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From Foundations to Future of Informatics in Health

A symposium to celebrate and honor a founder of modern Biomedical Informatics on his 90th birthday. 

Ed Hammond, PhD
William Edward Hammond II, PhD, FACMI, FAIMBE, FIMIA, FHL7

Ed Hammond

This symposium recognizes Ed’s unprecedented career, outstanding achievements and significant contributions. 

Foundational to biomedical informatics

Ed catalyzed the development of biomedical informatics as a scientific discipline, demonstrating the feasibility of computer-based patient records, fostering international adoption of health information exchange standards, mentoring three generations of students and nurturing the organizations that support the field. Link to “How the Past Teaches the Future: ACMI Distinguished Lecture” by W. Ed Hammond, PhD

William Edward Hammond II, PhD.
William Edward Hammond II, PhD. Photo Courtesy of the National Library of Medicine.

Foundational to biostatistics

Ed’s work has had a profound impact on biostatistics by enhancing the integration of statistical methods with medical informatics, advancing research methodologies, and influencing the next generation of data scientists and biostatisticians.

Ed Hammond Skydiving
Ed Hammond Skydiving

Foundational in the Armed Forces

Ed joined the US Navy in 1957 after graduating from Duke, attending flight school in Pensacola, Florida. Ed was active duty in the Navy until 1960. Dr. Hammond had a 33 year career with the US Naval Reserve, retiring in 1989 as a Captain. He served as the commanding officer of several units, including Emergency Response Team 6 and created an underwater navigation system for unmanned deep submersibles. 

Dr. Ed Hammond (third from left)during a naval exercise.
Dr. Ed Hammond (third from left) during a naval exercise. Photo Courtesy of the National Library of Medicine.

Foundational in education

Dr. Hammond has played a foundational role in educating students through his extensive contributions in several key areas such as innovative curriculum development, mentorship and guidance, research leadership, integration of theory and practice, and promoting interdisciplinary education. Hammond’s work has left a lasting impact on Duke’s educational programs, equipping students with the knowledge, skills, and experience needed to excel in their respective fields.

Edward Hammond, PhD
Dr. Ed Hammond, Photo Courtesy of Rutgers Medical Informatics History Project

~ You Are Invited ~
The Ed Hammond 90th Celebratory Scientific Symposium
From Foundations to Futrue of Informatics in Health
January 9th & 10th, 2025
Washington Duke Inn, Durham, NC
Sessions, Panel Discussions & Poster Sessions
Cocktail Reception & Dinner Banquet Thursday Evening

Register Now

~ Early Bird Registration ends October 31, 2024 ~

A Duke Centennial Celebration

Awards & Honors

Dr. William (Bill) Stead has led the nation in thinking about how biomedical informatics methods and architectures can improve health care systems for decades. His ideas coupled with his leadership have been significant at the local and the national level. He was the first editor of the Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association (JAMIA), a role that he held for ten years. The AMIA Stead Award for Thought Leadership in Informatics acknowledges people who have influenced our thinking about informatics, especially improving health and health care in ways that are visionary and transformative.

The 2015 award recipient was William Edward Hammond II. 

The American College of Medical Informatics (ACMI) is an honorary society established to recognize those who have made sustained contributions to the field. As President of ACMI, Ed created the Morris F. Collen, M.D. Medal for Outstanding Contributions to the Field of Medical Informatics and presented the inaugural award to Morrie Collen in 1993. Dr. Collen’s efforts as a pioneer in the field stand out as the embodiment of creativity, intellectual rigor, perseverance, and personal integrity. In his introductory remarks, Ed noted that “a sign of maturity occurs in a field when we recognize that the field has produced an individual who has made defining, significant and lasting contributions to it. That moment has arrived in Medical Informatics.”  Ed went on to receive the Award in 2003. 

Once a year, when appropriate, the College gives its highest recognition to those whose attainments have, throughout their careers, substantially advanced the science and art of medical informatics.

The article “Presentation of the Morris F. Collen Award to William Edward Hammond II, PhD” highlights the award ceremony where William Edward Hammond II was honored with the Morris F. Collen Award. The article details Hammond’s outstanding achievements in the field, including his pioneering work and innovations that have significantly advanced medical informatics. The ceremony celebrated Hammond’s career, his impactful research, and his dedication to improving healthcare through the use of technology and data. The award reflects his exceptional contributions and the high regard in which he is held by his peers. Read the article in it’s entirety here.

