Current Position
Founder & CEO, Axius SDC, Inc.
2024 – Present
Leading the development and commercialization of the Semantic Data Charter (SDC4), a revolutionary cross-domain framework for semantic data interoperability. The platform addresses the $3.1 trillion data integration crisis by providing standards-based, AI-ready data models that eliminate custom ETL code and enable seamless information exchange across all industries.
Key Achievements:
- Published SDC4 specification (2024) - fourth major version preserving complete version history from MLHIM (2009)
- Developed SDCStudio platform leveraging AI coding agents to overcome traditional development team financing barriers
- Rebranded from S3Model to Semantic Data Charter to avoid Amazon S3 naming confusion while maintaining technical lineage
- Built on 16+ international standards (W3C, ISO, IETF) creating defensible technical moat
- Published open source sdcvalidator library on PyPI for community adoption
- Fully bootstrapped with $8M+ in R&D investment over 25+ years
Education
Master of Science (w/Merit) in Health Informatics
University of Central Lancashire, UK
June 2006
Bachelor of Science in Engineering Technology
January 1995
Professional Certificates & Courses
Military Professional Education (USMC)
20+ years of technical and leadership training including:
Research Experience
International Collaborator
11/2009 – 8/2019
National Institute of Science and Technology – Medicine Assisted by Scientific Computing (INCT-MACC), Brazil
INCT-MACC 'Multilevel Healthcare Information Modeling' Laboratory
Multi-Level Health Information Management (MLHIM)
10/2009 – 5/2015
Developed specifications and software implementations for constraint-based, semantically interoperable health information systems. This foundational work evolved into S3Model and ultimately the Semantic Data Charter.
Epidemiological Surveillance Support System
2012
Project manager for a decision support system to improve treatment and reporting of public health issues. Based on MLHIM specifications for semantic interoperability.
Pre-Hospital Information Support System
2010
Project manager for a decision support system to improve pre-hospital care. Based on MLHIM specifications for semantic interoperability.
Open Source Health Information Platform (OSHIP)
2014
Project manager and lead developer creating a Python language-based implementation of MLHIM specifications. Designed to provide an easy entry point for application developers basing their health information systems on MLHIM.
Additional Research Projects
- Informatics: Enhancing the Clinical Experience – Consulted on project design
- Canadian College of Health Informatics – Consulted on design and performed research for final report
- Evidence-based Guidelines And Decision Support System (EGADSS) – Open source development leadership and initial design architecture
- Purpose-Driven Facilities – Environmental scan and qualitative analysis for Fraser Health Authority, BC
- EMR Toolkit – Qualitative analysis using ATLAS.ti for Health Canada
- iKnow – Technical assistance in decision support system design for patient monitoring in anesthesiology
Industry Experience
Founder & CEO, Axius SDC
2024 – Present
Building SDCStudio platform and advancing Semantic Data Charter adoption across enterprise markets.
Grant Recipient - MLHIM to S3Model Transition
2014 – 2018
Rio de Janeiro State University (UERJ), Brazil
Expanding semantic modeling framework beyond healthcare to cross-domain applications
Grant Recipient - MLHIM Development
9/2014 – 10/2016
FAPERJ (Carlos Chagas Filho Foundation), Brazil
Collaborator, IHTSDO
4/2011 – Present
International Health Terminology Standards Development Organization
Member: Information Model Task Force, Machine & Human Readable Concept Model Project
Visiting Researcher
3/2008 – 3/2011
Fluminense Federal University, Brazil
Health Informatics Decision Support, Dept. of Epidemiology and Biostatistics
Honorary Research Assistant
12/2007 – 12/2010
University College London, UK
Centre for Health Informatics and Multi-professional Education
Independent Health Informatics Consultant
8/2006 – 1/2009
Timothy Cook Research & Consulting, LLC
Chief Operating Officer
6/2005 – 8/2006
CHASE Health Informatics, Inc., Edmonton, AB, Canada
Expert Consultant
1/2005 – 11/2005
PATH Group, University of Victoria; Fraser Health Authority; Health Canada
Healthcare decision support and data modeling
Member, Architecture Review Board
4/2004 – 4/2009
openEHR Foundation
President, Open Paradigms, LLC
6/2002 – 12/2004
Independent consulting and software development
President & CTO, Free Practice Management, Inc.
