Informatics Nerd

Happy Informatics Week , Chicago! I must say I'm particularly pleased that today through November 7th we will have the unique opportunity to have the field of informatics not only "officially" recognized by our mayor, but to have it done so in a way that will provide more exposure to what informatics is and what impact it has made in healthcare. For those of you in the Chicago area who may not be aware of the events, you can find a list at: http://chicagoinformaticsweek.org/events.html This, of course, is right around the time of the AMIA Annual Symposium, and following will be the CTSA Informatics meeting.  I'm excited to be heading an AMIA panel on the changing face of security and privacy with respect to the role that "honest brokers" play (session S69, Tuesday from 3:30-5:00), and a poster describing recent work to integrate a research registry recruitment system into a commercial EHR vendor's patient portal. I'm looking forward to catch

As I'm getting ready for a yearly performance review, I started thinking about when I applied for this and previous jobs and all of the effort I put into building the "perfect" resume. Tweaking it to have the right keywords for the job description, making sure I didn't overstate or understate my effort, but making sure whoever read this knew I was the best candidate. I started thinking about what that really translates to at my job, and what skills are practical and important each day. I came up with this as my new resume (no, not sending it out, very happy at my current job but thanks). Of course I realize sometimes you have to "play the game", but tell me this isn't what you're really looking for in an employee: I know I need to keep learning, and so I do.  I can (and do) listen better than I can speak.  I won't be a jerk to anyone in the organization, no matter their role.  I will come in to work and genuinely want to be there. I&#

While poor time planning may be mostly to blame, I have also been quite busy the past few months with the new addition of a baby boy (our first child) to our household. Walking through the medical system in the context of delivery, follow-up and now pediatric care has given me some insight into those parts of healthcare. Previously my only personal interactions were the occasional office visit for check-ups. With no real complaints, I was more amazed at the amount of data being collected in the time prior to delivery, and the realization that my son has his own medical record number! At home, my wife brought to light a potential area for growth in newborn care - driven more out of need than any formal proposal. Tracking feedings and diaper changes was something done at the hospital, and once we were home the feeding chart became a very valuable flowsheet of information. Currently it's been done on paper (don't worry, I have plans to develop an app!), but has given our sl