| ||
| Vol. 21, No. 7 |
| April 15, 1999 |
|
Collaboration Continues in Mexico Representatives from several Texas Medical Center institutions journeyed to Veracruz, Mexico, March 29 to meet with their Mexican colleagues and make presentations on a number of medical topics ranging from AIDS to stroke rehabilitation to telemedicine.
"This was a remarkable opportunity to collaborate with the people of Veracruz," says Nike Luqman, associate director of International Services at Methodist Health Care System. "The health care professionals there have a real dedication to medical education and health care for their citizens. "Veracruz had the first hospital built in the Americas, and they still intend to be not only the number one port in Mexico but to also be a leader in health care in Mexico," says Luqman. "Disease and Lifestyles: A Texas Medical Center Approach" opened with a videotaped welcome from Dr. Michael E. DeBakey and Rodulfo Figueroa Aramoni, Consul General of Mexico in Houston. The day-long program that followed not only offered medical information, but also allowed for a new and important dialogue about education, especially nursing education. "I had the opportunity to visit with the director of a nursing program at one of the universities in Veracruz and we discussed the possibility for exchange among our students and faculty," says Dr. Kathryn Stream, vice provost for health affairs and chief operating officer at Texas Woman's University Institute of Health Sciences-Houston. "I found that we had many things in common and I feel an exchange would be mutually beneficial." The symposium and conference, presented by the Texas Medical Center International Affairs Advisory Council, came about at the invitation of Veracruz city council member Efrain Ralero Trinidad after he visited the Texas Medical Center campus in fall 1998. Representatives from Baylor College of Medicine, Hermann Hospital and The University of Texas-Houston Medical School, The Methodist Hospital, Texas Children's Hospital, Texas Medical Center, Texas Woman's University-Institute of Health Sciences-Houston, The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center and TIRR (The Institute for Rehabilitation and Research) participated in the conference. Felix Fraga, Houston city council member from district five, accompanied the group. Organizers hope to make the conference an annual event. The Veracruz conference follows a similar trip by health professionals from several Texas Medical Center institutions to Mexico City in February where organ transplantation and disease prevention strategies were the topics. This was the second time a delegation from the Texas Medical Center has travelled to Mexico City for such an exchange. "This is the third conference we have done in Mexico, and they are so successful because they address the needs of the communities - at the physician level and the student level," says Javier Cantu, international attaché for Texas Children's International. "It is terribly important to address the student needs because they represent the future of health care in Mexico." Dr. Horacio J. Adrogué, professor of medicine at Baylor College of Medicine and medical director of the dialysis unit at The Methodist Hospital, spoke about the prevention of primary hypertention. "The conference participants seemed to find it very beneficial that many of the presenters could communicate with them in Spanish and were happy to speak their language," says Dr. Adrogué, also director of the renal section at the Houston Veterans Affairs Medical Center.
Approximately 200 medical professionals and students attended the Veracruz conference, which garnered both print and electronic media attention from the Mexican press. The mayor of Veracruz, Francisco J. Avila Camberos, was in attendance and hosted a reception afterward. The reception also honored executives from Continental Airlines, who provided transportation and travel coordination for the trip. The Texas Medical Center representatives have cited the excellence in medical education and training for physicians and nurses and other health care professionals in Latin America. State-of-the-art technology is rare outside of the major urban areas, but the tools of distance learning - the Internet and telemedicine - were discussed at the conferences. "This conference was a unique exchange between the very skilled physicians and health care professionals in Veracruz and specialists from the Texas Medical Center," says Shelby R. Rogers, executive vice president, Texas Medical Center. "The warmth of the welcome and the interest shown during the conference convinces us that a mutual transfer of knowledge and a sharing of technology is genuinely beneficial for all concerned. I think this will truly enhance our future relationships throughout Mexico and Latin America." "Veracruz is a city similar to Houston, actively involved in the oil industry," says Dr. Phillip Johnson, director of the division of general medicine at The University of Texas-Houston Health Science Center and an infectious disease consultant in the Organ Transplant Center at Hermann Hospital. "The medical facilities and training are excellent. It was very gratifying to meet our Mexican colleagues and exchange experiences." - ROGER WIDMEYER AND KRISTINA VAN ARSDEL
©2006 Texas Medical Center E-Mail: tmc-info@tmc.edu URL: http://www.tmc.edu/tmcnews/04_15_99/page_01.html |
