President's column: making a difference

The purpose of the Messages from AMIA section is to provide a forum for AMIA to inform and involve its current and potential members about the goals and the directions of the association. These messages, which reflect the directions and opinions of AMIA leaders only, are intended to inspire members and readers to connect with the association on strategic objectives and activities. See also http://www.amia.org/presidents-page. As the new President and CEO of AMIA, I've been immersing feverishly in the ways of AMIA. I've talked with many leaders in the field and the organization to distill their advice concerning the future course of AMIA. The flood of information from all directions is at times a bit overwhelming and reminds me of my first days in med school at the University of North Dakota. But, if one listens and focuses, one learns … and, I am learning! What connections do I have with informatics? As a young family physician, I not only practiced, but also served as the founding Director of The Center for Rural Health at the University of North Dakota. In my work with rural communities, I came to the conclusion that if we had better information systems and robust connections between the rural providers and the larger healthcare delivery systems, we could markedly enhance the quality of care for the people living in rural America. Those formative years lit my flame of passion for informatics which has continued in my work as a leader in large healthcare systems and in new industry efforts related to web-based health education and electronic information systems. I have long felt inspired, even compelled, to pursue work that involved creating knowledge from information to improve healthcare . Here at AMIA, my clinical and industry background makes me a different kind of leader for …