October 24, 2011
The AMIA Annual Symposium is the world’s most comprehensive annual meeting on biomedical and health informatics. The AMIA Annual Symposium is the primary forum for the presentation of research and development related to the structure and management of data, and the design, implementation and evaluation of information systems in the field of biomedical and health informatics.
Title: The Pediatric Heart Network Portal: A collaboration of Academia, Government, and Industry to Improve Image Workflow in Clinical Research
Presented by: M.A. Keller, Booz Allen Hamilton; A.T. Fernandez, Booz Allen Hamilton; S. Granite, JHU; R. Winslow, JHU; S. Tennstedt, New England Research Institutes; G.D. Pearson, NHLBI/NIH
Summary: This talk presented collaborative efforts among pediatric heart centers, academic centers, government and industry to apply bioinformatics methodology and open-source technologies to enhance the multi-site clinical study management of the Pediatric Heart Network (PHN). The PHN was created and funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) in 2001 to improve outcomes and quality of life in children with congenital and acquired heart disease. The network consists of pediatric heart centers, a data coordinating center (New England Research Institutes, NERI) and core labs to capture, store and analyze clinical data. Booz Allen Hamilton conducted a community analysis to identify areas for workflow improvement and develop a bioinformatics strategy. Priority areas were identified in image study workflow, security, and infrastructure improvements. A web-based portal system that integrates image storage, security and semantics is being developed, in collaboration with PHN sites, as well as incorporating common infrastructure from the NHLBI’s Cardiovascular Research Grid (CVRG). Together, these groups have brought clinical and bioinformatics technology perspectives and efficient solutions to improve the clinical study management of the PHN today. The bioinformatics infrastructure will provide the backbone to add additional data types in the future to enable sharing within PHN sites.