Message from the Scientific Program Committee Chair

David W. Bates, MD, MSc
Chair, AMIA 2006 Scientific Program Committee
Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School
Chief, Division of General Internal Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital
Medical Director of Clinical and Quality Analysis, Partners Healthcare

Two trends seem likely to change the face of health care in the next few years: the increase in the use of health information technology (HIT) and genomics, and their intersection. There is no better place to learn about these areas than the AMIA Annual Symposium. The annual symposium is recognized internationally as the key venue for the exchange of ideas concerning biomedical and health informatics. It is the place to hear about leading edge scientific work, to learn about evolving standards and policies for management of biomedical information, and to understand how cutting-edge technologies can best be developed and deployed. The AMIA Annual Symposium emphasizes sound, unbiased, peer-reviewed work, mixed with panels of the leading experts in the field. The result represents an outstanding forum for presenting research results in clinical informatics and biomedical informatics, both practical and theoretical.

We invite you to participate in the symposium, which will be held November 11-15, 2006, by submitting papers, posters, panels, demonstrations, workshops, and partnerships in innovation proposals.

Many believe that 2006 may be a breakthrough year for informatics; HIT is receiving a tremendous amount of attention from the Administration and from Congress. This year’s symposium will address the many exciting developments in our field. The recent discussion about development of a national health information network, regional health information organizations, and the bench to bedside translation of genomic information into practice is taking informatics into the mainstream of care delivery. The ideas we develop and the systems we build have the potential to transform health care for providers, improve the health of communities and populations, and continue to revolutionize biomedical research and education. If this vision is achieved, HIT will make the quality of care greater, more efficient, personalized, and less costly.

AMIA 2006 is organized into two separate but interrelated and coordinated tracks: one emphasizing foundations of informatics, the other applications of informatics. In the peer-review process, every submission will receive at least two reviews from individuals who are knowledgeable about that domain. Our aim is that the work that is presented at AMIA 2006, whether foundational or applied, will be of the highest quality.

Complementing the many peer-reviewed contributions at the symposium will be a series of invited lectures, state-of-the-art reviews, and panels with noted experts. The symposium will also feature many policy-oriented presentations and panels. Many of the most exciting developments are occurring at the state or regional level, and these efforts will receive substantial attention. We will also feature the latest developments on the bioinformatics and genomics front.

I invite you to participate in AMIA 2006.