The Open Medicine Foundation Awarded Grant from the VMware Foundation to Accelerate Development of Patient-Centric Health Care Model

MT. VIEW, Calif., May 14, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Open Medicine Institute (OMI), an organization with a mission to improve health care by applying a multi-disciplinary, "big data" approach, today announced that the Open Medicine Foundation (nonprofit 501(c)(3)), has been awarded a grant from the VMware Foundation.  The donation includes financial and consulting support from the virtualization and cloud infrastructure industry leader.  The award will support development of OMI's new health care model that integrates high-value technologies with research into complex diseases, and speeds the transfer of scientific findings into clinical practice.  This grant was the first to be given as part of the VMware Foundation Group Gigs and Grants program and reflects the technology company's commitment to leveraging its human, intellectual and financial capital to improve communities locally and beyond.

"The Open Medicine Institute is thrilled to benefit from VMware's contribution to our non-profit foundation," said Andy Kogelnik, MD, PhD, Founder, OMI.  "We are looking forward to collaborating with their technology experts on the development of a new personalized medicine infrastructure that will improve patients' health outcomes and experiences.  A key motivator for OMI is delivering value to the community so we're especially pleased that our work has been recognized by a company pioneering citizen philanthropy."

OMI is improving the health care model by optimizing data and engaging all stakeholders in the process.  By integrating an open-source platform, clinical expertise, global scientific research, genomics and the benefits of social networking, OMI is advancing the understanding of neuro-immune and other complex diseases including: Autism, Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue, Lyme, Multiple Sclerosis and Parkinson's.

"At the VMware Foundation, our programs are rooted in the company's vision of 'citizen philanthropy' designed to amplify the personal commitments and contributions made to the causes close to our people's hearts," said Nicola Acutt, director, VMware Foundation.

"This capacity-building grant to OMF is the result of a group of passionate VMware people who are contributing their time and talents to work with OMF to help them achieve their mission. Our team found a kindred spirit with OMF through its efforts to improve community health care, and we're hoping to provide OMF with a scalable IT environment to help meet its growing needs while making a positive impact on the patient experience."

About OMI
OMI is committed to applying a multi-disciplinary, big data approach to the health care system to advance the understanding of "difficult" diseases and improve patient outcomes.  OMI maintains a clinical research facility based in Mt View, next to El Camino Hospital ("the hospital of Silicon Valley"), including clinical space, laboratory draw station and core genomic/biotechnology laboratory, informatics core, and physiology laboratory.  In addition, OMI interacts with a large network of like-minded international collaborators: solo physicians, academic centers, laboratories, industry, large health systems and others.  OMI has developed and employs a novel technology platform – OpenMedNet – that facilitates information sharing (patient consented and HIPAA compliant) and optimizes collaboration amongst all participants in the health care continuum.   OMI's Board and Advisors include recognized innovators and leaders in the fields of medicine, genomics and technology.  OMI is a California Community Benefits Corporation committed to returning valuable results to the patients and communities it serves.  For more information about the Open Medicine Institute, please visit: www.openmedicineinstitute.org

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SOURCE Open Medicine Institute