STANFORD UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER
STANFORD, CALIFORNIA 91305 @ (415) 497-5801

 

 

July 2, 1975

STANFORD UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE
SUMEX Computer Projecr

Department of Genetics

Professor J. Lederberg

Principal Investigator

Dr. Robert M, Baer

METADATA Corporation

P.O. Box 746

Mill Valley, California 94941

Dear Dr. Baer,

Your letter of June 12th was received here on June 30th. You may recall
that you wished further amplification of the grounds by which the SUMEX-AIM
Executive Committee responded to your application for access,

I am sure you realize that it is impossible for us to. sustain an
indefinite dialogue or we will have time for no other activity. I can assure
you that your application was dealt with with very great care and in full
accordance with our established procedures.

I believe you already have quite detailed information about the criteria
which are used in the selection of cooperative projects. Obviously, there
must then still be some exercise of judgment in the determination of those
projects which are believed to be the most appropriate for the general ful—
fillment of the goals of this system. I would merely call your attention to
the specific points that (1) SUMEX is not funded as a routine service utility
and (2) that our focus is necessarily at the level of new research into
methodologies of computer applications, not to be a vehicle for operational
delivery of health care, except to the extant that this is a necessary
part of the research function,

I would add that there were additional considerations: SUMEX is
configured so as to be able to deal with rather large and complex programs
rather than furnish an economical store for data basis.

Your application indicated that the main purpose of your access to
SUMEX was the clinical testing of present programs; and these were hardly
described in sufficient detail to enable a critical evaluation, We are
primarily interested in the research and early development of new-AT
oriented software and must focus on those projects which in our own view
are most likely to contribute to the consclidation of community efforts in
this field.

Let me repeat that these judgments in no way bear on the potential value
for health care purposes of your efforts and indeed one of our referees
commented on the belief that the work was to be commended as a creative
application of computer support in a clinical context.

over

‘THe SUMEX AIM PROJECT IS A SHARED RESOURCE FOR RESEARCH IN ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IN MEDICINE SUPPORTED RY THE
BioTECHNOLOGY RESOURCES BRANCH, NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH
Dr. Robert M. Baer ~2- 7/2/75

You may well regard some of these distinctions as arbitrary; but I
believe that you will find that a similar pattern pertains to the basic
organization of federal support for innovations relating to health care.

Sincerely yours,

Joshua Lederberg
Principal Investigator

JL/rr