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. 2002 Mar-Apr;9(2):120-2.
doi: 10.1197/jamia.m1049.

The space race and biodefense: lessons from NASA about big science and the role of medical informatics

Michael M Wagner  1
Affiliations

The space race and biodefense: lessons from NASA about big science and the role of medical informatics

Michael M Wagner. J Am Med Inform Assoc. 2002 Mar-Apr.

Abstract

The events that followed the launch of Sputnik on Oct 4, 1957, provide a metaphor for the events that are following the first bioterroristic case of pulmonary anthrax in the United States. This paper uses that metaphor to elucidate the nature of the task ahead and to suggest questions such as, Can the goals of the biodefense effort be formulated as concisely and concretely as the goal of the space program? Can we measure success in biodefense as we did for the space project? What are the existing resources that are the equivalents of propulsion systems and rocket engineers that can be applied to the problems of biodefense?

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Comment in

  • Medical informatics and preparedness.
    Brennan PF, Yasnoff WA. Brennan PF, et al. J Am Med Inform Assoc. 2002 Mar-Apr;9(2):202-3. doi: 10.1197/jamia.m1060. J Am Med Inform Assoc. 2002. PMID: 11861635 Free PMC article. No abstract available.

References

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