Open source is unfamiliar ground for professors. Not the software, which is well-known at this point. But professors aren't accustomed to open development. They treat open source projects like busy work or an easy way to assign homework. Participating in FOSS projects takes work and time, maybe even six months, which is a big commitment for someone who wants to use it in a one-semester course. A student being sent in to a project without involvement from a professor is a recipe for failure.
Read More »

Google Summer of Code is an annual program that gives university students studying computer science and related fields a chance to use the skills they learn to solve real-world problems and participate in active open source development communities.If you are a currently-enrolled university student, you are likely eligible to participate in the program, organized by Google’s Open Source Programs Office. Read More »

 I was curious how the city I live in, Raleigh, NC, could attract other open source companies and be the world's hub for open source and a leader in open government. How could Raleigh be the open source capital of the world, similar to what Silicon Valley is to technology and Paris is to romance?

Read More »

PHRs have so far gone the way of electronic health records (EHRs): an initial splash of attention followed by glacially slow adoption. PHR technology emerged about a decade ago and, by most accounts, remains far from achieving wide public acceptance. However, prospects might be brightening. Read More »

The OpenMRS community is pleased to announce that we will have 17 smart and talented university students working with us over the next several months as part of Google Summer of Code 2011. Read More »

I wrote a story for this week's Modern Healthcare magazine about the Alembic Foundation, which is assuming a caretaker role in the future development of the government-founded Connect Gateway project.

Read More »

Could patent restrictions in biotech be compromising millions' health, safety, and standards of living when we should be benefiting from new diagnostic tests or improved medicines? Biotech information is rarely shared and certainly not in any optimal way. This needs to change.

Read More »

...substitutability goes beyond interoperability. Just as consumers may swap out applications on their iPhones, physicians should be able to readily replace one referral-management system with another. Companies are beginning to offer modular services driven by common data elements found in claims, EHRs, and PCHRs.

Read More »

This week, Alembic's Aurion Project will release the latest version of the CONNECT application, Aurion 4.0, and participants in the Aurion community will finalize a charter and a governance structure. In the long run, this project may have a considerable impact on the development of the NHIN.

Read More »

In Los Angeles, 15 percent of the homeless population are veterans who have succumbed to homelessness. The street outreach workers that work for my agencies state that, of the homeless people they see, 20 percent are veterans. That means the men and women who fought in our wars are overrepresented on our streets.

Read More »