A Medinfo conference is the premier triennial international meeting for the medical informatics community. It brings together world leaders in this field to share knowledge and experiences. Medinfo 2010 is a unique opportunity to meet these leaders and to hear of, and contribute to, advances in biomedical and health informatics. There is nothing else like a Medinfo conference.

Medinfo 2010 will be the 13th Medinfo conference and the first in Africa! It will be located in Cape Town, South Africa, close to the city’s beautiful waterfront area. Cape Town’s Convention Center, where Medinfo 2010 will take place, is an outstanding conference site with excellent facilities to meet.

A Medinfo conference is the official conference of the International Medical Informatics Association (IMIA). IMIA’s goals and objectives include:

• the promotion of informatics in health care and biomedical research,
• the advancement of international cooperation,
• the stimulation of research, development and education, and
• the dissemination and exchange of information.

For more than 40 years, IMIA has been a bridging organisation, as medical informatics is an integrative discipline. IMIA supports and stimulates high-quality translational communication, research, education, and practice in biomedical and health informatics. In IMIA’s Medinfo conferences this is done by bringing together, from a global perspective, scientists, researchers, informatics practitioners, vendors, consultants and suppliers in an environment of cooperation and sharing. The next Medinfo will include a special focus on the needs of and solutions from developing countries, in Africa and beyond.

Medinfo 2010 is organised and coordinated by the South African Health Informatics Association. A number of governmental organisations, associations and businesses have agreed to be sponsors. Excellent persons have accepted to work in the Medinfo 2010 committees. Let me here in particular acknowledge the chairpersons of the Organising Committee, Lyn Hanmer (South Africa); of the Scientific Program Committee, Riccardo Bellazzi (Italy) and Johanna Westbrook (Australia); and of the Editorial Committee, Charles Safran (USA).

The conference theme selected for Medinfo 2010 is a topic that most countries are currently addressing: Partnerships for effective eHealth solutions - Innovative collaborations promote solutions to health challenges.

Let me finally mention that our South African colleagues have also arranged for a very full social program!

Join us and meet the world’s biomedical and health informatics community at Medinfo 2010!

Reinhold Haux
Peter L. Reichertz Institute for Medical Informatics, Germany
President (2007-2010) of the International Medical Informatics Association.