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by Dr. Suellen Crano
Technicians on opposite sides of the globe celebrated the success of equipment tests for WiRED's telemedicine program with a face-to-face meeting on January 17, 2006.
"Our test of the cameras and satellite equipment was a great success," said Dr. Gary Selnow, executive director of WiRED. "Today was a real achievement for WiRED and all our partners in this program."
The U.S. site for the test was housed at San Francisco State University (SFSU) in San Francisco, California; the Iraq center was located in Baghdad.
Satellite connections paired with sophisticated Polycom 7000 E video cameras made every corner of each telemedicine center visible to their international audiences. This technology will allow physicians and medical students in both countries to teach and learn collaboratively through lectures, demonstrations, and actual cases.
WiRED board members Bob Ohrenschall and Dr. Suellen Crano joined Dr. Selnow and staff from San Francisco State's Edelman Institute for an hour-long conversation with technicians in Iraq.
Mr. Ohrenschall remarked that he could even read the numbers on a watch being worn by one Iraqi participant. "The quality and synchronization of sight and sound were remarkable," he said.
Over the next month, WiRED's Iraqi technicians will install additional telemedicine centers in Basrah, Mosul, and Erbil. The program will launch in March 2006.
Content specialists at UCSF Medical School and Children's Hospital in Washington, D.C. are collaborating with WiRED on this distinctive project. The Edelman Institute works with WiRED on nursing education in Iraq and other countries.
"We are excited to get out the good word about this developing telemedicine program," said Edelman's Associate Director, Janet Egiziano.
Photos by SFSU photographer Chris Rozales; layout by Brian Colombe.
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