Association for
Veterinary Informatics
NEWSLETTER

January - February, 1998



Charles A. Cohen (Branford, CT) - President; Robin Starr-Chichester (Conifer, CO) - President Elect, James T. Case (UC-Davis) - Secretary Treasurer; Ronald D. Smith (Illinois) - Newsletter Editor


IN THIS ISSUE


ASSOCIATION NEWS


President's Report
From: Chuck Cohen <CACohen@compuserve.com>

I suggested to Ron that we start to include with each issue of the AVI Newsletter a column by our officers, committee heads, and/or working group leaders. Ron was kind enough to have thanked me for having, therefore, submitted the first of such. My goal is to increase participation. I do not see this column necessarily as a didactic exercise, but as a way for deepening the quality of our newsletter.

I would like to thank those who have participated in the evolution of the Talbot Symposium. See the program at

http://hahn.lcs.mit.edu/98talbot/schedule.htm

Additional details will appear in the March-April AVI Newsletter. The Education Committee has experienced an awakening under the Stewardship of Duane. Given the front page article in DVM Newsmagazine ("Send Images, not clients, to specialists," December 1997) this symposium is right on target. Perhaps it will be the real stimulus for our association to effectively relate to other affiliate groups' informatics specialists or committees. In addition, it will be interesting to see what surfaces in the poster and e-poster realm. Duane has been working with Karl Wise to establish a more productive autotutorial area of the convention to include autotutorials, NOAH - NetVet, computer wet lab, and electronic posters.

Among the officers of AVI I established a bit of a dialog regarding the future of our Newsletter - hardcopy vs e-copy. Ron feels that the e-copy is the way to go to the point of eliminating the hardcopy. Robin and I feel we might entertain thoughts about doing both with the hardcopy being incorporated into JAVMA or another scientific journal where many could be exposed to it that would not otherwise have seen it. In addition, I think we should also consider asking informatics committees of other affiliate associations, such as AAEP and AABP, to contribute news items and articles for the newsletter. Please let Ron and the executive officers know your thoughts about these matters.

There is currently consideration by the Swedish VMA of inviting me over next August to participate in a discussion group about what we do in AVI, what our Symposium has been about, and to do a presentation on my own work of DiagLab-LabCost-LabTest-Docs. If this comes to pass it will be a pleasure to see us gain some international friends perhaps.

My year as president seems to be passing without too many problems. I do look forward to some evolutionary trends and assume that the Justice Department will see to it that "We the people..." does not become "We the folks at Microsoft...". If I were to think about the state of computing these days I would include frustration that Netscape and Sun have not been able to mount their challenge to MS of an alternative WWW communications based operating system, as they once promised, and of someone perhaps not being able to have taken CMOS to a level where it could really help endusers relate to a choice of operating environments. It would also include a sense of accomplishement due to having access to such well developed products as one finds in the MS Office 97 suite. You love to hate the guy!

I look forward to other columns from our officers and involved AVI and affiliate parties. Let's see if we can grow AVI and the Newsletter so aptly managed by Ron.

Chuck

How to Contact AVI

Applications for membership, accompanied by a check for $35 payable to the AVI, should be sent to:

Dr. James T. Case; Secretary Treasurer, AVI; 1590 Augusta Ct., Dixon, CA 95620
Phone: 916/752-4408; FAX: 916/752-5680; e-mail:
JimCase@aol.com

Membership application forms are available online at:

http://netvet.wustl.edu/avi.htm

Dr. Case is responsible for distribution of the hardcopy version of the AVI Newsletter.

Newsletter items can be sent to:

Dr. Ronald D. Smith, Newsletter Editor, AVI; UI College of Veterinary Medicine; 2001 South Lincoln; Urbana, IL 61801.
Phone: 217/333-2449; FAX: 217/333-4628; e-mail:
rd-smith@uiuc.edu

If you are an AVI member and would like to be on the AVI Newsletter electronic distribution list, send an e-mail message to the Newsletter Editor. Although the electronic version is only an ASCII (text) file, it's faster, searchable, easier to store and retrieve, and environmentally friendly.

Current and past issues of the AVI Newsletter are also available on the Web at:

http://netvet.wustl.edu/avi.htm

Minutes: AVI 1997 Annual Business Meeting
From: "JimCase" <JimCase@aol.com>

Minutes of the 1997 Annual Meeting of the Association for Veterinary Informatics

The meeting was called to order by President Harmon Rogers at 12:45pm on July 22, 1997 in the Majestic Room of the Sands Regency Hotel, Reno, NV. The attendees introduced themselves and their current interests and efforts in computing and informatics.

The meeting agenda was amended as follows:

Included under Old Business:
VISO
Included under New Business:
Bylaws
1998 Talbot Symposium
AVMA presentation
The agenda was moved, seconded and passed unanimously.

The minutes from the 1996 annual meeting were approved.

The Secretary/Treasurer's financial and membership reports were accepted.

Membership Report 1997
Membership activities during the previous year were as follows: initial mailing of renewal was done in December 1996. An additional mailing was sent out to nonrenewed members in April of 1997. A current membership application form was made available on the AVI WWW site at http://netvet.wustl.edu/avi.htm. Information about the AVI and membership was also distributed through the AVI-L LISTSERV.

