The International Medical Informatics Association (IMIA) is an independent organization established under Swiss law in 1989. IMIA continues to maintain its relationship with IFIP as an affiliate organization. IMIA also has close ties with the World Health Organization (WHO) as a NGO (Non Government Organization), and with the International Federation of Health Records Organizations (IFHRO).

The working language of IMIA is English.

Purpose, Goals, Objectives

IMIA plays a major global role in the application of information science and technology in the fields of healthcare and research in medical, health and bio-informatics. The basic goals and objectives of the association are to:

• promote informatics in health care and research in health, bio and medical informatics.
  advance and nurture international cooperation.
• to stimulate research, development and routine application.
• move informatics from theory into practice in a full range of health delivery settings, from physician's office to acute and long term care.
• further the dissemination and exchange of knowledge, information and technology.
• promote education and responsible behaviour.
• represent the medical and health informatics field with the World Health Organization and other international professional and governmental organizations.

In its function as a bridge organization, IMIA's goals are:

• moving theory into practice by linking academic and research informaticians with care givers, consultants, vendors, and vendor-based researchers.
• leading the international medical and health informatics communities throughout the 21st century.
• promoting the cross-fertilization of health informatics information and knowledge across professional and geographical boundaries.
• serving as the catalyst for ubiquitous worldwide health information infrastructures for patient care and health research.

Full information about IMIA, Membership, activities, etc is available at www.imia.org