D. Covvey and C. DiMarco

Computer Science at the University of Waterloo has undertaken 2 major initiatives in Health Informatics.

Our first, begun last fall, has been the development of an Health Informatics specialization option for M.Sc. and Ph.D. candidates. Our objective is to focus multidisciplinary faculty and student Computer Science research on key areas of Health Informatics, thereby creating new concepts and tools that facilitate the development of solutions to challenges faced by our health system. As part of this first initiative we have proposed an Institute of Computer Science Research in Health Informatics, and have already offered our first graduate-level course: "Frontiers of Health Informatics Research". This course will be next offered during the Summer 2001 session under a revised title: "Frontiers of Computer Science Research in Health Informatics.

Our second initiative is the development of a diploma program in Applied Health Informatics. This has been in the planning stage for about two years. It will be the latest addition to our highly successful Education Program for Software Professionals (EPSP) that is also being expanded to include the Education program for Network Professionals (EPNP). This new component will be called the Education Program for Health Informatics Professionals (EPHIP).

We have received excellent internal support for these initiatives, including the encouragement and guidance of our President, Dr. David Johnston, himself appointed in Computer Science, and a vocal advocate of health-related research and education.

To ensure the alignment of these initiatives with the needs of the health system, and to secure the input and collaboration of health system professionals, we have recently established the Health Informatics Program Advisory Board. This body has several purposes: to obtain advice and feedback from the health sector regarding what we propose to do, to avail ourselves of continuous health system review and critique of our programs, to develop collaborations with health system professionals that foster research projects of mutual interest, and to develop partnerships that attract research funding. We have selected candidates for the Advisory Board based on a stakeholder analysis, and have included health system senior management, representatives from private industry, health informatics academics, health providers, and other potential contributors. We have emphasized the local health system, but also included respected individuals from elsewhere in Ontario, and from elsewhere in Canada.

Within this context we have undertaken efforts to define areas of research on topics relevant to health informatics. Within Computer Science there is already a focus in natural language generation (DiMarco), and the nature of health informatics education (a project funded by the MRC/CIHR). Additional areas being explored include: telemedicine (in collaboration with McGill University), image processing, understanding, and transmission (Diagnostic Imaging: PACS), medical knowledge representation (Unified Medical Language System), and the management of distributed, semi-structured health data. At this time we are beginning a process of building bridges to the health community, including to vendors of health IT solutions, with the objective of establishing productive collaborations.

Approximately 10 faculty and several graduate students are currently involved in the health informatics initiative.