Radiologist to Watch 2015: Thomas Osborne, MD

The winner of the radiologist category of our Top People to Watch in Radiology 2015 contest: Thomas Osborne, MD, director of medical informatics, vRad.[[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_crop","fid":"44340","attributes":{"alt":"Thomas Osborne, MD","class":"media-image","id":"media_crop_7064187887698","media_crop_h":"0","media_crop_image_style":"-1","media_crop_instance":"4941","media_crop_rotate":"0","media_crop_scale_h":"0","media_crop_scale_w":"0","media_crop_w":"0","media_crop_x":"0","media_crop_y":"0","style":"height: 250px; width: 250px;","title":"Thomas Osborne, MD","typeof":"foaf:Image"}}]]

What is your greatest accomplishment?

My greatest accomplishment, at least the one I think about the most, is my lovely 3-year-old daughter.  

What has been your biggest challenge throughout your career?

If I had to distill it down to a single factor, it would simply be time and, more specifically, not having enough of it. 

A part of the solution lies in resolving the inefficiencies inherent in the medical system. As a result, this is a major focus of my work and of our practice. 

What is a goal you have for the remainder of your career?

My main goal is to help transform health care with the power of technology. 

Clearly, medicine has always utilized technology. However, the current pace of advancement is unprecedented. From deep learning and big data, to genomics and mobile health, the tools that are being developed are poised to disrupt the entire health care industry. It is obvious that the impact of each individual change will be far-reaching. However, the convergence of these rapid advancements will absolutely transform the fundamental idea of medicine.

I am convinced that the thoughtful application and integration of these tools will solve otherwise intractable problems. However, it is vital that the technology works for health care and not the other way around. As a result, meaningful success depends on the active guidance and leadership of medical professionals. Without this key collaborative component, we run the very real risk of becoming burdened by the software, as we have seen with so many EHR systems today.

What change would you like to see happen in radiology in next 10 years?

I would like to see our field leverage its strategic role, at the hub of medical specialties, to lead this technological transformation.

We are well positioned to facilitate the innovations in communication, collaboration, analytics, and interoperability that are critical for the future of all stakeholders in health care.