In March 1996, the Secretary-Treasurer received approval from the executive board to undertake a mass mailing to potential members of the AVI using the AAHA membership list. This was purchased from AAHA in April 1997. It contains over 13,000 names and addresses on self-sticking mailing labels. As of June 30, 1997 over 2,000 letters and application forms have been sent to AAHA members. This has resulted in 22 new members from those who were contacted for a response rate of 1%. It was estimated that a response rate of 1.5% would pay for this mailing. The limiting factor currently is time to stuff and mail envelopes.

As of July 14, 1997, the Association has 157 active members. These include 128 Full members, 26 Associate members, and 3 Student members. Foreign membership includes 1 from Australia, 1 from Brazil, 4 people from Canada, 1 from South Africa, 1 from Sweden and 1 from the United Arab Emirates. Membership is up from 146 members in 1996, a 7.5% increase but only 2.6% from 1995. Forty-six people who were members in 1996 had not renewed as of June 30, 1997. There are 29 new members.

Working group affiliation of the members is:

Practice Management Systems

24

Communications and Networking

16

Computerized Patient Records

49

Data and Messaging Standards

2

Computer-Aided Instruction

35

No selection

28


The Newsletter Editor's report was accepted.

The Nominating Committee's report was accepted.

Education Committee's report
The budget from the AVMA for the 1997 Talbot Symposium was $3,000 of which approximately $2,400 was expended. For next year the AVMA has moved up the publication date. Attendance at the Symposium was good, with between 125-150 people attending. There were a low percentage of attendees who were practitioners.

Working group reports
Internet: Dr. Ken Boschert, chair of the Internet working group recommended that the AVI look into obtaining a domain name (AVI.org). He will make a formal proposal to the executive committee to look into it. Dr. Boschert expressed a need to increase cross communication with other groups that have computer and informatics related activities.

Note: Reports from other working groups have been or will be published in the AVI Newsletter.

Old Business
At last year's meeting it was suggested that the VISO group be incorporated into the AVI. There was a recommendation from the executive committee that this be accomplished over the coming year. This will require some by-laws changes. It was proposed that those changes be made and that the draft be available for vote by the general membership during the next ballot (to be held within two months of the 1998 annual meeting).

New Business
Bylaws changes
The following changes to the bylaws were suggested: Increase the term of the secretary/treasurer to 3 years. Form a new standing committee - membership to address the current needs and future growth of the Association. Recommended formalizing the working groups. The bylaws do not address them. It was also recommended that the bylaws as they currently exist be posted on the web site as well as being published in the newsletter.

1998 Talbot Symposium
Dr. Duane Steward announced that the Hills and Bayer Companies have donated approximately $6 million for enhancement of the AVMA annual meeting. He them presented a preview for consideration of the 1998 Richard Talbot Symposium for Veterinary Informatics. The presentation is available from the AVI web site. Dr. Rogers mentioned that the program for the Symposium must be in to AVMA by September of this year. Dr. Steward was confident that with help from members of the Association that this could be accomplished.

Presentation to Dr. Ken Boschert
Dr. Janver Krehbiel, chairman of the AVMA Informatics Committee and Dr. J. Karl Wise, director of the AVMA Center for Information Management presented a plaque to Dr. Ken Boschert recognizing his donation of the NETVET/Electronic Zoo internet resources on the World Wide Web to the AVMA.

The meeting was adjourned at 1:55pm.

Respectfully submitted,
James T. Case D.V.M., Ph.D.
Secretary/Treasurer


CORRESPONDENCE

Computer-Based Guides to Vector Identification and Control
From: "LTC Daniel Strickman at WRAIR3" <WASHDC@wrsmtp-ccmail.army.mil>

We are the Walter Reed Biosystematics Unit, a part of the Dept. of Entomology, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research. We are located at the Smithsonian Institution's Museum Support Center in Silver Hill, Maryland, where we have access to the U.S. National Museum's collections of biting arthropods.

Most of our work during the last 15 years has concerned malaria vectors, though there have also been significant projects on other groups of mosquitoes. Currently, we have active projects on DNA-based identification of Anopheles, taxonomy of the Leucosphyrus group (An. dirus and related species), computer-based guides to vector identification and control, and identification of mosquito vectors of viruses in Peru. See our web page at http://wrbu.si.edu/ for more information and a sample computerized key.

We welcome proposals for mutual research and training.

Daniel Strickman
LTC, MS, US Army
Manager
tel: 301-238-3165; fax: 301-238-3168
email:
LTC_Daniel_Strickman@wrsmtp-ccmail.army.mil

Palm Pilot Formulary
Posted to: AVI-L Association of Veterinary Informatics Discussion List <AVI-L@WUVMD.WUSTL.EDU>
By: "Jeff Wilcke" <jwilcke%VT.EDU@WUVMD.WUSTL.EDU>

Duane Steward forwarded a message about a free veterinary formulary for a palm pilot. The url for the software was

http://www.pilotgear.com/index.html

I helped a Palm Pilot-owning friend download the software and the $20 shareware database that he needed to run it (an application for databases in a general sense not something specific to this formulary). Gave it a very brief tour.

Works nicely. Seems to be a pretty good list of drugs. Perhaps the nicest part is that you can add to the list yourself. Can't vouch for the therapeutic accuracy of all the doses (that would take a bit longer to review). All-in-all I was impressed.

