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Computer Science Department

Health Informatics

Research

Dominic Covvey

Chrysanne DiMarco

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Computer Science DepartmentWhat is Health Informatics?

The development of concepts, structures, frameworks, approaches, and systems to enable efficient and effective health services, including all aspects of health research, disease prevention, health promotion, healthcare, disease management, and terminal care. Health data mining; knowledge discovery. The nature and structure of health information; a health ontology. The meta-analysis of clinical trials. Health care guidance systems; decision-support systems. Bio-medical computing.

Anything in:

HEALTH

ComputerScience Information

Science

Math

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Computer Science DepartmentHealth Informatics Research-Related Activities

Graduate Specialization in Health Informatics

Opportunity to do Computer Science research in a health-related area.

Health Information Management. Intelligent Health Systems The Health User Interface and Interactive Systems. Health Communications. Mathematical Computing in Health. The Health Infrastructure: Operating Systems, Languages,

Systems Architectures.

Research Preparation Course: Frontiers of CS Research in Health Informatics.

Identifying, understanding, and looking beyond the CS underpinnings of health informatics.

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Computer Science Department Health Informatics Research-Related Activities

Proposed Institute for Computer Science Research in Health Informatics (ICSRHI).

Building a center of excellence in Computer Science research that extends the conceptual underpinnings of Health Informatics.

Developing new CS concepts, frameworks, and approaches that enable the development of robust systems that address key needs of the health sector.

Providing a focus for intra- and inter-departmental inter-disciplinary Computer Science (CS) research that attracts both faculty and student involvement and enhances the CS graduate program.

Health Informatics problems provide interesting and arresting real-life topics for Masters and Ph.D. theses, as well as for faculty research.

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Computer Science DepartmentCS Faculty with Interest in HI Research

Name AreasNick Cercone Dept. Chair: Health Data Mining; AI

Dominic Covvey Co-operative Information Systems; Image Processing

Don Cowan HI Education

Paul Kearney Bioinformatics

Chrysanne DiMarco Natural Language Generation; AI

George Labahn Mathematical Modelling; Num. Analysis; Algorithms

Frank Tompa Health Databases; Data Mining, Warehousing

Grant Weddell Health Databases

Bill Cowan Interactive Systems; Graphics; Image Processing

Forbes Burkowski Data Mining, Warehousing

Anne Banks Pidduck Software Engineering

Dale Schuurmans Health Databases; Data Mining, Warehousing; AI

Alan Law Mathematical Modelling; Algorithms

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Computer Science DepartmentHI Research at UW

Within Non-CS Areas:

Applied Health Sciences. Optometry. Gerontology.

Within Computer Science/Math:

Bioinformatics (Kearney). Health Natural Language Generation (DiMarco).

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Computer Science DepartmentHealth Informatics Progress

Developed position paper related to Health Informatics (September 99). Announced HI graduate specialization program (September 99). Obtained MRC/CIHR grant to support the development of 3 HI

curricula: Applied Health Informatics, R+D Health Informatics, and Clinician Health Informatics (Fall 99). Work began in December 1999 and will complete in September 00.

Began design of EPHIP (newest addition to EPSP and EPNP programs) (Fall 99) First course in this program will be offered in the Winter 01.

Developed and taught first version of graduate course [786R] “Frontiers of CS Research in HI” (Summer 00) Next offered in 2001.

Developing a series of seminars on the Unified Medical Language System (UMLS) (Fall 00). How can current CS concepts help UMLS?

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Computer Science DepartmentHealth Informatics Advisory Board

R. Briggs Director IS Oshawa General Hospital

R. Bernstein, MD FP Informatics University of Ottawa

H. Brown Data General Canada

T. Closson* CEO Toronto Health Network

D. Cowan Prof. Em. University of Waterloo

S. Huesing* President Healthcare Comp. + Comm.

J. Israel, MD VP Medicine Grand River Hospital Corp

A. Topp VP, Finance Sunnybrook Hospital, Toronto

W. Weiler Citizen Waterloo, Ontario

H. Wright CEO Cambridge Memorial Hospital

D. Zitner Director MI Dalhousie University/HEALNet

TBA ADM MoH Ontario Ministry of Health

TBA Prof. Applied Health Sciences

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Computer Science Department

Graduate Course:

Frontiers of CS Research in

Health Informatics

Dominic Covvey

Chrysanne DiMarco

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Computer Science DepartmentThe Frontiers of CS Research in HI: Learning Objectives

On completion of this course, the student will be able:

To identify the major current thrusts of HI research.

