Center for Telehealth and Cybermedicine Research
Projects and Research Affiliated with CfTH
The Center for Telehealth (CfTH) is charged with coordinating and facilitating all University of
New Mexico Health Science Center (UNM HSC) telehealth activities. To this end CfTH participates in the development
and implementation of a variety of projects throughout UNM HSC, through technical planning and design and operational
protocols. CfTH is also working with health care providers throughout New Mexico, in adjoining states and two
international projects.
UNM HSC Center for Telehealth and Cybermedicine Research Awarded $15,561,181
The Center for Telehealth and Cybermedicine Research at the University of New Mexico’s Health Sciences Center has been
awarded $15,561,181 for The Southwest Telehealth Access Grid (SW TAG) Project. Funding comes through the Federal Communications
Commission. Dale Alverson, MD, Medical Director of CfTH is the Principal Investigator, Arthur B. Maccabe, UNM, CIO is the
Co-Principal Investigator. The funding, over three years, will provide support for the costs of hardware and software,
design, development, implementation, operations, maintenance, and evaluation of a telemedicine access grid. An additional
$4,022,508 of matching funds will be provided by the SW TAG members, bringing the total funding for the project to $19,583,689.
Lead by the University of New Mexico, the SW TAG is a partnership between New Mexico, the Arizona Telemedicine Network and
the Southwest Indian Health Service Telehealth Consortium and associated tribes. The funds will support the build out of a
telehealth access grid, providing the platform for the sharing, distribution and coordination of telemedicine clinical services,
educational and training programs for 500 health related facilities across the rural southwest. The SW TAG network will also
support UNM Clinical and Translational Science Center community-based research. In addition to the grids’ support of day-to-day
telemedicine transactions among participating agencies, it will also provide a system that can be quickly transitioned to
support telehealth and other high priority traffic in the event of a natural or man-made disaster.
The telecommunications stakeholders in this proposal will play a critical role in bridging serious healthcare gaps through
the development of adequate and affordable broadband infrastructure to communities in their territory. The project leverages,
to a large extent, existing statewide and regional network infrastructure and investments already in place. The grid will
provide for the integration of the high-speed Internet backbones offered by Internet 2 and National Lambda Rail.
Unique features of SW TAG are the network design studies and modeling components. These will allow iterative improvement
through ongoing simulation, testing, evaluation, development and utilization throughout the project. Security, improved
reliability, quality of service, and appropriate redundancy that can support disaster recovery are incorporated as part of
the modeling and design.
The consortium of 12 stakeholders includes the Center for High Performance Computing, Electrical & Computer Engineering,
NM Institute of Mining & Technology, NM State University, NM Department of Health, Los Alamos National Laboratory,
Southwest Indian Health Service including: Albuquerque Navajo, Phoenix, and Tucson Areas HIS; Arizona Telemedicine Program,
Holy Cross Hospital, Presbyterian Medical Services and Sangre de Cristo Community Health Partnership.
For current information on the FCC project please go to
http://portal.swtag.org/default.aspx. Here you will find additional press information, information from the FCC and USAC.
Projects and Research
Incubated projects: Incubation includes providing an environment in which the telehealth
concept can be born, nurturing the idea, and providing the elements for development and growth that can lead
to maturity, eventual independence and sustainability. The CfTH helps Telehealth programs become established
by providing technical assistance, HIPAA and JCAHO training, conferencing, and protocol development.
The following programs have been supported in their growth and development by CfTH. The Center for
Telehealth continues to provide technical services and troubleshooting on an as needed basis.
- E.C.H.O.: Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes is a telemedicine and
distance-learning program designed to improve access to quality health care for New Mexicans with
hepatitis C. Project ECHO links health-care providers from rural clinics, the Indian Health
Services, and prisons with specialists at the University of New Mexico.
For additional information contact Yolanda Hubbard,
Community Education Coordinator 505-272-9875/505-272-6906 (F) or visit their web site at
http://echo.unm.edu/
- R.E.A.C.H: Rural Early Access to Children’s Health is a Telehealth Network
that delivers distance education, clinical encounters, and consultation via interactive video
conferencing to remote areas where services are not readily available. It serves young children
with special needs, their families, and providers.
For additional information contact Sandy Heimerl at 505-272-0096, or
visit their web site at http://cdd.unm.edu/ecspd/REACH/
- S.B.I.R.T.: Screening, Brief Intervention, Referral, and Treatment, providing
substance abuse services through primary health clinics. There are 22 primary care clinic partner
sites across new Mexico including school based health centers and some public health offices.
NM SBIRT specialized treatment agencies include: Hoy Recovery Program, Turquoise Lodge, Taos Colfax
Community Services, Santa Fe Recovery Program, Su Vida Adolescent Program and New Moon Lodge.
For additional information contact Sangre de Cristo CHP in Santa Fe at (505) 982-8870, For information
about the NM SBIRT Telehealth Project contact Tony Gallegos.
