The document discusses the goals and strategic plan of the Information Resources and Technology department at a medical school. It aims to [1] facilitate excellence in education, research, and patient care through innovative IT; [2] integrate IT, informatics, and knowledge management to support the biomedical mission; and [3] have IRT driven by a strategic plan and support the various missions. Some key initiatives include implementing a wireless network, establishing an information privacy director, developing the library as a knowledge center, and creating a clinical informatics center to foster applied informatics.

1. Information Resources
and Technology
Henry Lowe M.D.
Senior Associate Dean
Information Resources and Technology
We facilitate excellence in education, biomedical
and clinical research, and patient care through the
application of innovative and effective information
resources and technology

2. Definitions
“Information Technology is the use of hardware,
software, services, and supporting infrastructure to
manage and deliver information.”
❉
“Informatics is the scientific field that deals with
biomedical information, data and knowledge - their
storage, retrieval and optimal use for problem-solving
and decision-making.”
❉
“Knowledge Management is the collection of
processes that govern the creation, dissemination,
and utilization of knowledge”

3. IRT Goals
•
•
•
•
•
Become a leader in the effective use of innovative
information technology (IT) in biomedicine
Integrate IT, informatics and knowledge
management resources to support the biomedical
mission
Plan and implement IRT collaboratively
Have IRT driven by a coherent strategic plan
Support the Stanford Biomedical Community’s
clinical, research and educational missions

4. Information Resources
and Technology (IRT)
• Senior Associate Dean position created March 2002
• Our mandate is to develop, collaboratively, an effective IT
strategy for the Stanford Biomedical Community
• Provide state-of-the-art IT infrastructure and services
• Support access to and management of knowledge resources
• Couple applied informatics with our needs
• Integration of MedIT, SUMMIT and Lane Library
• IRT strategic planning completed September 2002

5. IRT Strategic Planning Group
Carole Buffum - Executive Director, Finance and Administration
Parvati Dev - Associate Dean for Learning Technologies, IRT
Jin Hahn - Associate Professor Of Neurology and Pediatrics
Rob Krochak - DFA, Department of Pathology
Michael Levitt - Professor Of Structural Biology and Computer Science
Henry Lowe - Senior Associate Dean IRT
Shannon Moffett - Medical Student
Don Regula - Associate Professor of Pathology
Valerie Su - Acting Director, Lane Library
Gerry Weitz - Director of Operations, IRT
David O’Brien - Director, Office of Institutional Planning

6. IRT Organization
Senior Associate Dean
Information Resources and Technology
Henry Lowe
Director of
IT operations
Gerry Weitz
Associate Dean
Learning Technologies
Parvati Dev
Director
Lane Library
Valerie Su (Acting)
Director
IT Development
Henry Lowe (Acting)
Director
Privacy & Data Security
Todd Ferris
Director
Finance & Admin
To Be recruited

7. Collaborative IRT Planning
is Critical
•
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The future of biomedicine is interdisciplinary
There is a Stanford Biomedical Community
• The Hospitals, School of Medicine, Clark Center,
Bioengineering
•
If translational research is to be successful,
information must flow effectively within this
community
•
Biomedical IRT planning and implementation
must be a collaborative community process

8. University
Hospitals
School

9. Our Development Model
Research
Education
Clinical
Stanford
Biomedicine Community
Applications and Services
Support, Training, Advocacy & Planning
Information Acquisition, Hosting, Management & Access
Knowledge Access and Delivery
INFORMATION
TECHNOLOGY
Expertise Network
KNOWLEDGE
MANAGEMENT
Infrastructure
Data Center
INFORMATICS
Security Knowledge Resources Planning

10. Major Strategic Themes
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•
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Ubiquitous access to information
Data privacy and security
The Library as a Knowledge Management
Center
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The Internet as a communications medium
IRT as an innovative force in education
Translational Informatics
Enabling the translational research mission

