Pediatric Biomedical Informatics

Book excerpt: Advances in the biomedical sciences, especially genomics, proteomics, and metabolomics, taken together with the expanding use of electronic health records, are radically changing the IT infrastructure and software applications needed to support the transfer of knowledge from bench to bedside. Pediatric Biomedical Informatics: Computer Applications in Pediatric Research describes the core resources in informatics necessary to support biomedical research programs and how these can best be integrated with hospital systems to receive clinical information that is necessary to conduct translational research.The focus is on the authors’ recent practical experiences in establishing an informatics infrastructure in a large research-intensive children’s hospital. This book is intended for translational researchers and informaticians in pediatrics, but can also serve as a guide to all institutions facing the challenges of developing and strengthening informatics support for biomedical research. The first section of the book discusses important technical challenges underlying computer-based pediatric research, while subsequent sections discuss informatics applications that support biobanking and a broad range of research programs. Pediatric Biomedical Informatics provides practical insights into the design, implementation, and utilization of informatics infrastructures to optimize care and research to benefit children. Dr. John Hutton is the Vice President and Director of Biomedical Informatics at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA. He is also Professor of Pediatrics and Associate Dean for Information Services at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine.