Keynote Abstracts

Professor Desmond Fitzgerald, M.D. – Vice President of Research, University College Dublin, Ireland

This presentation will discuss IBI, a national collaboration in Ireland for life sciences research and development. Topics to be discussed include the operational challenges and advantages of a new model for cooperative research and the role of information technology in promoting and managing the change inherent in such a collaborative research effort.

Donald L. Holmquest, MD, Ph.D., J.D. CEO, California Regional Health Information Organization

This presentation focuses on the challenges and opportunities involved in building CalRHIO's statewide Health Information Exchange (HIE) Utility Service. Topics include the role of information and information technology in improving the quality and efficiency of healthcare services, promoting and managing change, addressing needs of various healthcare-related constituencies, and how CalRHIO's HIE project will transform healthcare delivery in California.

David K. Rosen, D.V.M., Head, Development and Commercial Alliances, Pfizer Global Research &
Development

Life sciences research has traditionally followed an ordered and isolated process in the move towards advancing new treatments or therapies into clinical development (and eventually towards a commercial therapeutic product). However, given the ever growing quantities and availability of new relevant data as well as ongoing data integration initiatives within organizations, researchers must now be mindful of how their efforts could be affected by human biology, including patient-specific knowledge that can lead to personalized medicine solutions. Specifically, in those cases where human variation directly impacts drug efficacy or adverse events, early data and insights from potential biomarker variations in humans, in silico disease modeling, and new technology process innovations can strongly impact success of researcher efforts, despite their origins from other parts of the life sciences value chain. This presentation will discuss the impact of personalized medicine on the conduct of life sciences research and its increasing influence on changing current research practices.

Jillian Skinner, MP, New South Wales Assembly, Australia

This presentation will discuss the role of information technology in promoting change to healthcare systems by contrasting the points of view of the political/governmental organizations promoting the change to that of an individual faced with the practical consequences of that change.

Arne Kverneland, MD, Head of Health Informatics, National Board of Health, Denmark

This presentation will discuss the challenges facing the Health Minister as they consider the selection and implementation of information technology in healthcare delivery for a national healthcare system. Topics to be discussed include technology selection, strategy development, dealing with stakeholders and how to promote and manage the changes resulting from technology implementation.

Gail K. Naughton, Ph.D., Dean of College of Business Administration, San Diego State University

This presentation will discuss how information can be used as a strategic advantage by companies in the health and life sciences industries. This presentation will discuss how organizations can access and effectively utilize information, both within and external, to seize a strategic advantage in their industries.

Michael L. Cowan, M.D., Chief Medical Officer for Health Services, BearingPoint

This presentation will focus on a solution for RHOs which involves the use of search technology as the basis for some connectivity. Topics to be addressed will include the advantages of a network-centric approach as well as a discussion of the challenges facing the implementation of a network approach.

Dennis Goikas, Chief Technology Officer, Canada Health Infoway

This presentation will discuss the experiences and issues faced by Canada Health Infoway as they faced the challenges of creating a national health record in Canada. Topics will include technology selection, dealing with stakeholders, and how to promote and manage the changes involved in implementing a national health record.