50 Years University of Utah Department of Biomedical Informatics
Founded by Dr. Homer Warner
The Eccles Health Sciences Library presents a 50 year timeline of the University of Utah’s Biomedical Informatics department 1964-2014. An important medical field that was founded and pioneered by Dr. Homer Warner (1922-2012).
By
Heidi Greenberg & Bryan E. Hull
Beginnings 1964
The University of Utah’s first Biomedical Informatics Department is founded by Dr. Homer Warner in 1964.
Our History
Department of Biophysics and Bioengineering, University of Utah College of Engineering, Homer R. Warner, M.D., Ph.D. Professor and Chair.
Pioneers in the Field
Electronic Health Record
1970
Biomedical Informatics faculty and graduates have served in key design and implementation roles in several major electronic health record software systems. (HELP, HELP2, CCDS, CPRS, VistA®).
1970
Reed Gardner and Dr. Donald Bennett with EEG technologists from University of Utah.
Demonstrating use of EEG machine to transmit 6 channels of EEG over two phone lines – among first telemedicine systems in operation.
1972
Dr. Reed Gardner standing in front of old computer
The nation’s first Biomedical Informatics program to be a department of a School of Medicine.
Department of Medical Biophysics and Computing– University of Utah School of Medicine, Homer R. Warner, M.D., Ph.D., Professor and Chair.
Front Row – Left to Right: Alan F. Toronto, MD, Marion L. Dickman, PhD, Paul D. Clayton, PhD, T. Alan Pryor, PhD, Curtis C. Johnson, PhD, Homer R. Warner, MD, PhD
Back Row – Left to Right: Mark H. Skolnick, PhD, John D. Morgan, PhD, Hyrum W. Marshall, MD, Peter W. Barber, PhD, Justin S. Clark, PhD, Reed M. Gardner, PhD
Computerized Utah Genealogy
1977
Dr. Mark Skolnik built the computerized Utah Genealogy, linked it to cancer data and began to study high-risk cancer pedigrees. The computerized Utah Genealogy was donated much later to the University of Utah Cancer Center and has become the Utah Population Database (UPDB).
Utah Population Database
The Utah Population Database (UPDB), which combines extensive genealogy data with clinical and public health data sources, was developed in our department. Researchers at the University of Utah and other institutions have used UPDB to analyze patterns of genetic inheritance and to identify specific genetic mutations.
1985
Portrait
Department of Medical Informatics
University of Utah School of Medicine
Homer R. Warner, MD, PhD,
Professor and Chair
1994 – Homer Warner MD, PhD
Morris F. Collen Lifetime Achievement Award
“[My] initial impression of Homer’s personality- enthusiasm, intellectual skills, willingness to work extremely hard, and, above all, sheer willpower to accomplish what many of us might think to be unrealistic or unattainable goals has been only reinforced.”
– Paul Clayton, PhD, 1994
“A model achiever of balanced excellence. Researcher, editor, skier, sailor, all-around athlete. Exemplary husband, father, grandfather, brother. Man of humility, integrity, and faith.”
– Russell M. Nelson, MD, 1991
2006: Reed Gardner, PhD
Morris F. Collen Lifetime Achievement Award
“He’s done a tremendous job and many of his students have gone on to achieve fame in their own right and Reed’s probably as proud of them as any other accomplishment and he should be because he’s made a tremendous contribution that’ll be around long after he’s gone.”
—Homer R. Warner
“We found Reed spending considerable amounts of his time working with a lot of these organizations to share not only the information that we were developing, but also bringing to us and throughout the world that information and standards that were being developed worldwide.”
—T. Allan Pryor
Collaborations
The University of Utah’s Biomedical Informatics Department enjoys one of the richest collaborative healthcare system networks in the country and have faculty who work in healthcare networks that care for over 90% of the state of Utah (Intermountain Healthcare, University of Utah Healthcare, VA Salt Lake City Health Care System, Utah Department of Health).
Graduates
In 1965, the department graduated its 1st PhD student. In 2015, the department will graduate its 161st PhD student.
The University of Utah’s Biomedical Informatics Department enjoys one of the richest collaborative healthcare system networks in the country and have faculty who work in healthcare networks that care for over 90% of the state of Utah (Intermountain Healthcare, University of Utah Healthcare, VA Salt Lake City Health Care System, Utah Department of Health).