• Partners HealthCare invites PHMI and its partner institutions to take part in October symposium held by the Center for Connected Health
    On October 27-28, the Center for Connected Health (CCH), a division of Partners HealthCare, will host a major conference that will bring together key players in health care delivery, industry, government, and academia to explore the convergence of health care delivery, information technology, and the evolving demands of patient-consumers. The conference is entitled "Who Provides, Who Decides, Who Pays: Consumers, Clinicians and Business Models in the Connected Care Era."

    Established in 1995, the Center for Connected Health focuses on the use consumer technologies and online resources to support high-quality care outside of the hospital or doctor's office. The Center develops initiatives in telehealth, remote care, and disease and lifestyle management programs in order to better manage and monitor patient health and provide convenient, personalized medical care.

    The symposium, the third offered by the CCH, will be held at the Joseph B. Martin Conference Center on the campus of Harvard Medical School. Panels and plenary sessions will take up a broad range of issues, including chronic care coordination, disruptive technologies and health care, technology tools for caregivers, business models in home health, and the roles of health plans and employers as potential trendsetters.

    Joseph L. Ternullo, Associate Director of the CCH, said, "We're organizing the 2008 symposium around a specific mission and a unique capability: to bring MDs and nurses into a conversation about information technology and practical economics that is always about them but not always welcoming to them. In this connected age patients and their loved ones will engage deeply in managing their own health care, a serious shift in the consumer role that means profound changes for clinicians too."

    Partners Harvard Medical International has agreed to sponsor this event and will also take part in a session focused on the global health arena. The impressive list of keynote speakers includes the following:
    • Regina Herzlinger, Nancy R. McPherson Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School and leading authority on consumer-driven health care.
    • United States Senator John Kerry, who will discuss prospects for health care policy and prospects following the upcoming election
    • Cass Sunstein, Felix Frankfurter Professor of Law at Harvard Law School and a leader in the emerging field of behavioral economics, which focuses on how human beings are wired to make decisions, including health care decisions.
    • Carol Diamond, Managing Director of the Markle Foundation and Chair of Connecting for Health, who will lead a panel discussion on engaging mainstream consumers in personal health information services.

    For more information PHMI's partners are eligible for a discounted rate to register for the symposium. Learn more about the symposium, view the agenda, and register. Contact Margaret Spinale via email or by telephone at 617-643-3905.

  • Brigham and Women's Hospital Live Surgery Web Casts
    Through an innovative program offered by Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH), medical professionals, students and prospective patients can view online broadcasts of a variety of advanced medical procedures, recorded live as they are performed by leading specialists at BWH. Each broadcast offers live footage and audio from the operating theater, as well as the opportunity for viewers to submit questions online for the physicians performing each procedure. Past webcasts have included a total knee replacement procedure designed to be less invasive than traditional approaches, as well as an aortic valve replacement, a less common form of heart surgery. BWH is a nonprofit teaching affiliate of Harvard Medical School and a founding member of the health care delivery network Partners HealthCare System. To view an archive of past procedures and to learn more about upcoming web casts at BWH, please click here.

  • The International Training Program (ITP) of the Department of Dermatology
    The International Training Program (ITP) of the Department of Dermatology at Harvard Medical School was established in 1999 and designed to provide foreign medical graduates with dermatologic education through clinical observation and didactic activities. Program scholars participate in clinical observations at a variety of Harvard-affiliated teaching hospitals and are rotated amongst a variety of dermatologic subspecialties. Tailored didactic activities are developed and conducted weekly by the Director of the ITP program, Ernesto Gonzalez, MD or his delegate and targeted specifically for the ITP scholars interests and needs. Further information can be found here.

  • Harvard Medical School Center for Palliative Care Continuing Medical Education Course
    The Harvard Medical School Center for Palliative Care promotes collaboration among HMS-affiliated institutions in clinical practice, research, and teaching of end-of-life care. The Center offers continuing medical education courses for faculty development in palliative care, an approach that aims to improve the quality of life for patients and their families facing life-threatening illness through the prevention and relief of suffering. Using an interactive format, the course curriculum addresses such issues as the assessment and management of psychological, social, and spiritual distress, communication challenges with patients and families, and ethical dilemmas associated with palliative care. For more information please click here.

  • Patient Safety in Obesity Surgery: Implementing Accreditation Standards and Best Practices
    (September 11-13, 2008, Harvard Medical School)
    Offered by faculty from the Department of Surgery at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School, "Patient Safety in Obesity Surgery" addressed the various social and medical issues stemming from the national epidemic of overweight and obesity, specifically the growing concerns related to weight loss surgery. General sessions and breakout sessions with different focuses were designed to meet the education needs of a highly diverse mix of target audience, increasing the course’s effectiveness in providing health care professionals with the most current information on patient safety and best practice options, and maximizing its impact on curbing this epidemic and improving the quality of life for patients.