In recent months, the ongoing healthcare debate has brought the transformative power of information technology to the forefront of our national consciousness. Though there are varying opinions as to the ultimate makeup of our evolving system of research and care delivery, the notion of connectivity-enabled, consumer-driven healthcare is becoming pervasive—from electronic medical records (EMRs) that will eliminate the endless re-entry of clinical information to patient health records (PHRs) that enable patients to record their own clinical experiences to iPhone applications that suggest healthy food choices to patients at risk for heart disease.
In this issue, we explore ways in which connectivity is being leveraged to create new capabilities in imaging, proteomics, and clinical research and care—and how these advances are being enabled by caBIG® standards and infrastructure "under the hood".
Sincerely,
Ken Buetow
Director, NCI Center for Biomedical Informatics and Information Technology
