Edward H. Shortliffe,
Arizona State University,
United States

Brief Bio
Edward H. Shortliffe is Professor of Basic Medical Sciences and Professor of Medicine at the University of Arizona College of Medicine and Professor of Biomedical Informatics at Arizona State University. Until May 2008 he served as the founding dean of the Phoenix campus of the University of Arizona’s College of Medicine. Previously he was the Rolf A. Scholdager Professor and Chair of the Department of Biomedical Informatics at Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York City (2000-2007) and Professor of Medicine and of Computer Science at Stanford University (1979-2000). Effective July 1, 2009, he will become the President and Chief Executive Officer of the American Medical Informatics Association, based in Bethesda, MD.

Dr. Shortliffe has spearheaded the formation and evolution of graduate degree programs in biomedical informatics at Stanford, Columbia, and now at Arizona State University. His research interests include the broad range of issues related to integrated decision-support systems, their effective implementation, and the role of the Internet in health care. He is an elected member of the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences, the American Society for Clinical Investigation, the Association of American Physicians, and the American Clinical and Climatological Association. He has also been elected to fellowship in the American College of Medical Informatics and the American Association for Artificial Intelligence. He is a Master of the American College of Physicians and was a member of that organization’s Board of Regents from 1996-2002. He is Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Biomedical Informatics, and serves on the editorial boards for several other biomedical informatics publications. In addition, he received the Grace Murray Hopper Award of the Association for Computing Machinery in 1976, the Morris F. Collen Award of the American College of Medical Informatics in 2006, and has been a Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation Faculty Scholar in General Internal Medicine. Dr. Shortliffe has authored over 300 articles and books in the fields of biomedical computing and artificial intelligence.

Abstract
Biomedical informatics is the scientific field that deals with biomedical information, data, and knowledge – their storage, retrieval and optimal use for problem solving and decision making. The field has broad applications across all of biomedicine, ranging from molecular and cellular processes (bioinformatics) and the management of structural or visual information about tissues and organs (imaging informatics) to patient-oriented tasks (clinical informatics) and population-based policy and analysis (public health informatics). All these areas of application draw upon core methods from the discipline that define its scientific base.

In this presentation, Dr. Shortliffe will review the nature of the field, emphasizing its relationship to the worlds of engineering and computer science. Practical issues in the use of informatics techniques will be summarized, ranging from the need for more individuals trained at the intersection of computer science and biomedicine to the recurring barriers to systems implementation. Almost forty years in the development of clinical decision-support systems have taught us several lessons about what kinds of tools are most likely to be effective and accepted by clinical users. This talk will discuss some of the lessons of our experience in this field, debunking some of the early myths that developed and suggesting key notions that should guide researchers and system developers in the years ahead.

Vimla L. Patel,
Arizona State University,
United States

Brief Bio
Vimla L. Patel, PhD, DSc, FRSC: Patel is Professor and Vice-Chair of the Arizona State University’s Department of Biomedical Informatics and the Director of the Center for Decision Making and Cognition in the Ira A. Fulton School of Engineering. She came to Arizona from Columbia University in New York in March 2007. She is also a professor of Basic Medical Sciences in the University of Arizona, College of Medicine in Phoenix. She has Bachelor of Science degree in Biochemistry from Otago University in New Zealand and her MA and PhD in Cognitive and Educational Psychology from McGill University in Montreal, Canada.

Dr. Patel is recognized as a leader in applied cognitive science research for models of decision-making and studies of human-computer interaction in health care. An elected fellow of the Royal Society of Canada (Academy of Social Sciences) and also of the American College of Medical Informatics, she was a recipient of the annual Swedish “Woman of Science” award in 1999. Her research interests include human performance, decision-making, medical errors, assessment of human-computer interaction in healthcare domains. She is a prolifric writer with an extensive publication record, and is an associate editor of Journal of Biomedical Informatics and on the editorial board of Journal of AI in Medicine and Advances in Health Scince Education. Her research is funded by National Intitute of Mental Health, National Library of Medicine (NIH), USArmy (TARTC) and the James S McDonnell Foundation. http://www.fulton.asu.edu/~patel