Jeff R. Wilcke, DVM, MS, Diplomate ACVCP <
jwilcke@vt.edu>
Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, VA 24061
Office: 540231-4819, Lab: 540-231-4427, Fax: 540-231-2798

Looking for Veterinary Medicine Dictionary for the Novice
From: "Ken Boschert, DVM" <KEN@WUDCM.WUSTL.EDU>

On 5 Sep 97 at 15:59, Harriet_Mermes@NCSU.EDU wrote:
"...we are looking for a veterinary medicine dictionary for the novice or a glossary that might be available via the Web."

Ken Boschert responded:
It would be nice if there were such a thing, but I'm not aware of any form of electronic veterinary dictionary, online or not. There are medical dictionaries like Dorland's, Black's etc. for sale on CDROM, but about the closest thing I'm aware of to what you're looking for is a page at the University of Illinois CVM on Veterinary Abbreviations and Acronyms at

http://www.library.uiuc.edu/vex/vetdocs/abbs.htm



ASSOCIATION FOR VETERINARY INFORMATICS
CONSTITUTION AND BYLAWS

by
James T. Case D.V.M., Ph.D
Secretary/ Treasurer


Approved 7/19/82
Amended 9/1/84
Amended 9/15/95

Article I: Name

Section 1 The name of this organization shall be the ASSOCIATION FOR VETERINARY INFORMATICS (AVI).

Section 2 The AVI is defined as a non-profit organization whose purpose is to extend the applications of computers in veterinary medicine.

Section 3 The organization shall be incorporated under the laws of the State of Illinois as a not-for-profit corporation operated exclusively for one of the purposes specified in the Section 501 (c) (6) of the Internal Revenue Code 1954 (or the corresponding provision of any future United States Internal Revenue Law).

Section 4 The term for which it is organized shall be perpetual; however, in the event of the dissolution of the corporation, its property shall become the property of the American Veterinary Medical Foundation.


Article II: Objectives

Section 1 To extend the uses of computers in veterinary medicine.

Section 2 To provide a forum for the exchange of ideas about the uses of computers in veterinary medicine.

Section 3 To provide educational material about the uses of computers in veterinary medicine.


Article III: Membership

Section 1 Membership in the AVCS shall be by submission of application and payment of the first year dues. Members shall be considered ineligible to vote until their dues are paid and shall be dropped from the membership roster after six (6) months of nonpayment.

Section 2 The classes, qualifications and rights of members shall be:

Full
Individuals interested in the field of veterinary informatics. Dues paying; Full voting rights; receipt of newsletter; eligible for membership on standing committees; participation in Working Groups

Corporate
Corporations that support the goals of the Society. Dues paying; Full voting rights (one per corporation); receipt of newsletter; not eligible for membership on standing committees; participation in Working Groups.

Associate
Individuals who support the mission and goals of the Society. Dues paying; No voting rights; receipt of newsletter; not eligible for membership on standing committees; participation in Working Groups. Limited to two years

Student
Students enrolled in any academic program who are interested in the field of veterinary informatics.
Dues paying; No voting rights; receipt of newsletter; not eligible for membership on standing committees; participation in Working Groups


Article IV: Officers

Section 1 The officers of the organization shall be a president, president- elect, and secretary-treasurer.

Section 2 Officers shall be elected from among the voting membership.

Section 3 Officers shall be elected by the voting membership.


Article V: Executive Board

Section 1 The business and affairs of the organization shall be managed by an Executive Board consisting of the president, immediate past president, president-elect , secretary-treasurer, editor of the newsletter, and chairs of the standing committees.

Section 2 The Executive Board shall report on its activities at the annual meeting of the organization.


Article VI: Annual Meeting

Section 1 The Annual meeting shall denote the convening of the members to conduct business in accordance with the provisions of the Bylaws of the organization.


Article VII: Amendments

Section 1 The voting membership may amend this Constitution by a two-thirds majority of the votes cast at a regular or special meeting of the organization, provided that the proposed amendment or amendments have been mailed to the voting membership at least 30 days prior to such meeting. Those voting members unable to attend the meeting may cast their ballots by mail, provided the ballot is received by the secretary-treasurer no later than ten (10) days prior to the meeting.


BYLAWS

Article I: Members

Section 1 The charter members shall be those veterinarians and professional staff of colleges of veterinary medicine and veterinary diagnostic laboratories on the newsletter mailing list at the time the Constitution and Bylaws are adopted.

Section 2 Additional members shall be admitted to appropriate membership upon submission of an application form and payment of the first year dues.

Section 3 Membership in the organization may be withdrawn should any member use the AVCS in advertising. Included would be the use of the organization name on letterheads, business forms, business cards, and advertising copy.


Article II: Meetings

Section 1 The annual meeting shall be conducted at a time, date and place designated at the preceding annual meeting (or, in the case of the first meeting at a time, place and date designated by those elected to form this corporation) for the purpose of installing officers and for the transaction of such other business as may come before the meeting.

Section 2 Special meetings of the membership may be called by the President, secretary-treasurer or by the written request of 10% or more of the voting members.

Section 3 Meetings of the membership may be held at such place either within or without the State of Illinois as may be designated by the officers or members calling such meetings.

Section 4 Written notice stating the place, day and hour of the annual meeting and, in the case of a special meeting, the purpose for which the meeting is called shall be delivered to each member not less than thirty (30) days before the date of the meeting either personally or by mail or telegraph by or at the direction of the president, secretary-treasurer, or other officers or persons calling the meeting. If mailed, such notice shall be deemed to be delivered when deposited in the United States mail addressed to the member at his/her address as it appears on the records of the organization with postage therein prepaid. If notice is given by telegrams, such notice shall be deemed to be delivered when the telegraph is delivered to the telegraph company.

