In a timely move aimed at helping the nation fight potential incidents of bioterrorism, Centra , the Lexington, Mass provider of eLearning and collaboration software, today announced it will power a nationwide, Web-based bioterrorism training program for emergency room physicians.
Through working together with the University of Tennessee Physicians Executive MBA Program and the nation’s top medical schools, Centra is featuring a series of one-hour online collaboration sessions to expedite information on the accurate diagnosis and emergency treatment of anthrax, small pox, and other agents of bioterrorism to emergency heath care professionals over the Internet.
According to Centra, instructors in the program include infectious disease experts and top emergency medical practitioners, including doctors from the Detroit Medical Center, Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, and Temple University School of Medicine in Philadelphia.
“We are proud to be part of this important initiative, and believe that our technology can play a significant role in the ongoing communication efforts of government authorities, businesses, and the medical community to support our country’s global war against terrorism,” says Leon Navickas, Centra’s Chairman and CEO.
Centra says the development of this innovative program was led by Dr. Michael Stahl, Director of the Physician Executive MBA (PEMBA) program at the University of Tennessee and Dr. Ronald K. Reynolds, a board-certified emergency medical physician from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, in response to a growing number of calls for information.
The PEMBA program has been using Centra’s Web-based collaboration technology since 1997 and the new series, known as BT101, will use the same ‘cyber-class’ technology already implemented, which Centra says will be delivered direct to a physician’s own office or home PC.
The live, instructor-led classes are designed to replicate a classroom experience online so doctors so not need to be away from their medical practice to receive this kind of training.
Says Robert Jackson, Assistant Dean and Director of Distance Education and Independent Study at the University of Tennessee: “After the events of September 11, we realized how we could quickly expand the use of Centra’s solution and tap some of the best minds in the medical field to better prepare doctors everywhere with the information and skills they might need to address potential threats of bioterrorism in our country.”