Abstract
Given the complexities of modern medicine, delivery of safe and timely care is a huge challenge. Errors, misunderstandings, and inaccuracies, large and small, are routine occurrences in our everyday activities. Health information technology (HIT) has undoubtedly reduced the risk of serious injury for patients during hospital stays. However, its true potential for preventing medical errors remains only partially realized and, paradoxically, systems may even give rise to hazards of their own. There is a growing recognition that many errors are neither solely attributable to lapses in human performance nor to flawed technology. Rather they develop as a product of the interaction between human beings and technology. In our view, errors are the product of cognitive activity in human adaptation to complex physical, social, and cultural environments. How well the design of health IT complements its intended setting and purpose is critically important for safe and effective performance. It is the flawed design and poor integration with clinical work, rather than any person or the technology itself, that is at the root of its suboptimal performance. Attention to the design principles of human–computer interaction (HCI) in clinical software design is needed as a critical safety hazard. In this presentation, I argue for a place of prominence for cognitive science. Cognitive science provides a framework for the analysis and modeling of complex human performance and has considerable applicability to a range of issues in informatics. I will discuss how cognitive science principles are applicable to understanding HCI concerns that make the integration of computing and clinical practice a difficult task.

Patel, V.L., & Kaufman, D.R., (2006). Cognitive science and biomedical informatics. In E.H. Shortliffe & J.J. Cimino (Eds.), Biomedical informatics: Computer applications in health care and biomedicine (3rd ed., pp. 133-185). New York: Springer-Verlag.

Pier Luigi Emiliani,
Institute of Applied Physics “Nello Carrara” (IFAC) of the Italian National Research Council (CNR),
Italy

Brief Bio
Personal data
Education: Physics, University of Florence.
Current position: Director of Institute of Applied Physics “Nello Carrara” (IFAC) of the Italian National Research Council (CNR), President of the CNR Research Area in Florence.

Work experience:
Research in the theory and applications of digital signal processing and information technology. Management of research projects. Lecturer on signal processing at the University of Florence (Electronics Engineering Department). Applications in telecommunications problems.

Specific experience:
Applications of digital signal processing in aids for disabled persons.

EC Funded Projects:
Project Leader of the Concerted Action on “Rehabilitation of the Blind” - DG XII, Biomedical Engineering Committee (1988-91). Vice-Chairman of the projects COST 219 and COST 219 bis. Project Manager of the RACE Project R1066 - IPSNI, “Integration of People with Special Needs in the Integrated Broadband Telecommunication Network” (1989-1991). Cooperation with Handynet, DG V (1988-1991). Project Manager of the TIDE Project 103 - GUIB “Textual and Graphical User Interfaces for Blind People” (1992-1993). Project Manager of the RACE Project 2009 - IPSNI II “Access to Broadband Services and Applications by People with Special Needs” (1992-1995). Project Manager of the TIDE Project 215 - GUIB 2 “Textual and Graphical User Interfaces for Blind People” (1993-1994). Responsible for Line F “Emerging Areas of Potential Rehabilitation Technology Research and Development” of the TIDE study HEART “Horizontal European Activities in Rehabilitation Technology” (1993-1994). Project Manager of the TIDE Project 1001 ACCESS “Development Platform for Unified ACCESS to Enabling Environments” (1994-1996). Technical Manager of the ACTS Project 042 AVANTI “Adaptive and Adaptable Interactions for Multimedia Telecommunications Applications” (1995-1998). Technical Manager of the IST Project PALIO “Personalised Access to Local Information and services for tOurists” (2000-2003). Partner of the Thematic Network IS4ALL “Information Society for All” (2000-2003). National Contact Centre of EDeAN “European Design for All e-Accessibility Network” (2003-). European representative in the Advisory Committee of the Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) (1998-). Vice-chairman of the project Cost 219ter “Accessibility for All to Services and Terminals for Next Generation Networks” (2002-2007). Responsible of the Secretariat of the “European Design for All eAccessibility Network” (EDeAN) (2007). Project manager of the Coordination Action ICT 033838 DfA@eInclusion “Design for All for eInclusion” (2007-2009).