Ed Hammond presents Collen Medal to Morrie Collen in 1993.
Ed Hammond presents Collen Medal to Morrie Collen in 1993.

For personal commitment and dedication to AMIA
with service on the Board of Directors for over a decade. 

Board Treasurer: 1990-1991 and 1998-1999
Board Director: 1992-1994 and 1997
President-Elect: 2001
President: 2002-2003
Past President: 2004

Paul Clayton presented the 1999 AMIA President’s Award to Ed, “a pioneer in the field who has advanced the level of standards and served faithfully as treasurer of AMIA during a demanding time.”

Reed Gardner presented the 1997 AMIA President’s Award to Ed, “in recognition of his dedicated work in the development and promotion of medical informatics standards and his work as the champion of AMIA members and Working Groups.”

Received the AMIA Presidents Award on November 2, 1993.

AIMBE’s College of Fellows is comprised of almost 3,000 individuals who have made significant contributions to the medical and biological engineering (MBE) community in academia, industry, government, and education that have transformed the world.

Chair of the Data Standards Working Group of the Connecting for Health Public-Private Consortium

Chair of the Computer-based Patient Record Institute and on the CPRI Board

Ambassador to Developing Countries

Chair of the Joint Initiative Council of ISO/CEN/HL7

President of the American Medical Informatics Association (AMIA) and AMIA Board member

President and Fellow of the American College of Medical Informatics

    *three terms as Chair of Health Level Seven and HL7 committees

    *two terms as the Convenor of ISO Technical Committee 215 Working Group 2

Chair of the Data Standards Working Group of the Connecting for Health Public-Private Consortium

Chair of the Computer-based Patient Record Institute and on the CPRI Board.

Chair of ACM SIGBIO

Chair of the Steering Committee for the Rockefeller-sponsored Open Enterprise eHealth Architecture Framework Project

Member of the Institute of Medicine Committee on Patient Safety Data Standards

Member of the National Library of Medicine Long Range Planning Committee

Member of the Healthcare Information Technology Advisory Panel of the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations

"Bringing Together Clinical Information Resources" 1991 Duke SICU Video

This historical video captures The Medical Record (TMR) at it’s peak of which Ed was instrumental in developing. Content specialists for the video include William W. (Bill) Stead, MD, Kevin Fitzpatrick, PA, Ruby Grewal, Joseph Moylan, MD, and Edward Hammond, PhD.  

“We believe the bedside computing system will be a powerful tool for hospital based epidemiologic studies.” Dr. Peter Kussin, Medical Director, MICU

Play Video about Bringing Together Clinical Information Resources

Historical video courtesy of William W. Stead

AMIA 2003 Morris F. Collen Award

Play Video about William Edward Hammond II, PhD.

~ A Tribute to Ed ~

Colleagues share insights and thoughts on Ed’s extensive career and achievements. 
Ed Hammond IconHappy Birthday Ed!

“There is nothing better than to have traversed one’s career as an FoE (that’s FRIEND OF ED)!!” Patti Brennan, Professor Emerita, University of Wisconsin-Madison

“Dear Ed, Happy Birthday — and thanks for never giving up on health data standardization.” 🙂 Betsy Humphreys, National Library of Medicine, retired

“Thank you for the tremendous impact you have had so many careers including mine.” George Hripcsak, Professor

Ed – I can’t wait to see were we next share a Jack Daniels! James Cimino, Chair, Dept. of Biomedical Informatics & Data Science 

“Dear Ed, congratulations on your 90th Birthday!  You’ve been an amazing lifelong mentor since I first discovered informatics as an MD/PhD student at Duke over 20 years ago. You are a truly amazing innovator, leader, mentor, role model, and friend.”  Kensaku Kawamoto, Professor, University of Utah

“Dear Ed, Happy 90th Birthday!” Sarah Rossetti, Associate Professor

“Happy birthday, Ed! You are a treasure beyond measure!” Martha Adams, MD

“Ed’s leadership on data standards and interoperability has inspired generations.” Christopher Chute, Professor

“Ed exemplifies how our research can be a lifelong passion without being our only passion.” Jessilyn Dunn, Professor

“Ed, you are a treasured friend and colleague, and your contributions to informatics are timeless!” William Hersh, MD, Professor

“Congratulations, Ed, on your amazing life and career! Fantastic legacy. Happy 90th birthday!” David Lobach, VP Health Informatics Research 

