HRI- Initiative

Definition
Medical Imaging Informatics (MII) and/or Radiology Informatics (RI) is a new discipline which focuses on the research and development of effective and efficient solutions to the problems of processing large-scale medical image data sets and information overload. Research in this area aims to develop systems that make efficient use of information and communication technology, advanced research computing techniques, and system paradigm to facilitate novel radiological interpretation processes and thus to enhance today's medical imaging-based health and hospital management systems. With the research in medical image informatics and radiology informatics, people can ultimately improve image-based disease detection and diagnosis, dynamically designing and monitoring of radiation therapy, and develop new diagnostic technologies, through extensive use of today's information science and technology.

Driving Force
The field is fostered and developed exponentially due to huge demands, mainly due to (1) the number of medical images available to radiologists is growing rapidly, (2) the size of image data is increased significantly for high resolution or at microscopic level, (3) the image data are in temporal space for dynamic imaging, and (4) many innovative image processing require data intensive computation and high performance computing. The current image data has outpaced the human ability to process them. Computing and computational aids play unprecedented role in assisting radiologists to effectively and efficiently operate diagnostic practices.

Scope
Medical imaging informatics or radiology informatics has a very broader scope. It covers large-scale medical imaging, image processing and analysis, medical image information systems, data storage, achieving/retrieving, database, database management, formatting, conversion, resources discovery, integration to health and hospital management systems, business management modules, large-scale modeling and simulations based on imaging, image streaming, communication and networking. It also envelops the recently developed technologies such as medical image data mining and statistics, image recognition, image searching, image mapping, image comparison, neural/kernel and machine learning, a support vector machine (SVM) as well as systems engineering for radiological systems.

Crossing Disciplines
MII and RI's research and development requires strong multidisciplinary background and expertise from radiology, medical and biomedical engineering, electrical and computer engineering, computer and computational sciences, information and management sciences, biology, biochemistry, physics, mathematics, chemistry, and even social and humanity sciences.

Mission
"HRI is an Iowa-based contemporary house for medical imaging and radiology informatics, enabled by cyber-infrastructures for academic computing."

--- Hawkeye Radiology Informatics Initiative facilitates the research and development of medical imaging informatics research and clinic use at the University of Iowa. Its programs and projects will be integrated into the radiology departmental strategy and the UI medical college's clinical translational science infrastructure. Its research activities will promote UI medical imaging based research and clinical trials to be at a nationally competitive level. The ultimate goal is to establish a nationally-recognized research facility in radiology informatics; hence to promote national health systems for broader impacts.

Workforce
HRI consists of UI's remarkable, experienced radiologists and outstanding researchers who are interested either in developing new methodologies and technology in large-scale medical imaging informatics, or using such spectacular technology and facilities for research use and clinical practice. HRI provides unique services to foster new generations of research and clinical workforces in radiology informatics through our abundant education programs. Medical fellows, medical students, graduate students and undergraduate students are involved in our excellent research and clinic projects. Women and minorities are strongly encouraged to join our team.

 

 

Hawkeye Radiology Informatics (HRI)
Department of Radiology || Carver College of Medicine || The University of Iowa
Copyright © 2007-10, All rights reserved. Legal Notices