Publications:
(Co-)author of over 160 technical papers published in scientific archival journals, books, and international conferences on speech processing, signal processing and communication aids.


Abstract
According to the eEurope 2005 and i2010 Action Plans, eInclusion, i.e. the access to information and telecommunication systems and services, is considered crucial for the independent living of all European citizens. It is also claimed that, in order to reach this goal a Design for All (DfA) approach should be used. This implies that, in the specification and implementation of new products, the needs, requirements and preferences of all users must be taken into account, to the greatest extent possible, with a special attention to all groups at risk of exclusion, including people with disabilities and elderly people.
The discussion in the lecture is based in the following main assumptions: (i) the correct definition of eInclusion is the one published in the 2006 Riga ministerial declaration (e-Inclusion means both inclusive ICT and the use of ICT to achieve wider inclusion objectives. It focuses on participation of all individuals and communities in all aspects of the information society. e-Inclusion policy, therefore, aims at reducing gaps in ICT usage and promoting the use of ICT to overcome exclusion, and improve economic performance, employment opportunities, quality of life, social participation and cohesion); (ii) adaptations through Assistive Technologies are not sufficient to capture the potentialities of ICT in supporting people’s inclusion, but a shift toward the “Design for All” approach, as claimed in the above cited documents, is necessary; (iii) the European society is migrating toward an information society, described by the Ambient Intelligence (AmI) paradigm; (iv) there will be a (long) transition to a complete AmI implementation, when many inclusion feature will be included in the mainstream developments; (v) and, therefore, the Assistive Technology and Design for All approach will need to coexist and cooperate in the short/medium term to grant as much as possible the inclusion of people with activity limitation.
The present situation is described, both from the perspective of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and Assistive Technology (AT). Furthermore, evidence is presented of the fact that DFA in ICT is not only an interesting conceptual construction and politically correct strategy, but that technical approaches exist that can actually make it real.
In the near future, ICT will continue to develop with a Design for All approach, therefore producing more accessible mainstream technology. This will cause not only the emergence of intelligent objects but also their inclusion into AmI-like environments, i.e. environments that incorporate partially and in interconnected islands AmI concepts. AmI will materialise when the individual AmI-like islands will merge and when enough intelligence will be available to guarantee functionality and security of the infrastructure and the corresponding services throughout the entire society.
It is argued that the transition toward AmI is undergoing in an incremental way, through the development of AmI-like environments. The main conceptual change is supposed to be the use of the concept of integrated support. So far, assistive technology has supported the augmentation of the capabilities of the individuals and the adaptation of single artefacts for accessibility. The new approach is based on the assumption that the artefacts in the environment are interconnected and integrated in an “intelligent” control system, in order to support people with services and applications that offer useful functionalities. Therefore, the main emphasis is not on technology itself and its adaptation, but on useful functionalities the environments could or should offer irrespective of their technical implementation. Services in the environment will reduce the level of capacity needed to carry out the required activities.
Finally the far future, as described in the ISTAG scenarios, where a complete implementation of the AmI environment is assumed, is described. The possible impact on some groups of people with activity limitations is briefly analysed with suggestions of possible new opportunities and possible problems. The main conceptual change is that e-accessibility has dealt with tasks to be carried out to use equipment and services, while the AmI environment is dealing with goals of users to be automatically identified and proactively facilitated.

