Presentation delivered via video conferencing at the 37th annual Philippine Heart Association conference

February 12, 2007
Contact: communications@ihets.org

Dr. Charles Clark, associate dean of continuing medical education and professor of medicine and pharmacology at Indiana University, is renowned for his work in diabetes care and research.

Director of the university's Diabetes Research & Training Center for 25 years, Clark is former national president of the American Diabetes Association and recipient of its lifetime achievement award. He chaired the National Diabetes Education Program (NDEP) steering committee, created by the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention and the National Institutes of Health, to develop programs for people, families, and caregivers impacted by diabetes.

Fluent in Spanish, Dr. Clark's work has taken him across the globe. During an extensive sabbatical, he lived in Argentina to collaborate with the Argentine Diabetes Society and develop non-physician diabetes education teams.

When approached just one week before the 37th annual Philippine Heart Association conference to deliver a presentation via video conference, Clark was hesitant.

Not only would he be addressing some of the Philippine's most influential doctors, fellows-in-training, residents, medical students, nurses, and others, if there were glitches with the technology the university's reputation would be tarnished.

Clark knew he needed reliable technical support. So he turned to Ian Welsh, CME's associate director of technology and business development.

"Dr. Clark wanted 100 percent confidence he would have a top-notch connection to guarantee a good event for the participants," Welsh explained.

With little lead time-and a 12-hour time difference between Indianapolis and Manila-establishing and testing the connection would require evening and weekend after-hours assistance. "Prior experience with off time audio and video conferencing had not been positive and I was inclined to turn down the opportunity. However, before declining the request, Ian suggested that I contact IHETS," he said.

Both Welsh and Clark were pleased with the choice. "IHETS was invaluable. They actively supported the entire process, including two after-hours test sessions. We didn't have to worry about being experts in video conferencing, they took care of everything. And we got service we were unable to find elsewhere," Welsh reports.

Dr. Clark's presentation on hypertension, diabetes, and vascular complications and prevention was well received. "The experience was flawless," says Clark, who has also participated in projects sponsored by the International Diabetes Federation and the Pan American Health Organization.

"IHETS had two technical staff on hand. Both the video and audio were excellent, which enabled a lot of feedback from the attendees," Clark adds.

Welsh sees a lot of potential for CME to use the technology locally, whether to reach physicians in remote rural areas or to reduce the need for travel expenses to conduct face-to-face meetings. "We plan to explore the possibilities," he said.