This award has been named after Professor Rory O'Moore, Chairman of the Section of Healthcare Informatics in the Royal Academy of Medicine in Ireland and past chairman of HISI and the European Federation for Medical Informatics. The award was inaugurated by An Taoiseach Mr. Bertie Ahern T.D in 2003 who presented the medal to Prof. O'Moore for his contribution to the development of Healthcare Informatics in Ireland.
Since then, the Healthcare Informatics Society of Ireland has awarded the O'Moore Medal as appropriate to individuals or organisations that have made a major contribution to Healthcare Informatics.
Kieran Hickey, DPA, BComm, MBA, FHMI, went to the pinnacle of his career as CEO of the Eastern Health Board. As a healthcare manager he developed a keen interest in health informatics and an awareness of the need for information and communications technology (ICT) developments in healthcare and of the vital role that standards based, comprehensive, secure and interoperable Electronic Health Records (EHRs) can play in improving the accessibility, quality and effectiveness of patient care and in providing information to improve the planning, management, and evaluation of healthcare services.
Kieran served as President of the Health Management Institute of Ireland from 1995 to 1998. His interest in the development of ICT applications was reflected in the development of a number of pilot audio/visual teleconferencing initiatives during his term. He was elected a Fellow of the Institute in 2010. He retired from the EHB when he reached his sixties and then undertook the part-time role of Director of the Office for Health Gain for a further 5 years.
In various roles Kieran was recognised for promoting Health ICT to his management colleagues and peers and went further in getting involved with Universities, suppliers and the EC through various projects to further Health ICT. One was a forerunner of the electronic health card, led by the EHB at European level, but his main involvement over the past 15 years was through the foundation and Chairmanship of ProRec Ireland in 2001 (to promote the Electronic Health Record) as one of a network of such centres in Europe and as a founder member of the European Institute for Health Records, EUROREC. He was invited to be a member of EC advisory groups and was one of the Co-Chairmen of the Strategy Requirements Board established by the EC in connection with the Fifth Development Framework.
He was elected Vice President of EUROREC from 2004-8 which lead the way to others from Ireland in assuming that role. He contributed to the establishment of European certification and quality labelling of EHR systems and welcomed the award of the very first EUROREC quality seal in 2008 to 4 Irish companies producing GP software systems. Kieran was one of those who lobbied actively for the establishment in 2004 by NSAI of a Health Informatics Standards Committee and became a founder member.
He looks back with most satisfaction on the fruits of the strategic alliance between ProRec Ireland and the Health Informatics Society of Ireland(HISI) in enhancing promotional activities through education and communication about what is happening in the world of Health ICT, showcasing work going on in Ireland and the very best up to date international practice at the HISI conference and other events. Their joint establishment of the Irish Forum for Health Informatics(IFHI) in 2002, aimed at bringing together users, suppliers, academics /researchers, managers and policy makers was another important and productive initiative and Kieran has been Chairman of IFHI since its establishment.
Kieran contributed to various papers and conferences over the past two decades but perhaps his best contribution has been as a facilitator and advocate for Health ICT.
In 2009, the O'Moore Medal was presented to H. Stephen Lieber by the Minister for Health and Children, Ms. Mary Harney, TD., in recognition of his work in establishing HIMSS as the world's largest healthcare association focused on information technology and as a global leader on health ICT. It also acknowledges his leadership role in initiating the US Government's stimulus package for healthcare ICT.
With more than 27 years of experience and leadership in healthcare and healthcare association management, Lieber has been nationally recognised as one of the Top 100 most influential people in U.S. healthcare in 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2007.
He is one of the founders of the Certification Commission for Healthcare Information Technology and the Health Information Technology Standards Panel, which are both U.S. federally-funded initiatives supporting the U.S. interoperability effort. As a nationally-known commentator on health policy in general and specifically healthcare IT trends and issues, Lieber is a regular speaker and contributor to corporate strategic planning efforts, government-sponsored policy efforts, private sector initiatives and other non-profit organisations.
In 2008, the O'Moore Medal was presented to Dr. Glyn Hayes by An Iar-Taoiseach, Mr. Bertie Ahern, TD.
Dr. Hayes was a GP in Worcester for 25 years. He has been involved with Health Informatics since the late 70s when he designed one of first consulting room GP computer systems.
Chair of the U.K. Health Informatics Forum Strategic Panel, Dr.Hayes is a founder member of the Primary Health Care Specialist Group of the BCS, was its chair from 1985 to 1990 and recently retired as its President. He is also President of the UK Council for Health Informatics Professionals.
Medical director for one of the largest suppliers of IT to the NHS in 1992 and retired from this post in 2001. He has represented the UK on the International Medical Informatics Association and was the chair of the Primary Care working Group of IMIA. He has lectured widely around the world and been a keynote speaker at many international conferences.
Dr. Hayes is also the third person ever to receive the accolade of a lifetime achievement award from the Health Informatics Forum of the British Computer Society.
This year the O'Moore Medal was presented to Professor Jane Grimson by An Taoiseach, Mr. Bertie Ahern, TD. In his speech to commemorate this occasion he drew special attention to the significant role that healthcare informatics plays in improving healthcare efficiency, cost-effectiveness and safety. He said that he felt that it could help to create a better working environment for healthcare professionals and, most importantly of all, lead to improved patient care.
An Taoiseach said that as well as presenting the O'Moore Medal on behalf of HISI he would also like to take the opportunity to express his own appreciation and that of the Government's, to Professor Grimson for her enormous contribution to the development of science and technology in Ireland. (To view the text of his speech, click here).
The O'Moore Medal was presented to Prof. Jane Grimson, who has been President of the Society for the past eight years, in recognition of her outstanding contributions to the development of healthcare informatics within Ireland and throughout the world.
Her research has covered a broad and diverse range of topics. There has been a strong underlying focus on knowledge and data management, in particular on the development of advanced information systems to improve the efficiency, effectiveness and safety of healthcare.
In 1990, together with Prof. Rory O'Moore, she founded the Centre for Health informatics (CHI) at Trinity College. The centre brings together researchers from Computer Science, Engineering, Management Science and clinicians. As Director of the Centre, Professor Grimson, together with her husband Bill, has been involved in several major projects - in particular OpenLabs, KAVAS, Synapses and Synex funded by the EU and MediLink funded by the Irish Government.
Openlabs developed novel solutions to improving efficiency and effectiveness in clinical laboratories, while Synapses developed a simple and secure method of sharing electronic health records. The results of Synapses and its follow-on project Synes, were a major influence on the evolving CEN standards for health records. The concept of the Synapses Federated Healthcare Records Server was extended to support the integration of records and clinical protocols/guidelines in a major national initiative, MediLink. This developed the concept of the active electronic health record which monitors the record, automatically generating alarms and alerts to manage the patients workflow.
In addition to conducting research the Centre also runs a highly successful interdisciplinary postgraduate diploma and masters programmes in health informatics.