Section 5 A quorum shall consist of the voting members present. A majority of the votes entitled to be cast by members present shall be required for the determination of any issue properly brought before the meeting, unless a greater proportion is required by statute, the articles of incorporation or these bylaws.

Section 6 At any meeting of members, no member shall be allowed to vote by proxy.

Section 7 Any member may invite a person or persons interested in the organization to a meeting of the members.


Article III: Election of Officers

Section 1 The reports of the nominating committee and a call for nominations from the membership shall be mailed to all members by the secretary-treasurer at least 60 days prior to the beginning of the annual meeting.

Section 2 Nominations will close at midnight 40 days prior to the beginning of the annual meeting.

Section 3 Ballots shall be mailed by the secretary-treasurer at least 30 days prior to the beginning of the annual meeting and must be received back by the secretary-treasurer at least 5 days prior to the annual meeting.

Section 4 The nominee receiving the most votes shall be considered elected. Tie votes will be resolved at the annual meeting.

Section 5 The terms of the president and president-elect shall be one (1) year and until he/she is succeeded in office. The term of the secretary-treasurer shall be two (2) years, with elections in even numbered years, and he/she shall serve until succeeded in office.

Section 6 Officers shall take office at the conclusion of the annual business meeting.

Section 7 In the case of the death or written resignation of an officer, the Executive Board shall appoint a replacement for the remaining term of office.


Article IV: Duties of Officers

Section 1 The president shall : a) preside over all meetings of the membership and the Executive Board, b) be the chief representative of the organization, c) appoint members to various committees

Section 2 The president-elect shall: a)have such duties as are assigned to him by the president of the Executive Board, b) automatically become president at the termination of the president's term of office, c) accept duties of the president if that person is unable to perform the duties of his/her office.

Section 3 The secretary-treasurer shall:

a) Maintain the general records of the organization and fill all required reports pertaining thereto;
b) Attend all meetings of the Executive Board;
c) Keep all original notes and records of all official meetings and sessions until the Executive Board approves of their disposal;
d) Conduct balloting as required;
e) Maintain the financial records of the organization;
f) Be the custodian of the assets of the organization;
g) Pay all expenses of the organization as directed by the Executive Board;
h) Maintain a file of all vouchers and invoices accompanying them for a period of not less than five (5) years;
i) Deposit all moneys in the name of the organization in a federally insured bank approved by the
Executive Board;
j) Turn over all funds, properties and records to his successor;
k) Present a report of the activities of his office and of the financial status of the organization at
each annual meeting of the Executive Board and membership and at such other times as the
Executive Board may request.

Section 4 The immediate past president shall have such duties as assigned by the president and the Executive Board.


Article V: Executive Board

Section 1 A meeting of the Executive Board shall be held just prior to the time and immediately after and at the place designated for the annual meeting of the membership.

Section 2 Special meetings of the Executive Board may be called at any time by the president and shall be called by him/her at the written request of not less than two (2) Executive Board members.

Section 3 Not less than ten (10) days notice of the time and place of any meeting of the Executive Board shall be given in person, by mail or by telegram addressed to each member at his/her address as it appears on the books of the organization. If mailed, such notice shall be deemed to be given when deposited in the Untied States mail so addressed with postage therein prepaid. If notice is given by telegram, such notice shall be deemed to be given when the telegram is delivered to the telegram office.

Section 4 Three (3) members on the Executive board shall constitute a quorum. The majority vote of the Executive Board members present at a meeting at which a quorum is present shall be necessary for the adoption of any matter voted upon by the Executive Board unless a greater proportion is required by statue, the articles of incorporation or these bylaws.

Section 5 Without limiting the generality of its powers and duties, the Executive Board shall have the following powers and duties:

a) It shall receive and consider for approval all applications for voting membership and make recommendations on such to the membership prior to voting on it at the annual meeting.
b) It shall select the time and place and make the necessary arrangements for the annual meeting.
c) It shall direct the management of funds held by the organization.


Article VI: Committees

Section 1 The organization shall have the following standing committees and such additional committees as may be specified by the Executive Board: Nominating, Newsletter, and Education.

Section 2 The president, with the advice and consent of the Executive Board, shall annually appoint from the membership the Chairman and members of each committee.


Article VII: Fiscal Year and Dues

Section 1 The fiscal and membership year of the organization shall begin August 1 and end on July 31 of each calendar year.

Section 2 All dues and fees shall be determined by the Executive Board and approved by the voting membership.


Article VIII: Procedure

Section 1 Robert's Rules of Order Revised shall govern the conduct of all meetings of representatives and of the Executive Board when not covered by the statute of the bylaws.


Article IX: Amendments

Section 1 These bylaws may be altered or amended by a majority vote of those present at any meeting at which a quorum is present, provided that a detailed description of the alterations or amendments shall have been submitted to the membership at least 30 days prior to the meeting of the Executive Board preceding such meetings of the membership. The Executive Board shall submit the proposed alterations or amendments, with their recommendations, to the meeting which next follows the meeting of the Board.


