Telehealth: A Vision for the Future
Ronald S. Weinstein, M.D.
Director, Arizona Telemedicine Program

Each century is characterized by remarkable advances in science and technology which dramatically alter the healthcare of large populations. Scientific disciplines which expanded in the twentieth century, including the informatics, proteomics, and genomics, may provide the foundation for the pharmacogentic-based tailored therapies of the twenty first century.

Disseminating advanced healthcare technologies and monitoring healthcare for large populations are major challenges. Telehealth provides a somewhat novel approach that leverages increasingly ubiquitous telecommunication networks into delivery systems for sophisticated healthcare services. Socioeconomic benefits may be derived from delivering tele-healthcare services to patient populations early in the courses of their diseases.

Telehealth services over the Internet have the potential to increase opportunities for self help, for the mass customization of patient education, for the implementation of cradle-to-grave electronic patient records, and for the expansion of the use of personal healthcare advocates. Virtual tele-healthcare enterprises may emerge which address critical issues including the maldistribution of healthcare services. Direct patient access to a broad spectrum of traditional physician-based services may increase efficiencies and alter the workflow within healthcare organizations.

Ronald Weinstein is a pioneer in the field of telepathology. He carried out initial human performance studies on video microscopy and invented robotic telepathology for which he holds US Patents. He has published over 300 papers, book chapters, book reviews and editorials and serves on the editorial board of many journals. Dr. Weinstein is currently Vice President of both the American Telemedicine Association and the Association for Pathology Informatics. In addition to his position as Pathology Department Head, Dr. Weinstein serves as Director of the Arizona Telemedicine Program, a statewide network which has won many national awards.

When most of us think 'Internet', we imagine wires, widgets, and stories. But the real story of the Internet is people -- people connected through online communities that reach around the corner and across the globe. At once practical and entertaining, this presentation looks at the practices and principles that make online communities work. It will also include a tour of successful online communities and ideas on how to include online community strategies within healthcare-related Internet projects.

Mark Surman is President of The Commons Group and one of Canada's leading experts on the collaborative use of the Internet. Mark had advised governments, global associations and grassroots groups on how to build community and increase organizational impact using the Internet. He has also lead dozens of successful web site and open source development projects with focus on collaboration and information sharing. He has written a number of articles and manuals about "collaborative online business" including Commonspace: Beyond Virtual Community (co-author, Darren Wershler-Henry).

Streams of Consciousness: Tales from a Winnipeg Filmmaker
Guy Maddin, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

Cinematic surrealist Guy Maddin's films are at once stunning and perplexing. Telluride Film Festival Lifetime Achievement Award winner and Canadian Cult film hero, Maddin (and his films) are the product of his prodigious intellectual appetite, and reflect his many interests and obsessions. Join Maddin on a rare journey into the creative processes of an experimental filmmaker - it promises to challenge, excite... and bewilder!

Guy Maddin's feature films include Archangel, Tales from the Gimli Hospital, Careful, and Twilight of the Ice Nymphs. His short The Heart of the World was named best experimental film of 2000 by the U.S. National Society of Film Critics.

This conference is being presented by
the Health Sciences Communications Association (HeSCA)

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