To explain the pathway to the current research, describing predecessor systems/approaches.

To define next steps in terms of potential research problems that likely lie ahead of current work and that can potentially significantly advance the field.

To identify concepts and methods from Computer Science, Mathematics, and other disciplines that might be productively applied in this research.

To launch his or her own research more independently.

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Computer Science DepartmentThe Frontiers of CS Research in HI: Concept

Health InfoManagement

Intelligent Health Systems

Op Systems + Languages in HealthSocial Aspects of Computing

Interactive SystemsHealth Communications

MathematicalComputing inHealth

THE WORLD OF THE KNOWN

THE UNKNOWN

Current Research

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Computer Science DepartmentThe Frontiers of CS Research in HI: Format

Course meets for 1.5 hrs twice 2X/wk. For each topical area there is a “breadth session” that parses the

area and summarizes current activity and knowledge (open to all). The 2nd session for each topic (the “depth session”) identifies key

issues and gaps in knowledge, methods, and tools. In the 3rd session, student research into a specific HI sub-topic will

identify and characterize open problems, what must be done for work to progress, and where some of the potential solutions might come from.

The final session in each topical area will be an invited keynote talk by an active HI researcher in a selected HI sub-topic. This lecture will highlight the problems that are at the leading

edge of current research, and impart an understanding of the key advances required.

Evaluation: class reading and presentation assignments, presented and written project on an HI topic, oral.

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Computer Science DepartmentPotential Health Informatics Research Areas

Health Information Management 

Health Object Model; VLDBs. Health Data Analysis (OLAP) and Presentation. Health Data Warehousing. Health Data Mining. Advanced Query Systems. Co-operative Health ISs. High-Level Languages. The Nature and Structure of Health Information. Health-Related Nomenclatures. Computer-Based Patient Records; Clinical Data Repositories. Health Data Standards. Health Process Simulation and Modeling. Health Research Support Systems (e.g. Clinical Trial Mgmt.)

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Computer Science DepartmentPotential Health Informatics Research Areas

Intelligent Health Systems:

The Nature of Cognition and Decision-Making in Health. Machine Learning in Health. Neural Networks. Natural Language Understanding; NL Generation. Knowledge Abstraction and Summarization. Knowledge Representation. Expert Clinical/Administrative Decision-Making/Support Systems. Care Guidance and Critiquing Systems. Image and Signal Processing and Understanding. Patient Monitoring and Closed-Loop Treatment Systems. Prosthetic Systems. Biometric Systems.

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Computer Science DepartmentPotential Health Informatics Research Areas

The Health User Interface and Interactive Systems:

  Adaptive Interfaces for Health Care Providers; Provider Wkstns. Advanced Interactive Technologies. Image Management and Reconstruction Systems; PACS. Computer-Assisted Surgery. Voice, Gesture, and Handwriting Recognition. Human Factors in Health Systems. Navigation in Rich Environments.

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Computer Science DepartmentPotential Health Informatics Research Areas

Health Communications:

  Multimedia Communications Technologies. Telehealth and Telemedicine. Data Compression. Encryption and Decryption. Communications Standards. Virtual Conferencing and Collaboration. Internet-Based Systems. Communications System Performance and Adaptability. Workflow Management Systems. Interoperability. Automated Message Analysis and Management.

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Computer Science DepartmentPotential Health Informatics Research Areas

Mathematical Computing in Health:

  Efficient Algorithms (Reconstruction, Compression/

Decompression, Image Processing, etc.). Genomic Research; Protein Folding. Biostatistics. Meta-Analysis of Clinical Trials. Mathematical Modeling of Physiological Systems. Signal Reconstruction (e.g., Cardiac Conduction from the

Surface ECG). Techniques for Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging. Real-time Biological Control Systems.

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Computer Science DepartmentPotential Health Informatics Research Areas

Operating Systems, Languages, and the Health Infrastructure:

  High-Level Languages for Health Systems. Innovative Operating Systems for Health Environments. Security of Health Systems. Tools for Managing Clinical and Basic Research. Enterprise Integration; Middleware; Mediators.

  Social Aspects of Computing:

  Privacy. Economics of Computing. Ethics and Computing Psycho-Social Impacts of Computing Evaluation of the Efficacy of Health Systems.