Methods Inf Med 2008; 47(04): 296-317
DOI: 10.1055/s-0038-1627413
Original Article
Schattauer GmbH

Commentaries on “Informatics and Medicine: From Molecules to Populations”

R. B. Altman
1   Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
,
R. Balling
2   Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Braunschweig, Germany
,
J. F. Brinkley
3   University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
,
E. Coiera
4   University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia
,
F. Consorti
5   University of Rome “Sapienza”, Rome, Italy
,
M. A. Dhansay
6   South African Medical Research Council, Cape Town, South Africa
,
A. Geissbuhler
7   Geneva University and University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
,
W. Hersh
8   Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, OR, USA
,
S. Y. Kwankam
9   World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland and University of Yaounde I, Cameroon
,
N. M. Lorenzi
10   Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
,
F. Martin-Sanchez
11   Institute of Health “Carlos III”, Madrid, Spain
,
G. I. Mihalas
12   Victor Babes University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Timisoara, Romania
,
Y. Shahar
13   Ben Gurion University, Beer Sheva, Israel
,
K. Takabayashi
14   Chiba-University, Chiba, Japan
,
G. Wiederhold
1   Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
› Institutsangaben
Weitere Informationen

Publikationsverlauf

Publikationsdatum:
19. Januar 2018 (online)

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Summary

Objective: To discuss interdisciplinary research and education in the context of informatics and medicine by commenting on the paper of Kuhn et al. “Informatics and Medicine: From Molecules to Populations”.

Method: Inviting an international group of experts in biomedical and health informatics and related disciplines to comment on this paper.

Results and Conclusions: The commentaries include a wide range of reasoned arguments and original position statements which, while strongly endorsing the educational needs identified by Kuhn et al., also point out fundamental challenges that are very specific to the unusual combination of scientific, technological, personal and social problems characterizing biomedical informatics. They point to the ultimate objectives of managing difficult human health problems, which are unlikely to yield to technological solutions alone. The psychological, societal, and environmental components of health and disease are emphasized by several of the commentators, setting the stage for further debate and constructive suggestions.