Projects

Boston Breathes

A two-year grant to adapt and evaluate a web-based, home telemedicine system for patient education and monitoring. In collaboration with colleagues in Germany, we will conduct a RCT of the system among pediatric patients with asthma to determine impact on asthma care processes and outcomes. Funded by the Commonwealth Fund. Status: complete

Boston University

A one-year grant to implement an online course in the medical interview for 1st year students in the School of Medicine. Status: complete, manuscript under review

Faculty Development for Community Preceptors

Using online methods, community-based preceptors responsible for teaching 3rd year medical students in the family medicine clerkship will be offered a training program in teaching skills. Status: funded

Healix Corporation

One year support to develop, implement, and evaluate online CME for international primary care physicians on the topic of type 2 diabetes management. Curriculum available for additional courses and participants. Status: complete

Health Resources Services Administration, Title VII Training Grant

A three-year grant to develop and evaluate methods of teaching clerkship students in cultural competence and evidence-based medicine using electronic technology. Status: complete

Health Resources Services Administration, Title VII Training Grant

A three-year grant including informatics component to develop and evaluate methods of teaching medical students in mental health care issues of primary care, and in the care of the underserved. $470,000 support from July 2004- June 2007. Status: complete

Hewlett-Packard Corporation

Grant of 17 personal computers and peripherals for distribution to community-based preceptors for facilitating student access to departmental online curriculum. Status: complete

Primary Care Training Grant

To strengthen student programs in family medicine and geriatrics, to implement an online faculty development program, and to develop a financial planning resource center for indebted students interested in primary care careers. Status: complete, manuscript on medical debt in press: Academic Medicine.

Physician's Foundation  

A 3-year project to provide innovative, interactive distance education CME for primary care physicians throughout New England. Using our innovative model of online professional development based on collaborative learning, this project will provide participants with up-to-date information and skills in the areas of cancer prevention, risk management, pediatric asthma, hypertension, congestive heart failure, and diabetes. Status: $400,000 USD starting from January, 2007. Status: complete

Reynolds Foundation

Our Unit is a primary partner in a 5-year, $1,000,000 grant from the Reynolds Foundation started in 2004, awarded to the Geriatrics Department, Boston University School of Medicine to develop, implement, and evaluate web-based methods for geriatrics training for medical students, residents, and practicing physicians. Status: complete

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

A four-year project to develop distance education methods and programs for our clerkship in family medicine. Status: ongoing

Virtual Worlds CME

This interactive, single-session 2010 research pilot of virtual world-delivered continuing medical education focused on type 2 diabetes training for primary care physicians. Participants completed pre- and post-intervention surveys to measure changes in learning, behavior, and performance. Published results for this pilot can be found in the Journal of Medical Internet Research. (J Med Internet Res 2010;12(1):e1)  Status: complete

Virtual Worlds Motivational Interviewing (MI) CME

Two 2011 research training events designed to teach Motivational Interviewing  (a patient-centered counseling strategy to promote constructive dialog and support physician as well as patient behavior change). The first was a two-session pilot, where doctors used MI methods with standardized patients to discuss colorectal cancer screening. The second was a three-session event applying MI methods to smoking cessation. Facilitators in both studies assessed participants by comparing pre- and post-recorded interviews between participants and a blinded, mock patient. Published results for the MI in colorectal screening CME project can be found in the Journal of Medical Internet Research (J Med Internet Res 2011;13(3):e77).  This video shows highlights from the smoking cessation MI CME. Status: complete

Virtual Worlds Patient Healthcare Education

Women In Control (WIC) is a two-year, NIH-funded research program to conduct and compare in-person and virtual world-delivered diabetes healthcare intervention. One hundred Boston-area women of color with uncontrolled type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) participated in group counseling sessions. This video shows highlights from WIC patient sessions conducted in the virtual world of Second Life.  Status: ongoing

WHO/GFMER/BU Reproductive Health Program

In May 2012, a partnership of the World Health Organization (WHO), the Geneva Foundation for Medical Education and Research (GFMER), and Boston University School of Medicine delivered a single session of the WHO worldwide online course in sexual and reproductive health in the virtual world. Dr. Marloes Schoonheim led the session entitled, Population Control: Past Policies and Future Challenges. This video shows highlights from the virtual world presentation. Status: complete