Celebrating 25 Years
HKN’s evolving logo
February 4, 2019
Did you know that the HKN logo and word mark are registered with the Canadian Intellectual Property Office?
The logo features HKN’s name, or word mark—a logo that makes use of its text to express what its company does, both as an acronym and spelt out in full. The original logo was black and white, and had a stethoscope lying atop that integrated a QRS complex, a marking on an EKG that usually denotes normal sinus rhythm.
The logo as evolved over the years. The new logo is grey and red. It still has the acronym and HKN’s name spelt out. However, the stethoscope has been removed and now only features a red QRS complex on top of the text.
Creation of an Alberta Health Knowledge Network
January 21, 2019
The Health Knowledge Network’s initial goal is to provide 24- hour electronic access to health sciences databases to the faculty, staff, and students at the Universities of Alberta and Calgary, and at the teaching hospitals. Access to the resources would then expand to Alberta colleges, other universities, and hospitals. The early infrastructure of the Network is complex and involves mounting the databases on mirrored servers at both Universities. Database software is loaded onto a UNIX operating system so that subscribers, students, and faculty can access the resources via their institutions. Remote access using dial-in modem connection, a novel idea at the time as this was in the early days of the Internet, is available via ID and password.
The project also has a cross-purpose to provide cost-savings to subscribing institutions. The rising costs of periodicals would now be offset by this collaborative approach to resource delivery.
Some notable CHLA members involved in the project include John Cole, Dean Giustini, Peggy Yeh, and Lea Starr.
HKN Begins
January 7, 2019
In spring 1994, the Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research (AHFMR) awards the University of Calgary and the University of Alberta a $248K grant for the creation of an Alberta Health Knowledge Network. Supporters, including the Universities of Alberta and Calgary, several Calgary and Edmonton area hospitals, and a number of health associations, match the grant to support quick and equitable access to current health information. Supporters of the initiative find that graduates of Alberta’s medical schools do not have the same access to health information as they had while in school. The Alberta Health Knowledge Network is intended to bridge the digital divide between what is available at the Universities and in health care facilities. The Alberta Health Knowledge Network, now known as HKN, becomes fully operational in July 1994 and has its official launch on October 14. The first collection of HKN resources includes MEDLINE, CancerLit, HealthPlan (HealthStar), CINAHL, Current Contents, and the New England Journal of Medicine.