News
Ohio establishes global centre for online medical
education and videoconferencing
2 November 2008
The University System of Ohio is aiming to be a global hub for online
medical education and videoconferencing following a decision to fund the
creation of a resource centre in Columbus, Ohio.
“The Ohio Telehealth Video Resource Center will establish Ohio as a
center of excellence worldwide in videoconferencing technologies and, at
the same time, contribute to the improved health and well-being of
countless people throughout world,” said Ohio Governor Ted Strickland.
Telehealth is the practice of using telecommunication equipment and
computing technology to support long-distance clinical healthcare,
patient and professional health-related education, health care
administration and public health interests.
While Ohio has long been on the forefront of this Telehealth image
technology due to the State’s investment in its advanced, fibre-optic
Broadband Ohio Network and the work of the Ohio Academic Resources
Network [OARnet], which is the University System of Ohio’s technology
operations arm, the formation of the Center greatly broadens the scope
and influence of these collaborative efforts.
“Creating the Ohio Telehealth Resource Center will establish Ohio as
the premier global hub for online medical education and
videoconferencing,” said Ohio Board of Regents Chancellor Eric D
Fingerhut, who recently approved seed funding for the Center. “Its
establishment is another example of how the University System of Ohio is
leveraging resources to drive Ohio’s economic prosperity.”
The Center’s launch will strengthen and build more linkages between
higher education and Ohio’s healthcare industries, a targeted economic
development area of significant importance to the State. The Center will
be established as an independent, nonprofit organisation, and is
expected to quickly become self-sustaining. It will support the use of
high-quality video for health education and training, research, and
associated clinical activities. Healthcare providers with little
technical experience will have the ability to communicate via
high-quality videoconferencing with other health providers.
Some examples of how the Center will be used include sharing 'grand
rounds' where doctors meet to discuss multiple patients, offering
demonstrations of new and emerging clinical practices, and utilizing the Center for clinical trials, multi-centre interactions and additional
research projects. The Center also will provide a technology forum for
the development of standards, including best practices, process and
priority standards and coordination of resources.
The news was welcomed by David Gray, Latin American and Caribbean
coordinator for the World Bank’s Global Development Learning Network.
The World Bank is already involved in Ohio-based telehealth projects
with OARnet, Johns Hopkins University and Columbia University, providing
vital educational and clinical experiences to physicians from Tanzania,
Pakistan, China, Egypt, Canada, Iraq, India, Brazil and Mexico.
“We expect the Ohio Telehealth Video Resource Center to play a
pivotal role in connecting the medical community in the developing world
with centres of excellence in the United States and beyond,” said Gray.
“By combining technology and partnerships through this initiative, we
can narrow the knowledge gaps that exist in healthcare, research, policy
and education and can significantly improve the quality of healthcare
available to people regardless of their location.”
A collaborative effort will get the Center off the ground. It will be
led by Charles R Doarn, who has served as Executive Director of the
Center for Surgical Innovation at the University of Cincinnati. A
world-recognized leader in the industry, with areas of specialisation in
space medicine, telemedicine, telehealth, and international health,
Doarn has been tapped as the Executive Director of the Ohio Telehealth
Video Resource Center.
In addition to the World Bank and University System of Ohio/OARnet,
other partners helping to establish the Center include the Ohio
Supercomputer Center and Internet2, the United States’ foremost advanced
networking consortium. Internet2 brings research and academia together
with technology leaders from industry, government and the international
community.
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