PRODUCTS & REVIEWS

HCFA Releases MedQuest 4.0
Excerpted From: Access AMIA - Issue 4

The Health Care Financing Administration has just released version 4.0 of the MedQuest suite of clinical data collection design tools. The MedQuest components were extensively revised and have a number of major enhancements. A review of the new features can be found at:

http://www.hcfa.gov/medicare/hsqb/medquest/medq1.htm

PAHO Book/CD-ROM - Internet, Telematics & Health
From: "Ms. Shana Vickers" <vickerss@paho.org>

The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), Regional Office of the World Health Organization, is announcing the release of a new publication and accompanying CD-ROM: "Internet, Telematics, and Health." This ground-breaking review of health care in the information age is offered at a discount to hmatrix list subscribers.

This new release contains contributions from over 80 of the most eminently qualified specialists in medical informatics from more than 20 countries in North America, Latin America, and Europe. Their papers provide a global view of the potential of the Internet and the role of informatics in health care. This ground-breaking publication offers rigorous academic, political, and professional approaches to the health-related impact of informatics, from first-hand experiences around the world to practical guidance on how to begin using the Internet or enhance its use in the health care field.
The book also presents a range of informatics and telematics applications available nowadays to medicine and examples of how people with a health concern are using the Internet in both industrialized and developing countries. A CD-ROM, containing a directory of health-related sites on the World Wide Web is also included.

Produced with the resources of such institutions as the PAHO, the Medical Informatics Foundation of Argentina, and the European Commission, this book is an essential reference for doctors, other health professionals, planners, managers, teachers, and students. It also provides valuable information for patients and members of the general public who want to know more about their own health maintenance and protection.

PAHO is offering hmatrix list subscibers a 10% discount off the list price of $79.00 for the book and CD-ROM set, plus $6.00 shipping and handling within the U.S. and $7.00 outside the U.S. Additional discounts are available for purchases of ten or more copies. For more information or to order, mention promotion INTE01 and contact:

Shana Vickers <
vickerss@paho.org>
PAHO Publications Program
525 Twenty-third Street, NW
Washington DC 20037
Tel: (202) 974-3056, Fax: (202) 338-0869

New Informatics Book
From: "Enrico Coiera" <ewc@hplb.hpl.hp.com>

Readers of the aim list might be interested in looking at the web site for my new textbook 'Guide to Medical Informatics, the Internet and Telemedicine' at

http://www.coiera.com/

I'd like the web site to develop into a set of resources for those who want to use the book for teaching - so I would be particularly interested to hear suggestions from those of you currently teaching classes for material and exercises that could be included there.

E-Mail Appointment Reminder Service
From: "Craig A. Wacker" <cwacker@clientremind.com>

ClientRemind.com, L.L.C. introduces e-mail appointment reminder service

BALTIMORE, MD December 1, 1997/PRNewswire/-- Veterinary practitioners can now send fully customized appointment reminders via e-mail. With the release of its e-mail appointment reminder service, ClientRemind.com provides the veterinary community with its first practical, cost effective and easy to use internet based client communications tool.

At its business site,
www.ClientRemind.com, a series of menus are presented in a simple and easy to use format. Appointment reminders, newsletters, and special notices may be customized and personalized by the veterinary practitioner and sent to their clients. "The number of people who use e-mail has risen dramatically, and expectations are for it to continue" states Craig A. Wacker, President of the Baltimore, MD, based company. "E-mail is everywhere, it is now commonplace to see it on business cards, product advertisements and directories."

E-mail is an improvement over traditional mail. Pet owners can instantly confirm scheduled appointment, make inquiries, and reply to notifications with the click of a button. The portability of e-mail makes it a great way to reach clients who travel out of town. Reminder notices are delivered to where people make their schedules, not lost on the kitchen table. "Our veterinary practice customers spend a significant amount of money on traditional appointment reminders and these costs have a real effect on the bottom line" says Mr. Wacker. " We provide a service that not only lowers practice operating costs, it is an improvement over the state of the art."

ClientRemind.com is a web-based computing solution. All data is processed by a secure remote server. This allows veterinary practices to utilize their current computers, without making additional investments in computer hardware. Improvements and innovations to the service will not force a subscriber to buy up to keep up, as is the case with so many installed software products. Hardware and software conflicts are virtually eliminated.

ClientRemind.com is offered on a subscription basis, far below the cost of paper post cards. The website for ClientRemind.com, www.clientremind.com, will not only focus on the processing of e-mail reminders, but will continually provide materials on effective client communications, effective e-mail and internet tools.

For more information contact, Craig A. Wacker, ClientRemind.com,
L.L.C., 1933 Blue Mount Rd., Monkton, MD 21111, phone/fax (410)357-4703.
E-mail cwacker@clientremind.com, Website www.clientremind.com

Craig A. Wacker <
cwacker@clientremind.com>
President , CEO
ClientRemind.com, L.L.C.
www.clientremind.com


INTERNET RESOURCES

EDU-ONLINE: Distance Education via the Internet
From: "EDU-ONLINE Moderator" <moderator@learnskills.com>

If you are currently involved in delivering distance education via the Internet, or plan to do so within the coming year, we invite you to participate in EDU-ONLINE, a discussion group dedicated to issues pertaining to Distance Education via the Internet.

EDU-ONLINE is an open, moderated discussion list for professionals actively involved in delivering training and education via the Internet.

Topics discussed include:
emerging technologies,
online training methodologies,
online curriculum development,
other aspects of the challenge of exploiting the online medium to deliver quality distance
education and training.

