 1st Mobile Health Platform

TrustedPersonalizedHigh qualityImmediateUnlimited accessFree

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Publications

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HealthTap’s Consumer Health Ontology

Interprets what people ask• Best answers• Relevant specialists• Related publications• Similar topics

Consumer Health Vocabulary

A few of the observed spellings of “hemorrhoid”

How It Works

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Discover what patients mean when they ask questions

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What HTU Students Say

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