Seminar - September 9, 2010

Bio:

Dr. Narus is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biomedical Informatics at the University of Utah.  He received his Ph.D. in Medical Informatics in 1995 from the University of Utah.  He has over 25 years of experience in systems development in aerospace and biomedicine.  He was formerly a Senior Medical Informaticist and Chief Software Architect for Intermountain Healthcare, directing the development of point-of-care clinical applications and Intermountain’s patient health record.  He currently directs several Informatics infrastructure development projects for the Department of Biomedical Informatics and the Office of the AVP for Health Sciences IT.  He is the PI on a $2.7M NIH grant to develop a statewide master person index for Utah.  Most recently, he became the proud grandfather of his first grandson, William Warren Croft.

Abstract:

The University of Utah is participating in several diverse biomedical research projects and national health initiatives.  At a quick glance, we might describe the approach to these efforts as a chaotic process, with many competing and overlapping programs.  But it turns out that Informatics may serve as a rallying point to attract similar aspects of these projects and produce order out of chaos.  Dr. Narus will review several current biomedical projects and initiatives that are impacting the University’s research direction.  He will then discuss how Informatics approaches and several Informatics infrastructure projects are being used to address significant research challenges and create opportunities in Biomedical Informatics exploration.