“Ed’s mentorship and encouragement led me to a career in informatics that I didn’t know was possible.” Shelley Rusincovitch, Informaticist & Technical Leader

“Happy to celebrate one of the pioneers of my field and a heck of a fun guy as well!” Peter Szolovits, Professor

“Ed – to a true leader and visionary who changed the world – Happy 90th!” James Tcheng, MD 

“You are one of the OGs of medical informatics, Ed!  Not only were you one of the first to put clinical data into a computer, you insisted that there be a standardized way of getting it out so it could be shared and analyzed.  But, professional achievements aside, it is your infectious warmth, humor, and inexhaustible energy — both on the dance floor and off — that continue to inspire us all, propelling us toward a vision you helped set for healthcare.  Thank you, Ed!” Paul Tang, Adjunct Professor 

With very best regards from yet another who has admired your work for decades. Your contributions have inspired legions to become builders and leaders in our field. Larry Kingsland, Retired NLM

Best Wishes,
Chuan Hong, Duke
Pan Xu, Duke 
Judy Adkins, Duke

Thank you, Ed, for being always a true friend, a demanding mentor, and a generous guide who helped us find our way to concept-permanent, machine-readable terminology standards for nursing. Judy Ozbolt, Professor Emerita

Ed is one of my heroes. Not just because of his work in health informatics, but his mountain-climbing and dancing skills in defiance of age. David Potenziani, Adjunct Faculty

Seeing Ed’s work in HL7 and data standards motivated me to come to Duke. His collaboration and collegiality helped me thrive. His warmth and hospitality made me and my family feel welcome. We have such fond memories of various gatherings over the years. Looking forward joining the celebration for Ed’s special day! Rachel Richesson, Professor

You have been an incredible mentor and role model. Happy 90th, and I wish you many more years full of adventures! Sam Squires, MMCi Program

Dear Ed, It is such a pleasure to be able to celebrate you and your career’s work at this symposium in your honor. Your amazing breadth of work and depth of thought is only paralleled by your timelessness. Happy Birthday, Ed! David Yanez, Professor

Congratulations Dr. Hammond! Kirubel Asfaw

Your work and vision set the stage for the discoveries and innovations in health informatics we see today.

John Lumpkin, 

Blue Cross Blue Shield of NC Foundation

Dear Ed: Thank you for your many years of service to HL7. HL7 would not be what it is today without your guidance and never-ending wisdom. You’ve been a mentor and friend to many in this organization, including me. Enjoy this tribute to your remarkable achievements. Happy Birthday!  Karen Van Hentenryck

Happy Birthday Ed! Professor Hammond is well-known for two courses he teaches every year, each leaving a strong impression on his students. The first is Duke’s Biomedical Instrumentation course, famously the most challenging class in the Biomedical Engineering department. Students often put in so many hours on projects that they end up sleeping in the lab. The other course, Artificial Intelligence in Medicine, includes an annual games tournament where student projects are designed to “think” several moves ahead. Both graduate and undergraduate students remember these courses fondly!  Jonathan Prather, MMCi

‘‘You are special – what others see as impossible, you view as a challenge, and you find a way to make it happen. 

I have been truly blessed to have you as Professor, partner & friend for 54 years!”  Bill Stead, Professor of Medicine

‘‘Ed’s wisdom and support have been invaluable to us. On Ed’s 90th birthday, I want to express my deep gratitude for his mentorship and the long-lasting impact on our careers and community”
Anru Zhang, Associate Professor

“Ed is the most innovative, energetic, and free thinking quantitative scientist!” Warren Kibbe, Deputy Director

“Happy Birthday – What an amazing life!” Ben Goldstein, Professor 

“Happy Birthday Ed!”  Elizabeth Thermos, Student & Assistant to Ed

“Happy birthday to a pioneer and long-time friend!  I have known Ed from the 1960s when he and other collaborators were inventing one of the first EHRs, including the mid-1980s when we rode an elephant together in Singapore. Over the many decades since, I have been amazed by Ed’s unflagging dedication to standards, his enthusiasm, and charm – not to mention his ballroom dancing skills, together with his late wife Kay, and beyond, and his exploits such as climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro in his 80s without the need for O2.  Ed is clearly unique, and continues to be as spry as an energizer bunny!  Keep it up, Ed!” Robert Greenes, Emeritus Professor