On-Going Projects
These projects are incorporating the utilization of telehealth.
- CRCBH Telepsychiatry and Behavioral Health Program: is designed to promote behavioral
health workforce development opportunities, provide opportunity for children, adolescents, adults and
families in rural/frontier NM access to psychiatric specialists, foster collaboration between primary
care and behavioral health providers, and to adequately respond to the special contexts in which providers
care for New Mexicans.
For additional information contact Melina Salvador at 505-272-1785,
or see their web site at
http://hsc.unm.edu/som/psychiatry/crcbh/.
- C.R.E.S.T.: Critical Response and Emergency Systems Training Program within the Center
for Disaster Medicine. The Center for Disaster Medicine provides disaster and emergency medical services to
New Mexico and the U.S. through specialized emergency medical care units.
For additional information contact Center for Disaster Medicine, MSC10 5560, 1 University of New Mexico,
Albuquerque, NM 87131, (505) 272-6240.
- Palliative Medicine: Within Division of Geriatrics at UNM HSC provides leadership in promoting
the integration of Palliative Care knowledge, skills and attitudes into the UNM HSC educational community. Plays a
leadership role in palliative care training fro physicians practicing in rural New Mexico.
For additional information see their web site at
http://hsc.unm.edu/som/medicine/geriatrics/palliative.shtml
- Pediatric Cardiology: The Division of Pediatric Cardiology offers diagnostic and therapeutic
services for infants, children and your adults with cardiovascular disease. Services are provided to outpatients
in Albuquerque and through statewide outreach clinics. In addition, education seminars are provided to physicians
and other healthcare professionals statewide.
-
Pediatric Noon Conferences: Utilize Center for Telehealth teleconferencing equipment and
personnel to provide rural sites access to UNMH pediatric presentations. Residents and doctors may
receive CME and CEU credits for attending.
For additional information see their web site at
http://hsc.unm.edu/som/pediatrics/residency/Conferences.shtml
- Native American Digital Divide: Several UNM departments are involved in the initiative.
“It’s not about the Internet. It’s about the services you can provide on the Internet,” said ITS Director Moira Gerety.
UNM can supply some of those services – particularly telehealth and distance education. Telehealth uses communication
technologies to provide health care, information and training at a distance. Center for Telehealth Medical Director
Dale Alverson has been consulting with Navajo Nation telecommunications officials on how to best serve their specific
health needs.
For further information see: http://www.unm.edu/~market/cgi-bin/archives/002113.html
Virtual Reality
Photo By Barry Staver
- B.A.T.C.A.V.E.: Basic Advanced Trauma Computer Assisted Virtual Experience provides clinical
simulation experiences, education and research to the people of New Mexico. This multidisciplinary education
facility provides training and educational experiences for over 80 health care scenarios.
For further information see their website at http://hsc.unm.edu/som/gme/batcave/
- T.O.U.C.H.: Telehealth Outreach for Unified Community Health Project TOUCH
(Telehealth Outreach for Unified Community Health), is a collaboration between the Schools of Medicine at the
State Universities of Hawaii and the University of New Mexico. The project involves the integration of advanced
technologies to enhance experiential problem-based learning over distance. Both New Mexico and Hawaii face similar
challenges in providing care to medically underserved, cultural diverse populations, spread across large geographic
areas. Together, the respective Schools of Medicine formed a multidisciplinary, inter-institutional group. This
group explored the feasibility of utilizing emerging technologies to overcome geographic barriers to delivery of
medical education in the communities of need, and to enhance the learning process with immersive virtual reality,
patient simulation, and volumetric image manipulation utilizing high-performance computing methods. Both Schools
of Medicine employ a problem-based learning (PBL) curriculum, which focuses on small group interaction and experiential,
case-based learning.
Watch the Overview Video on Project TOUCH.
- Reification Simulation of the Kidney’s Filtration Process:
http://www.hpc.unm.edu/~panaioti/Pages/B_Demos_Neph.html.
(Click to run an Activex control – Click on the play arrow beneath the picture)
Our interdisciplinary team has been developing a virtual reality model of the nephron into which important
physiologic functions can be integrated and rendered into a three dimensional virtual environment called
Flatland, an open source virtual environments development software tool, within which learners can interact
using off-the-shelf hardware. The nephron model can be driven dynamically by a rules-based artificial
intelligence engine, applying the rules and concepts developed in conjunction with subject matter experts.
Incorporated into the model is music and sound to assist the user in understanding the data they
encounter and improve their orientation within the virtual nephron. In the future, the nephron model
can be used to interactively demonstrate a number of physiologic principles or a variety of
pathological processes that may be difficult to teach and understand.
International Projects
Click here for more information on our
International Projects, including the Telehealth Boats and Collaboration with Universidad Tecnologica Equinoccial (UTE).
