New Telemedicine Center Creates Virtual “Front-Door” to M.D. Anderson

Six physicians made history at The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center Oct. 22, when they “linked up” in the first telemedicine consultation held in the cancer center’s new telehealth center.

Funded with a $2 million grant from the SBC Foundation, SBC Communications’ philanthropic arm, the new center provides remote practitioners with a virtual “front door” to the cancer center. SBC Communications is the parent company of Southwestern Bell.

Houston M.D. Anderson physicians Henry Mark Kuerer, M.D., Ph.D., a surgical oncology assistant professor; Nuhad K. Ibrahim, M.D., a breast medical oncology associate professor; and George H. Perkins, M.D., a radiation oncology assistant professor, discussed treatment options for a 43-year old Hispanic breast cancer patient with Orlando-based M.D. Anderson affiliates Nikita Shah, M.D., a medical oncologist; Daniel Bucholz, M.D., a radiation oncologist; and Michael Kahky, M.D., a surgical oncolgist.

“This has been a dream for years by a number of us,” said John Mendelsohn, M.D., the cancer center’s president. “M.D. Anderson has a wealth of educational opportunities to share, and this new door of technology is our way to extend care to the world.”

Since M.D. Anderson’s clinical telemedicine program’s inception in 1994, nearly 1,500 activities have been conducted annually.

“It is one of the largest telemedicine oncology programs in the world,” said Margaret Kripke, Ph.D., M.D. Anderson executive vice president and chief academic officer. “With this new center, we will continue training even more of tomorrow’s leading researchers today.”

The 3,000 square-foot SBC Telehealth Center, located in M.D. Anderson’s Faculty Center, is comprised of a 65-seat classroom, an administrative conference room and the telemedicine room where consultations are held. Rooms feature state-of-the-art audiovisual and telecommunications equipment that allows specialists to examine electronic diagnostic images, pathology slides and other data from a patient’s medical record. In addition, the classroom features a touch panel to independently control classroom functions from the podium, eye-level monitors which allow instructors to maintain eye contact at all times, a “blue screen” for special effects, television-friendly lighting, and a rear-screen projection system that will support a variety of formats, including high-definition television.

Adding to this new telecommunications technology, and located across the street in M.D. Anderson’s main clinical facility, is the newly updated SBC Auditorium that seats 300.

“M.D. Anderson views patient care as multidisciplinary,” Mendelsohn said. “This new center will host patient-care teams as they develop the best possible patient-care plans.”

In addition to conducting long-distance medical consultations, patient and professional educational programs, and research exchanges with affiliates in Orlando and Madrid, as well as other institutions across the nation and globe, the SBC Telehealth Center is bridging the digital divide by making live Internet broadcasts and “on demand” Internet video available to worldwide audiences. The center’s distance education area will also provide interactive television facilities for teaching graduate-level courses from The University of Texas Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences.

“Having the facilities on campus, in the same building as our faculty offices, will save our educators travel time and time away from patients,” said Stephen Tomasovic, Ph.D., vice president for educational programs.

“With this well-equipped telecommunication center in place, we are supporting M.D. Anderson’s mission of ‘Making Cancer History,’” Mendelsohn said.

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