Congratulations, Ed on your incredible accomplishments in medical informatics, but also your wonderful dancing and disarmingly wry sense of humor!  Casimir Kulikowski, Professor

“Dear Ed, thank you for all that you do and have done for medicine and for all of informatics!” David Page, Chair, Department of B&B

“Hi Ed:  I’m always amazed that I was not aware of you when I was at Duke doing my residency in surgery with Dr. David Sabiston because I feel like I’ve known you all my life!  From my earliest interests in informatics you were a major personality on the scene whether on the podium or the dance floor.  In particular, I recall our time together in Taiwan but other scenes are equally memorable.  Your ‘bag’ was standards policy and mine was a more general umbrella focused on EHRs and the national information infrastructure. Happily, both domains aimed in the same direction and were synergistic to one another.

Thanks for your major contributions and leadership over the years and for being such a consistent joyful colleague.  We’ve all benefitted from you in many ways and I personally am quite grateful that we enjoyed the same stream of knowledge together.  Best wishes going forward.”   Don Detmer, Professor

“Such a joy to get to know you at the NLM Georgia Short Course – looking forward to this celebration!” Jeremy Warner 

“Dear Ed, Thanks to your amazing contributions to advancing interoperability standard!” Suzanne Bakken, Professor 

“You are a Gentleman and a Scholar, Dr. Hammond!! It is my distinct honor to know you, Sir!” Charlie Britt, MMCi 

“Happy Birthday, Ed. We started working together in 1972 in the basement of Pickens Clinic.” Lawrence (“Doc”) Muhlbaier, Emeritus Professor

“Ed congratulations on being a pioneer through the generations. Your impacts continue to ripple out.” Todd Quartiere 

“Happy 90th, Dr. Hammond! It’s an honor to witness your living legacy.” Nami Wada, Project Manager

“Ed, I love watching you do “The Floss”! It made me smile so much. Keep dancing!” Aretha Burford Cooper, Administrative Assistant

Ed — it’s been a while, but I think of our interactions often and with great fondness. Happy Birthday! Thomas Nechyba, Department of Economics

Ed, you are one of the finest, kindest gentleman I have ever encountered. Your enthusiasm for dance and your grace on the floor is unparalleled. You ARE, indeed the MAN. I celebrate you and how seasoned and experienced you are, young man! David Nickell

The most beautiful and impactful gifts in my life have been Ed’s mentorship and friendship. To me, these are immeasurable. However, they pale in comparison to his Electronic Health Records innovation, his role in starting and nurturing the Health Level Seven (HL7) community, and the resulting progress that has been made in clinical data interoperability. These are some of Ed’s gifts to the world. Meredith Zozus

We celebrate a truly extraordinary milestone – the 90th birthday of an extraordinary colleague with tremendous contributions during his lifetime. Happy Birthday, Ed!  Reza Rostami,

Associate Director, Quality Management

Thank you for your leadership and service to Duke and our Department!  Laine Thomas, Professor 

Dr. Hammond is a distinguished educator and guest speaker in the MMCi program. I feel privileged to have met him, a foundational figure in HL7 standards. For over 20 years, I have learned about HL7 and message translation, never expecting to meet its founder. Happy Birthday, Dr. Hammond, and thank you for your wisdom! Nuria Adem

Congratulations on such an impactful journey with great accomplishments! Seeing your journey is truly inspirational as not only has your work paved the road for others to follow but also you are a kind human that cares for all. Wishing you and your loved ones the very best always!

Nicoleta Economou,

DUHS Commitment, Colleague; Director of Duke Health AI Evaluation & Governance

Wishing you the very Happiest of Birthdays, Ed!! 

Rebecca Wilgus, Duke Clinical Research Institute

Ed – you have been a joy to work with, a teacher when I did not know I needed to learn, a colleague who always had hope to share, and a friend who showed you really can dance through life. Lloyd Michener, 

Duke Family & Community Medicine
 

Ed was our fearless leader, joining Bill Stead, Alton Brantley and the others who joined Hammond’s Operating Group (the HOGs). We blazed new trails in on-line patient data entry, interactive questionnaires, the Obstetrical Record, and the standardized H&P for heart cath admissions. Ed lead a group of dedicated, visionary collaborators employing lab minicomputers. Stephen Lloyd

Ed, Have a wonderful birthday. I am looking forward to this special conference. Nancy Lorenzi

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