PREFACE
My interest in PACS and imaging informatics was inspired and deeply influenced by Dr. Robert S. Ledley* and initially by his book Use of Computers in Biology and Medicine (McGraw-Hill, 1965) the first such book combining principles of biology, medicine, and mathematics. After earning degrees in meteorology and mathematics, I worked for IBM and the space industry as a professional programmer for several years. My goal at that time was to become an astronomer. It was during this fork in the road that I came across Ledley’s book and was fascinated by the contents and tangible hypotheses. I made an appointment to see him in Washington, DC, and before the end of the visit he offered me a job (I was not looking for one) and convinced me that I should change my interest from astronomy to biomedical imaging. I soon after went to work for him at the National Biomedical Research Foundation (NBRF), Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC, from 1966 to 1980. During this period of time I also obtained my doctorate in applied mechanics and mathematics, and continued with postdoctoral studies in anatomy, physiology, and radiology.
Dr. Ledley guided me through the design and implementation of several revolutionary medical imaging instrumentation including FIDAC (film input to digital automatics computer), SPIDAC (specimen input to digital automatics computer), and automatic computerized transverse axial (ACTA) whole-body CT scanner. These instruments were the infants of today’s ...
