The mission of the Dental Informatics Working Group is to serve as the focus for individuals and organizations with interest or involvement in health informatics with an emphasis on dental informatics. It is important to serve as a means of communication with other healthcare and informatics specialties to better improve all healthcare applications. The groups emphasis is on the sharing of expertise and experiences in the use of dental information systems, computer technology, and communications to improve patient care, research, and education.
Dental Informatics is a newly emerging field within informatics and has the potential to bridge the gap between clinical care delivery in dental and medical settings. AMIA’s Dental Informatics Working Group (DI-WG) brings together a diverse group of researchers with expertise in interdisciplinary practice, academics, dentistry, nursing, medicine, health industry and others who work together to support the DI-WG mission of:
- Serving individuals and organizations who are interested or involved in health informatics with an emphasis on dental informatics
- Collaborating with other healthcare and informatics specialties to improve healthcare applications
- Sharing expertise and experiences in the use of dental information systems, computer technology, and communications to improve patient care, research, and education
In Memory of Dr. Heather K. Hill
The AMIA Dental Informatics Working Group (DI-WG) is gracious to receive generous sponsorship and support in honor of Dr. Heather K. Hill from her husband, Dr. Daniel J. Pihlstrom. Dr. Heather Kraemer Hill, born on Sept. 10, 1973, in St. Paul, Minnesota, was the daughter of Gayle and Brian Hill. She earned a Bachelor of Science in 1996 and a Doctor of Dental Surgery in 2000 from the University of Minnesota and a master's degree in biomedical informatics in 2010 from Oregon Health & Sciences University. In 1997 she married Dr. Daniel Pihlstrom, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. In addition to her husband, Daniel, she is survived by her daughters, Kira and Raquel Pihlstrom of Lake Oswego. She died on April 30, 2011, in Portland. She was also the DI-WG co-chair at that time and made significant contributions to the dental informatics field and community.
Leadership
- Performing: Working Group has high level of engagement and output (workshops, papers, webinars)
- Networking: Working Group has internal and external networking opportunities for members (mentorship programs, social events, collaboration)
- Developing: New Working Group or revitalizing efforts to grow membership (recruitment efforts, leadership)