The Source for Navy News
Naval Medicine's Lab in Peru Participates in Distance-Learning Program
Story Number: NNS040209-15
Release Date: 2/10/2004 4:09:00 AM
By Doris M. Ryan, Bureau of Medicine and Surgery Public Affairs
LIMA, Peru (NNS) -- Naval Medicine’s research facility in Lima, Peru, has tapped into a new clinical research training program offered by the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Md. The training program is transmitted to subscribers in real time by satellite or Web videocast.
"This is the first time the program has been implemented at the U.S. Naval Medical Research Center Detachment (NMRCD) and also the first time NMRCD is using videoconference capacities for training. The current training cycle began in October 2003 and runs until February 2004," said Willy Lescano, NMRCD's training coordinator.
The lectures are received twice a week for 60-90 minutes, and the 34 participants are able to interact with the lecturer live after each presentation. Current participants are from the laboratory, the Peruvian Navy and Ministry of Health, and local universities.
"We are currently hosting the 'Introduction to the Principles and Practice of Clinical Research' course,” said Lescano. “We are planning to host the 'Ethical and Regulatory Aspects of Clinical Research' course next year. There are no courses in Peru with comparable content and caliber."
Dr. Sixto Sanchez, head of Epidemiology at 2 de Mayo Hospital, described the course as "comprehensive and very interesting." Sanchez is using the course's materials and concepts not only in research, but also in his teaching.
"This is an extremely cost-effective way to provide U.S.-level training to overseas laboratory personnel with the potential to immediately impact the quality of research carried out, particularly in the design of new clinical trials," said Lescano.
NMRCD is an internationally recognized training center and is on track to become a World Health Organization Collaborating Center for Infectious Disease Research.
Lima has been home to NMRCD for more than 20 years. The detachment's principle field site is remotely located in Iquitos, on the Amazon River. The primary mission of NMRCD is to identify and assess infectious disease threats of military relevance in the Southern Joint Command Region.
For more news from around the fleet, visit the Navy NewsStand at www.news.navy.mil.
E-mail this story to a friend | Send a comment about this story
|
All Any Exact |
|
