Mr. Prime Minister, Lord Patten, Vice-Chancellor Hamilton, Ladies and Gentlemen,
A great blessing in my life has been to witness first-hand and on many occasions the transformation of what once was thought impossible into everyday reality.
Through these experiences, I have noticed a pattern. Albert Einstein said, analytics or logic “will get you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere.” Nowhere do analytics in intellectual pursuits come together with inspiration and vision more effectively than in the field of advanced computer science. Computational dynamism creates a symphony of awareness and advancement that has already unlocked deeper and better solutions and outcomes in many fields of human endeavor.
This Centre for Health Information and Discovery is a model of this process.
What will happen here is more than the promise of harnessing the power of a data-intensive revolution to improve health care.
The work of this centre will identify innovative ways to increase access to health care while lessening the burden of cost.
It will free up resources for much needed investments in educational opportunities.
And it will lead to new and deeper competencies that are pragmatic—precise solutions to sustain hope and stability today and lead to even greater discoveries tomorrow.
I am 85 years old.
I have been a witness to history and its patterns.
And I hold great hope for human potential and the future.
This centre will be a source of miracles yet to come. I am honored to join Oxford University in the making of this history—not only because it will bless humanity in the future, but because it blesses me with one more vision that is becoming reality today.
Thank you.