To SUBSCRIBE send any message to
join-edu-online@sparklist.com
WEBSITE:
http://www.learnskills.com/edu-online/
ARCHIVES:
http://www.reference.com/cgi-bin/pn/listarch?list=edu-online@lofcom.com
Owner: Yoel Ben-Avraham <
edu-online-owner@sparklist.com>

Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology Newsletter
From: "Steve Heinig" <sheinig@opa.faseb.org>

http://www.faseb.org/opar/fnews.html

This newsletter is a publication of the FASEB Office of Public Affairs. The newsletter is available as downloadable PDF files. Some back issues (1994-5) are available via gopher.

Recent Contents:
* Graduate Education Conference Report Released * Yount Begins Term as FASEB President
* FASEB Send Alert on House Tuition Tax proposal * The Year Ahead: The New FASEB President Discusses the Issues * "Balenced Budget Agreement" Ignores biomedical Research
* Tax Bill Created Problems for Scientists and Science Students * FASEB Begins Major Expansion of MARC Programs

Free Web Translation Service - Spanish, French, German, Portuguese and Italian
Forwarded by: "Ken Boschert" <ken@DCM.WUSTL.EDU>

MAYNARD, Mass., December 9, 1997

AltaVista Search Services Delivers Free Web Translation Service between English, Spanish, French, German, Portuguese and Italian.

http://babelfish.altavista.digital.com/cgi-bin/translate?

Digital Equipment Corporation today announced it has broken the Internet language barrier, with the first European language translation service for Web content. For the first time, non-English speaking Web surfers can translate information on the predominantly English speaking Web in real time. The new free service, provided on Digital's AltaVista Search service, also gives English only Web surfers the ability to understand information in five of the world's most popular languages.

Palm-Med Listserv-- Palmtops in Medicine
From: "Mike Kramer" <jmkramer@ umich.edu>

This is an announcement of a new listserv group called palm-med. The subject of discussion shall be the use of handheld devices and their medical applications. Devices such as the newton, palm-pilot, windows-ce, psion and others are becoming more and more useful in the medical field. These devices increasingly assist care at the bedside and in the collection and management of enormous amounts of scientific and medical information. It is the purpose of the group to advance this field and provide a resource for the users of these devices and their software. Also, we would like to advance collaboration in the use of these devices, share in resources that members have created for their own use, and provide direction for the industry.

To subscribe simply send an email to "
palm-med@umich.edu" and in the subject header include the word subscribe and your name. Contributions to the conversation should be addressed to the same but avoid command words in the subject. Detailed instructions are below.

Please feel welcome to join our discussion.

Sincerely,
Mike Kramer, MD
List Owner
Resident, Combined Internal Medicine and Pediatrics University of Michigan

DOGTALES (TM) ListServ List
From: "PeaceDog" <peacedog@enteract.com>

DOGTALES Animal-Facilitated Therapy/Pet Loss List

DOGTALES is a private positive-mood list based on the desire of the members to see growth in the field of Animal-Facilitated Therapy and Activities. It is also a list where members can get support about pet loss issues.

If you would like to contribute as a *positive force* on DOGTALES, send an e-mail to:
LISTSERV@LISTSERV.UIC.EDU
and in the body of the note, type:
SUB DOGTALES <e-mail address> <Your Name> (leave out the brackets)

Mary K. R. Jacobs, LCPC, NCC [
peacedog@enteract.com]

DVM News Online December Update
From: "Lynne Brakeman" <lbrakeman%ADVANSTAR.COM@WUVMD.WUSTL.EDU>

The December update of the DVM Newsmagazine web site is now online at:

http://www.dvmnewsmagazine.com

The online news briefs, links page, new products and calendar pages have all been refreshed. Please stop by for a visit and let us know what you think.

Sincerely,
Lynne Brakeman <
lbrakeman@advanstar.com>
Web Editor, DVM Newsmagazine


NEWS & COMMENTARY

University Of Missouri Medical School to Offer New Masters Program in Informatics
Excerpted From: Access AMIA - Issue 4

The University of Missouri has announced formation of a Department of Health Management and Informatics in the School of Medicine. The department is formed by a merger of the Medical Informatics Group and the Program in Health Services Management. It is planned to offer a Master's degree in Informatics starting in 1998 to complement the existing Masters degree in Health Administration.

National Food Safety Educator's Network Mailing List
From: "Robyn Douglas" <RGB@VM.CFSAN.FDA.GOV>

Friday, October 24, 1997: The Launching of EdNet
This is the first update sent out on the new National Food Safety Educator's Network mailing list, EdNet-L <
EdNet-L@foodsafety.gov>.

NEW SAFE FOOD HANDLING CAMPAIGN URGES AMERICANS TO "FIGHT BAC!"(tm)
The "Fight BAC!" Web Site

The campaign also features a new web site --
www.fightbac.org -- where consumers, health professionals, educators and the media can learn the latest news about preventing foodborne illness. Grassroots consumer educators will appreciate the web site's special links allowing them to access a variety of consumer-friendly food safety information.