1/2000 – 6/2002
Miami, FL
Co-founded Open Source Healthcare Alliance (OSHCA). Developed FreePM open source practice management system. Refused premature deployment pressured by investors, prioritizing patient safety over financial gain.
Information Systems Operations Manager
11/1997 – 1/2000
Baptist Hospitals Memphis, TN
Managed IT operations for Union City hospital. Developed FreePM open source EMR system during this period.
U.S. Marine Corps, Master Sergeant (Retired)
11/1975 – 4/1997
20+ years of service specializing in advanced electronics systems, air traffic control systems, and computer systems management
Awards: Navy Marine Corps Achievement Award, Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal, Marine Corps Good Conduct Award (3), National Defense Medal, Navy Meritorious Unit Citation (2)
Peer-Reviewed Publications (Selected)
Dias RDM, Cook TW, Freire SM (2011) Modeling healthcare authorization and claim submissions using the openEHR dual-model approach. BMC Medical Informatics and Decision Making 11:60. doi:10.1186/1472-6947-11-60
Cavalini LT, Cook TW (2011) Health informatics: the relevance of open source and multilevel modeling. IFIP Advances in Information and Communication Technology 365: 338 – 347.
Cavalini LT, Freire SM, Cook TW (2010) Forward chaining inference vs. binary decision support in an electronic health record application based on archetyped data. Studies in Health Technology and Informatics. Amsterdam: IOS Press, v.160. p.1469
Cook TW (2009) "Where the Context Lies" Point paper on why standard data modeling approaches do not work in complex domains such as healthcare information systems design.
Cook TW (2006) "Contextual Persistence in Complex Information Systems: An analysis of storing and retrieving information in an electronic health record." M.Sc. Thesis, University of Central Lancashire, Lancashire School of Health and Medicine. Supervisor: Dr. Jean Roberts.
Cook TW (2005) "Open Source" Book Chapter in "Computerization And Going Paperless in Canadian Primary Care" Shaw, N.T. Radcliffe Medical Press; ISBN: 1857756231
Ellis NT, Pepper DR, Cook TW, Houwink P, Jain N, Bainbridge M (2001) "Open Source & International Health Informatics: Placebo or Panacea?" Informatics in Primary Care, Volume 10 Number 1
Selected Conference & Workshop Presentations
2010
Short Course on openEHR, 1st Workshop of Scientific Computing on Health Applications, Petrópolis, Brazil
2009
WHO SDMX-HD Workshop, Geneva, Switzerland - Implications of Multi-Level Modelling
2008
openEHR/OSHIP workshop (1.5 days), IEA World Congress, Porto Alegre, Brazil
2007
WHO Global Health Data Standards Workshop, Nairobi, Kenya - Vocabulary Management
2004
MEDINFO San Francisco - Panel Moderator, Open Source Application Success
2004
WONCA Orlando - Does FOSS Really Mean Free for GP Computerization?
2001
AMIA Washington DC - Panel Member, Open Source Software in Healthcare
2000
AMIA Los Angeles - Tutorial, Web-based EMR Demonstration
Awards & Recognition
Professional
- • 2001 Linux Medical News Open Source Achievement Award
Military Service
- • Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal
- • Marine Corps Good Conduct Award (3 Awards)
- • Navy Meritorious Unit Citation (2 Awards)
- • National Defense Medal
Professional Affiliations
Current
- • UK Council for Health Informatics Professions (UKCHIP) Registrant #466
- • Citizens Foster Care Review Board (Court-appointed)
- • Chair, City of Fulton, KY Planning & Zoning Commission
- • Member, City of Fulton, KY Board of Adjustments
Former
- • CCHIT Advanced Interoperability Working Group
- • Co-Founder, PATH Research Group
- • Architecture Review Board, openEHR Foundation
- • Organizing Chair, AMIA Open Source Working Group
- • Co-founder, Open Source Health Care Alliance (OSHCA)
- • IMIA Open Source Working Group