Telemedicine unites U.S. And Russian medical schools

17 Jun 2002

The first in a series of telemedicine education conferences began this week with a linkup between Baylor College of Medicine in Houston and Moscow State University. Dr. Arnauld Nicogossian, Associate Administrator for Life and Microgravity Sciences and Applications at NASA Headquarters, hopes the telemedicine program will provide a valuable and ongoing series of international medical education presentations between Russian and American medical schools.

NASA began its telemedicine experience with the former Soviet Union in 1989 when it created the Spacebridge to Armenia and Ufa. NASA used its telecommunications and telemedicine capabilities to help provide humanitarian assistance to the victims of the Armenian earthquake and the Ufa natural gas explosion.

"One of the greatest potential dividends of the telemedicine program is the great strides we expect to see in medical education both in the United States and abroad," Nicogossian said.

The initial presentation on recent advancements in the management of heart disease covered aneurysm surgery, coronary angioplasty, new cholesterol reducing drugs, cryopreservation of organs and molecular genetics of cardiovascular disease.