Listowners:
Robyn Douglas <
rgb@foodsafety.gov> for content information
Diane Schmit <
dms@foodsafety.gov> for subscription problems

To UNSUBSCRIBE
Send the message "SIGNOFF EDNET-L" to LISTSERV@FOODSAFETY.GOV

Technology, Health Services Figure Prominently in Labor Forecasts
From: "Ken Boschert" <ken@DCM.WUSTL.EDU>
Excerpted from AMIA Newsletter

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics this month released its employment projections for the period 1996 to 2006. Among the projected 10 fastest growing industries, computer and data processing ranks first and health services ranks second. The number of people employed in computer and data processing is expected to increase from 1.2 million to more than 2.5 million; the number of people employed in health services is expected to increase from 1.17 million to 1.97 million. Among the projected ten fastest growing occupations, those in computer and data processing and health services account for nine: database/computer administrators, computer engineers, and systems analysts are forecasted to be the three fastest growing, and the following six are also included in the top ten: personal care aides; physical therapy assistants; home health aides; medical assistants; physical therapists; and occupational therapy assistants.

Beware Diploma Mills on the Net
From: "EDUCOM Edupage Mailing List" <edupage@educom.unc.edu>

A number of would-be students have fallen victim to the dark side of distance learning on the Internet -- fraudulent schemes that claim to offer accredited degrees in as little as 27 days. In many of these cases, a Web site is about all these "institutions" have to offer, says the co-author of "Bears' Guide to Earning College Degrees Nontraditionally." And while some people assume that a ".edu" suffix guarantees the authenticity of an educational institution, Network Solutions (the company that registers Internet domain names) says it gives a ".edu" name to anyone who requests it. So far, the Accrediting Commission of the Distance Education and Training Council is the only nationally recognized accrediting body for distance-learning programs, while the Global Alliance for Transnational Education focuses on evaluating and certifying international institutions. (Chronicle of Higher Education 19 Dec 97)

Netscape Offers "Customer Choice" in Latest Browser Battle
From: "EDUCOM Edupage Mailing List" <edupage@educom.unc.edu>

Netscape Communications has launched its "Customer Choice" program, an initiative that invites consumers to access software that will switch their default browser to Netscape Communicator and uninstall Microsoft's Internet Explorer software. Netscape currently has some 35,000 Web sites that include icons that can be clicked on to download free browser software. (InternetWeek 24 Dec 97)

Society for the Internet in Medicine Online Newsletter
From: "Bruce C. McKenzie" <bruce@CYBERTAS.DEMON.CO.UK>

Here is the cover page for the Society for the Internet in Medicine's newsletter, SIM Quarterly Issue 3 (December 1997). Please see:

http://www.cybertas.demon.co.uk/simq/home.html

The closing date for submission of content to Issue 4 is February 28 1998. Submissions are encouraged from anyone with an interest in utilizing the Internet for medicine.

Regards,
Bruce McKenzie (Editor)

Issue 3, December 1997
ISSN 1368-1591

Contents

In this Issue...

Editorial:
* Quality Standards for Health Information on the Internet (Bruce C. McKenzie) Columns:
* Annual Report of the Society for the Internet in Medicine (Clive Baldock and Ramsey Badawi)
* Minutes of the 1st SIM AGM (Stephen Keevil)
* SIM Annual Accounts 1997 (Stephen Keevil) Reviews:
* Health on the Internet (Anne Weist)
* Medicine and the Internet (Little, Brown and Co.) (Donald Mackay)
* Medicine and the Internet (OUP) (Anne Hicks)
* Free Medline: PubMed and Internet Grateful Med (Frank Norman)
* The Virtual Hospital (Frank Norman) Short papers:
* In-flight Continuous Vital Signs Telemetry via the Internet (Alex Gandsas and Kevin Montgomery)

Meeting reports:
* MEDNET 97 review (Trevor Cradduck)

Announcements:
* Internet, Telematics and Health (Trevor Cradduck)


MEETINGS & EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES

See the informatics section of NetVet for a more complete and current list of informatics-related activities at <http://netvet.wustl.edu/info.htm>

Richard B. Talbot Symposium on Veterinary Informatics
July 25 - 27, 1998; Baltimore, MD

http://hahn.lcs.mit.edu/98talbot/schedule.htm

The complete schedule and a forward by the Symposium organizer, Dr. Duane Steward, will appear in the Mar - Apr 98 AVI newsletter.

Posters for 1998 Richard Talbot Veterinary Informatics Symposium
1998 AVI, AVMA Convention Richard Talbot Veterinary Informatics Symposium
(See the November-December, 1997 AVI Newsletter for details)

Pittsburgh Medical Informatics Training Program
Deadline: February 1, 1998
(See the November-Decenber, 1997 AVI Newsletter for details)

Make the Link Workshop (World Wide Web for Everyone)
February 2 - March 27, 1998
(See the November - December, 1997 AVI Newsletter for details)

1998 AMIA Spring Congress Call for Participation
May 27-30, 1998; Philadelphia, PA
From: "1998 AMIA Spring Congress" <spring98@mail.amia.org>

"Bringing Knowledge to the Point of Use"

The Wyndham Franklin Plaza Hotel
Philadelphia, PA

The American Medical Informatics Association (AMIA) announces the availability of the Call for Participation for its Spring Congress. Those interested in submitting an abstract for a paper, panel, or theater-style demonstration may access the call in one of two ways: on the AMIA Web site at

http://www.amia.org/s98call.htm

or via AMIA's Document-on-Request service at 800-819-2334 (document # 101). Questions? Contact the AMIA office at 301-657-1291.

