As a child I had aspired to become a mad scientist. While friends were dreaming of becoming actors and stewardesses, I wanted to discover a cure for dreadful diseases. During my school years, science and math were my favorite subjects, and science projects were my hobbies.

As an undergraduate student, practicality triumphed. I earned a Bachelor of Science degree in computer science. My concern at that point was to complete a degree that would enable me to be gainfully employed. Computer science was an advancing and challenging field to enter. It spoke to my passion for problem solving.

After graduation, I took a position as a computer programmer at AT&T/Bell Labs. While working, I attended university and earned my Masters of Science in management with a subspecialty in operations research. At that point in time, I had relinquished my dreams of becoming a research scientist, and instead focused on excelling in my chosen field.

While working for AT&T, I was well respected and was promoted numerous times. I was given the opportunity to hone my technical, teaching, and leadership skills. One of the business applications that I developed was an expert system used to make real time decisions for customers. The system was designed to encapsulate the knowledge of experts, and government regulations. In addition, it required data extraction of free style notes, via natural language processing. While researching expert systems, I came across a number of papers about MYCIN, the expert system designed to diagnose infectious blood diseases. This was a watershed experience for me. It represented the ability to combine my knowledge of computer science with my true love, the biosciences.

I realized that in order to pursue this dream, I would need to strengthen my basic scientific knowledge. While working full-time, I returned to university with a grueling schedule. There were two fields of study that really interested me; human physiology and genetics. These fields opened my mind to understanding how the human body functions, and the fundamental role that genes play. My head raced with ideas about how computers could be applied to the various sciences.

Now, for the first time, I have the ability to dedicate myself full- time to my studies. BioMedical Informatics represents a conglomeration of all my areas of interest. With the release of a draft of the human genome sequence in February 2001, my interest in the field of genetics was revitalized. The challenge for the bioinformatics specialist is managing and interpreting massive amounts of genetic data. I am excited by the thought of participating in the development of new ways to study diagnose, treat and prevent disorders.