11. Ubiquitous Access to
Information
•
The future of computing rests on a wireless
“always on” network connection.
•
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Wireless networking is progressing rapidly
Mobile computing devices are becoming
smaller, cheaper, more powerful and better
integrated
•
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Biomedical workers are often nomadic
Major transforming potential in the clinical,
research and educational environments

12. What IRT is Doing
•
Implementing an enterprise-wide wireless
network
•
Convened a joint School-University-Hospital
secure wireless planning committee.
•
Appointed an Associate Director of Wireless
Applications Development
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Mandated secure wireless network standards
Positioning all key information resources to be

13. Information Privacy and
Security
•
New Federal and State regulations mandate
significant changes in how we handle information
•
Our ability and willingness to protect privacy and
secure information will become critical
•
Our clinical and translational research missions are
at particular risk
•
An issue in negotiating access to clinical data

14. What IRT is Doing
•
Created a process within the School to
manage HIPAA implementation
•
Convened a joint School-University-Hospital
committee to define data security standards for
the Biomedical Community
•
A secure data center for the School will open in
April 2003
•
Appointed a Director for Data Privacy and
Security

15. Knowledge Management
•
Biomedicine is knowledge-based
•
Ubiquitous electronic access to knowledge
•
The Library as our Center for Knowledge
Management - a “library without walls”
•
A new Library Director who is also Associate
Dean for Knowledge Management
•
Knowledge-based clinical decision support as
part of EMR deployment
•
Addition of new knowledge resources (e.g.
Genomic Resources)

16. Internet Strategy
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The Web is our major point of contact with the World
Internet strategy should support our strategic plan
IRT Web design task force report
The School needs a new Web site with:
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Better navigational model
More consistent “branding” across the School
Tighter coordination with Hospital Web sites
Separation of public and private Web services

17. •
Innovative Use of Learning
Technologies
An IT-enabled educational environment
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Easy, ubiquitous technology support
Investment in simulation technologies
Balance innovation and current successful
practice
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Continuous evaluation and improvement
Training educators to use IT successfully
Inquiry-based education

18. What IRT is Doing
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Immersive Learning Center
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Content production
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Ubiquitous access to knowledge sources
•
Faculty support and development
•
Pilot projects
•
Evaluation of impact

19. Translational Informatics
Informatics
IT
Plan
Knowledge
Management
Informatics as an academic discipline can
support translational research and be itself
an important area of translational research

20. Informatics
•
Information technology expertise alone cannot
guarantee effective use of IT in biomedicine
•
Informatics complements IT expertise in creating
solutions to complex “real-world” problems in
Biomedicine
•
The IRT strategic plan will create new opportunities
for Applied Informatics research and education
•
We need to grow our Applied Informatics
community

21. A Clinical Informatics Center
•
“Clinical Informatics”,in contrast to BioInformatics,
is underdeveloped at Stanford
•
The greatest need for Informatics is in the clinical
and translational research areas
•
A new academic Clinical Informatics Center will
foster Informatics at the School level and work with
• Departments and institutes to help develop domain-specific
Informatics programs
•
The Hospitals to assist in the effective implementation of
knowledge-based clinical systems

22. Clinical Systems Development
•
The EMR is a critical component of the Biomedical
IT infrastructure
•
Clinical systems development must be
collaborative
•
Understanding workflow and context is critical
•
The academic user community should be a major driver
•
Tight integration with clinical research systems is essential
•
Tight coupling of knowledge resources to the point of care

23. Informatics and
Translational Research
Data management
Knowledge access & management
Collaborative Systems
High performance computing
Access to clinical data
Data analysis and visualization
Integrated data repository
Tissue banking systems
Image managment
Knowledge representation
Basic Research
Informatics
EMR development
Clinical data acquisition
Clinical trials management
Integration with clinical systems
Knowledge-based decision making
Clinical Research

24. Major IRT Goals for 2003
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Hospital-School IT steering committee
Clinical Informatics Center
Secure wireless network
Planning for Clinical and Research Data Repository
The Library as our Knowledge Management Center
Data security policies for School
Immersive Learning Center
Task force to examine user support
New Website for School