Stanford Medical Informatics Short Course
June or August, 1998; Stanford, CA
From: "Larry Fagan" <fagan@SMI.STANFORD.EDU>

The Section on Medical Informatics at Stanford University is pleased to announce the fifth year of its well-received Short Course on Medical Informatics. This course provides an introductory overview of the key issues and topics in the field of medical informatics. Lectures are augmented by hands-on labs and overviews of major research projects at Stanford. This material is presented from the academic perspective.

*Enrollment in the course is limited--previous sessions have been full.
*Videotapes Available: We videotaped the August, 1997 version of the course and the videotapes are available for purchase.
*Medical School Elective: A small number of positions are available as a 2-week 4th year medical student elective (starting August 31st).

Dates: Monday, June 15, 1998 to Friday, June 19, 1998 and again from Monday, August 31, 1998 to September 4, 1998.

Location: Stanford University Campus

A brochure for the course is available on the World Wide Web at:

http://www.smi.stanford.edu/shortcourse.html

To obtain the course description automatically via email, send a message with the word help in the subject line to: short-course-request@smi.stanford.edu

or contact course staff at:
shortcourse@smi.stanford.edu (650)723-6979

Medical Informatics Degree Program at UC-Davis
From: "Leah Estberg" <lestberg@ucdavis.edu>

(Editor: Although the deadline for applications for the Fellowship program has passed, this medical informatics program specifically targets DVMs as well as MDs. A non-thesis Master's degree program may be offered later in 1998. See the Web site for further information.)

Applications are currently being accepted for a Fellowship training program in Medical Informatics at UC Davis. A short description of the program follows, and more extensive program description and contact information is available at:

http://www-informatics.ucdmc.ucdavis.edu/Informatics /GradProgram.htm

Please note that the deadline for receipt of application materials is Dec. 31st.

Leah Estberg, DVM, MPVM, PhD
2nd year Medical Informatics Fellow
UC Davis, School of Vet Med
lestberg@cvdls.ucdavis.edu
office: (530) 752-7088

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in Public Health - Third National Conference
August 17-21, 1998; San Diego, CA
From: "Henriques, William" <wdh2@cdc.gov>

Town and Country Resort & Convention Center, San Diego, California
Pre-Conference Workshops: August 17

Commemorating the US Public Health Service's 200 years of Public Health Protection.
Preliminary Announcement and Call for Papers

For centuries, health professionals have relied on the use of drawn maps in efforts to locate and identify changes in human disease. Recent advances in the development and applications of Geographic Information System (GIS) technology have modernized the spatial analysis of diseases and environmental contaminants in the environment. GIS provides a relatively easy tool for the overlay and analysis of disparate data sets that relate to one another by location on the earth's surface. The growing availability and access to local, regional, national, and international health, demographic, and environmental databases is propelling major advances in computerized spatial and spatial statistical analyses. The developments offer unprecedented opportunities for health professionals as we enter the 21st century.

For further information, see:

http://www.atsdr1.atsdr.cdc.gov:8080/

International Health Geographics Conference
October 16-18 1998; Baltimore, MD
From: "Omar Khan" <okhan@jhuccp.org>

First International Health Geographics Conference

Venue: The Maritime Institute of Technology, Baltimore, Maryland

Sponsors:
The Johns Hopkins School of Public Health ESRI
(Additional Sponsors/Supporters Invited)

Purpose of Conference: The First International Health Geographics Conference (IHGC) will comprehensively bring together for the first time people from many different disciplines who share a common foundation: the geographic aspects of health. The IHGC will foster dialogue between: doctors, medical researchers, epidemiologists, environmental scientists, geographers, geologists, computer scientists, statisticians, hydrologists, entomologists, toxicologists, ecologists, business managers, regulators, and indeed, all those appreciative of the links between GIS and health.

Address for correspondence, paper submission and general inquiries:

International Health Geographics Conference Committee C/o Omar A. Khan, Co-Chair
1600 Ruxton Road, Suite B7
Baltimore, Maryland 21204
USA
Email:
okhan@jhuccp.org
PH: 410-659-6149
FAX: 410-659-6266


SUGGESTED READING

Evaluation of Computer Programs Used in Teaching Veterinary Medicine: A Proposed Model. Wingfield, W.E. 1997. J Vet Med Educ. 24(2): 43-47.

Revised Edition of the Computer-Based Patient Record
Excerpted From: Access AMIA - Issue 4

The Institute of Medicine has just published a revised edition of The Computer-Based Patient Record: An Essential Technology for Health Care. Several AMIA members are on the committee that authors this work. To view the publication online or to order it, visit the book's Web site at:

http://www.nap.edu/bookstore/isbn/0309055326.html#qu

Warner / Knowledge Engineering in Health Informatics
Springer-Verlag New York Inc, 1997, $59.00.


CLOSING BITS

Journal of Irreproducible Results

The Journal of Irreproducible Results is a partial electronic version of the print journal of the same title published by Reuters Health Information Services Limited.

In its 41st year, The Journal Of Irreproducible Results presents timeless satirical and critique articles emanating from and about the scientific and medical community that have enraged, confounded, amused, and fascinated thousands of subscribers throughout the world.

Free online at...

http://www.reutershealth.com/jir/





January-February 1998 AVI Newsletter <http://netvet.wustl.edu/avi.htm>

Association for Veterinary Informatics - 2005 - All Rights Reserved