Introduction

["Bruce Warr; IFSM (GRAD/FACULTY)" <warr@xxxxxxxx>]

I joined the list a few days ago but wasn=92t going to jump in until after =
I=20
returned from vacation. However, there were several interesting topics I ju=
st=20
had to reply to, so I shall go ahead and formally introduce myself.

I retired from the U.S. Air Force in 1987 and returned to college to get my=
=20
graduate degrees in Information Systems. I originally had a B.A. in Governm=
ent=20
and Politics specializing in International Relations (which is why I was an=
=20
intelligence analyst in the Air Force}, but found out that I had a real=20
affinity for computers and programming. I therefor started taking computer=
=20
related courses and before long had a B.S. in Information Systems.

But a funny thing happened to me on my way to a Ph.D.--I was diagnosed with=
=20
Parkinson=92s Disease in 1988. Of course, in retrospect, the earliest sympt=
oms=20
appeared about 1982 but had been misdiagnosed as arthritis. This is not an=
=20
uncommon experience, especially for Young Onset Parkies. (N.B. The first=20
symptom was a decrease in my bowling average due to a decrease in my abilit=
y=20
to control the ball.)

The main effect on my life has been to put me a couple of years behind=20
schedule in my graduate work. I didn=92t get my M.S. until 1992 and I am ju=
st=20
now getting started on my doctoral research. Having PD also changed my area=
 of=20
specialization from Management Information Systems to Medical Informatics. =
My=20
research interest is in developing a computer model of each patient that ca=
n=20
then be compared to a medical database thereby not only indicating those=20
medical conditions for which the patient is at risk, but also indicating th=
e=20
most probable successful treatment. I am using a Multidimensional Database=
=20
Architecture to develop the model.

My dissertation title is "=93The Effect of Multidimensional Database=20
Modeling on Predicting Complications During Pregnancy"=94. Although my=20
approach could be applied to any medical condition, I chose pregnancy=20
because:

1) there is a very large database compared with other conditions,
2) the factors are fairly well controlled, and
3) the condition has a relatively short life cycle (only 9 months).

Naturally, I hope to eventually apply this methodology to Parkinson=92s Dis=
ease.

Besides being a Doctoral Candidate, I am also on the faculty at the Univers=
ity=20
of Maryland, Baltimore County.

I am active in an organization called Volunteers for Medical Engineering wh=
ose=20
mission is to apply technology to help the handicapped. Their crowning=20
achievement is the construction of Future Home, a completely computerized=
=20
house for a quadriplegic. All the technology used is off-the-self (mostly f=
rom=20
Radio Shack). My role in VME is in assembling, installing, and providing=20
training on home computer systems for handicapped persons. I have an articl=
e=20
about Future Home posted on my Home Page at the university.

This list seems to be a very active one, and I am looking forward to=20
participating in it.

Bruce


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Bruce G. Warr               "Experience is what enables us to recognize
Healthcare Informatics Lab   a mistake the next time we make it."
Information Systems Dept.
University of Maryland Baltimore County


(V) (410)455-3206
(F) (410)455-1073

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