HL7 Australia  Standards - Education - Support - Certification

It was a sad day for Health Informatics in Australia, the region and the world.

On Sunday afternoon, June 9, 2007, Dr Branko Cesnik passed away peacefully at his home in Melbourne.

For many years, Branko was the hub of Health Informatics education and research at Monash University.  He set up the then Centre for Medical Informatics (CMI) which became a renown facility for post-graduate health informatics distance education.

Branko served as president of the Asia Pacific Association for Medical Informatics (APAMI - he was one of the founders) and the Australian College of Health Informatics (ACHI) as well as a vice-president of the International Medical Informatics Association (IMIA).

Branko substantially contributed to e-health policy and strategy in Australia through participation in the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC), the National Health Information Group (NHIG) and the Australian Health Information Council (AHIC)

Both the University of New South Wales and Monash University awarded Dr Cesnik honorary Associate Professorships.

I first worked with Branko well over 10 years ago when I was CIO of a large healthcare organisation in Sydney and was always impressed by his independent mind and clear view of matters.  Because of his enthusiasm for accelerated use of IT in medicine our paths crossed many times professionally as well as personally.

Doctors who worked with Branko fondly recall the pleasure of exchanging, bouncing and debating ideas and advice with Branko as he worked at both Monash University and as an emergency medicine doctor at hospitals in Melbourne.

Academic colleagues valued his innovative and bi-partisan approach that reflected both his clinical experience and academic focus which were always evident.  Branko's awareness of the utilitarian needs across health IT issues made him a significant contributor to the process of moving towards standards such as HL7 and some of the more innovative options that appeared over the last decade.

Others are speculating that St Peter will by now have been drawn into a detailed debate on the value of data standards, maybe over a scotch or two...

Despite his progressing illness, in October last year the Board of HL7 Australia had the privilege to again experience Branko's skilful facilitation and sound strategic advice at our Board Day in Melbourne.

Branko leaves us a wonderful legacy of enthusiastic practitioners of IT in healthcare and thoughtful questioners of the 'status quo' that hopefully will persist until his visions are fulfilled.  In the short time since the news of his passing, messages have poured in from the USA, Brazil, Hong Kong, Germany, Japan, UK, Singapore, Malaysia, etc. all sharing our dismay and grief at this great loss to our international community.

On behalf of the health informatics community, I would like to acknowledge Branko's outstanding contribution to progressing health informatics in Australia and worldwide.  Heartfelt condolences go to his wife Wendy and his daughters.

Branko, you will be missed.

Klaus Veil
HL7 Australia

Professional tribute to Branko Cesnik and his life's work - Prof. Michael Kidd, University of Sydney

http://members.optusnet.com.au/bcesnik

http://aushealthit.blogspot.com/2007/06/dr-branko-cesnik-australian-e-health.html