Maciej Ogorzalek,
Jagiellonian University,
Poland

Brief Bio
Maciej Ogorzalek is professor and Head of the Department of Information Technologies, Jagiellonian University, Krakow Poland (oldest university in Poland funded 1364), Poland and a Chair Professor of Department of Electronic and Information Engineering, Hong Kong Polytechnic University. He is an IEEE Fellow since 1997, Recipient of the IEEE Guillemin-Cauer Award in 2002, Recipient of the IEEE-CAS Golden Jubilee Award in 2004, IEEE Distinguished Lecturer from 2001 to 2003. Author of over 280 technical papers and one book (Chaos and Complexity in Nonlinear Electronic Circuits - World Scientific). He served as an Associate Editor of IEEE Transactions on Circuits and Systems, Part I 1993-1995 and 1999-2001, the elected member of the Editorial Board of the Proceedings of the IEEE since 2004, the Editor-in-Chief of the IEEE Circuits and Systems Magazine from 2004-2007, an Associate Editor Int. J. Circuit Theory and Applications since 1999, an Associate Editor of Journal of The Franklin Institute since 1997, and the Member of the Editorial Board of the International Journal of Bifurcation and Chaos. He was the Chairman of the Technical Committee of Nonlinear Circuits and Systems of IEEE CASS from 1997 to 1998, the Founding member of the IEEE CASS Technical Committee on Biomedical Circuits and Systems, the General Chairman of European Conference on Circuit Theory and Design in 2003. He was keynote speaker at numerous international conferences and guest editor of several special issues of journals - most recently Special Issue on Computational System Biology for the Proceedings of the IEEE (August 2008). He has served on CAS Society Executive Committee since 2002 - currently he is the President of IEEE CASS.

Abstract
Digital photography provides new powerful tools for computer-assisted diagnosis systems in dermatology. Dermoscopy is a special photography technique which enable taking photos of skin laisions in chosen lighting conditions. Digital photography allows for seeing details of the skin changes under various enlargments and colouring. Computer-assisted techniques are used for feature extraction and pattern recognition in the selected images. Special techniques used in skin-image processing are discussed in detail. Feature extraction and classification techniques based on statistical learning and model ensembling techniques provide very powerful tools which can assist the doctors in taking decisions. Performance of classifiers will be discussed in specific case of melanoma cancer diagnosis. The techniques have been tested on a data set of more then six thousand images.

Egon L. van den Broek,
CTIT, University of Twente,
The Netherlands

Brief Bio
Egon L. van den Broek obtained his MSc (2001) in Artificial Intelligence and his PhD (2005) in Content-Based Image Retrieval (CBIR), both from the Radboud University (RU), Nijmegen, The Netherlands (NL). Previously, he has been junior lecturer (RU), consultant, and assistant professor in Artificial Intelligence (AI) at the Vrije Universiteit (VU), Amsterdam, NL. Currently, he is head of a group on Advanced Interface Design (Center for Telematics and Information Technology, University of Twente, Enschede, NL), coordinates a MSc track, is member of the board of the post-doctoral professional study of ergonomics (VU), is consultant for Philips Research, and is visiting assistant professor in Artificial Intelligence (RU). He is involved in various national and EU projects and is specialized in engineering cognition, affective signal processing, cognitive computer vision, and perception. He has supervised 40+ BSc, MSc, and PhD students and published 100+ articles and book chapters, holds a patent, and developed the online image retrieval system http://www.m4art.org.

Abstract
Throughout the last decades, various initiatives have explored the feasibility of new Man-Machine Interfaces (MMI) and have shown that they hold a great promise for future computing; e.g., wearable computing (Mann, 1997) and brain-computer interfacing (Bimber, 2008). In this talk, the use of such a new, biosignals-driven MMI will be discussed, including the pros and cons of various biosignals; e.g., electrocardiogram, electromyogram, and electrodermal activity. Such a biosignals-driven MMI enables the measurement of several psychological variables, of which emotions are envisioned to be one of the most prominent ones. The communication of emotions can serve as the foundation of the breakthrough needed for both Artificial Intelligence (Minsky, 2006) and Ambient Intelligence (Aarts, 2004). In this presentation, Dr. Van den Broek will denote several phases in the quest towards such an MMI: a set of experiments, processing of the physiological signals, and their automatic classification. A future is envisioned and will be illustrated with prototypes and design probes that augment technology through the incorporation of biosignals.

Aarts, E. (2004). Ambient Intelligence: Vision our future. IEEE Multimedia, 11(1): 12-19.
Bimber, O. (2008). Brain-Computer Interfaces. IEEE Computer, 41(10) [special issue].
Mann, S. (1997). Wearable Computing: A first step toward personal imaging. IEEE Computer, 30(2): 25-32.
Minsky, M. (2006). The Emotion Machine: Commonsense thinking, Artificial Intelligence, and the future of the human mind. New York, NY, USA: Simon & Schuster.