Telehealth Foundations: Applications Across Professions (IHP)
A welcome message from Susan Farrell, MD, EdM, Director of Continuing & Professional Development, MGH Institute of Health Professions. (1:57)
Target Audience
This program is intended for:
- Physicians Assistants / Associates (PA)
- Physicians
- Pharmacists
- Nurse/Nurse Practitioners
- Psychologists
- Social Workers
- IPCE Credit
Learning Objectives
The Key takeaways of this course:
- The Telehealth Foundations course aligns with the mission of MGH IHP by intentionally incorporating interprofessional examples of best practices across the field of telehealth and its modalities.
- Throughout the course, experts in the field of telehealth will address relevant aspects of ethical, technological, reimbursement and legal principles.
Interprofessional perspectives
This course is designed by an interprofessional group of contributing faculty members from more than ten academic and healthcare organizations.
Emily Hayden, MD, MHPE
Course Director
Massachusetts General Hospital:
Emily M. Hayden is an Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine, at Harvard Medical School, attending physician, and Director of Telemedicine in the Department of Emergency Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital. Dr. Hayden’s area of interest is telehealth and its use in emergency medicine. Dr. Hayden is the founding Chair of the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine (SAEM) Telehealth Interest Group, the Chair of the SAEM 2020 Consensus Conference on Telehealth in Emergency Medicine, and the Technology Subcommittee Chair of the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) Health Information Technology Committee. She is a member of the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) Telehealth Advisory Committee. Dr. Hayden’s research on telehealth in emergency medicine focuses on the use of telehealth nationally for transfer coordination and the comparison of telehealth to in-person patient evaluations. Prior to her work in telehealth, Dr. Hayden spent a decade in healthcare simulation and developed the TeleSimulation program at the MGH Learning Laboratory at Massachusetts General Hospital.
Christie Lucente, MS PA-C
Course Director
Brigham and Woman's Hospital:
Christie Lucente is the Chief Physician Assistant of Operations at Brigham and Women's Hospital, Department of Emergency Medicine, where she oversees a large team of PAs and facilitates integration of PA clinical practice across multiple sites. Mrs. Lucente graduated from Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences with a Master of Science in Physician Assistant Studies in 2004 and has focused the majority of her clinical work in emergency medicine including acute and urgent care, and observation medicine. In addition to clinical work, her early career was focused on the development of clinical training programs for experienced and new graduate PAs for the rapidly expanding PA workforce at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. She acted as the US PA Advisor to the National Physician Associate Expansion Programme (NPAEP) in the United Kingdom, which focused on recruitment and continuing professional development of experienced US PAs working clinically within the National Health System. Christie's professional experience also includes oversight of population health programs within accountable care organizations.
Sanjay Arora, MD
Course Faculty
Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California:
Sanjay Arora is a Professor of Clinical Emergency Medicine and Vice-Chair for Academic Affairs at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California. He is a clinical fellow at the Schaeffer Center for Health Policy and Economics and is a faculty mentor at the USC Resource Center for Minority Aging Research. His research area of interest is utilizing emerging technology to improve the quality and efficacy of emergency care and to bridge the gap between an emergency department visit and a stable outpatient medical home for low-income, inner-city patients with chronic disease. As chronic disease and its impact on the emergency department is a large topic, he has focused his efforts on diabetes and HIV as model diseases on which to evaluate interventions centered largely around improving appointment and medication adherence.
Desiree Azizoddin, PsyD
Course Faculty
Stephensen Cancer Center
University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center:
Desiree Azizoddin is an Assistant Professor at the TSET Health Promotion Research Center at Stephensen Cancer Center, and previously a research faculty member in the Department of Emergency Medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, with a joint appointment in the Department of Psychosocial Oncology and Palliative Care at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute. Dr. Azizoddin graduated from the University of California with a BA in Psychology and Social Behavior and later received her MA and PsyD in Clinical Psychology from Loma Linda University. She completed her Behavioral Medicine clinical internship at the Jesse Brown VA Medical Center in Chicago, IL, and a clinical fellowship in Pain Psychology at Stanford University Medical Center. Dr. Azizoddin is currently completing her postdoctoral research fellowship in Psychosocial Oncology and Palliative Care at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School. As a pain psychologist and behavioral scientist, her research focuses on developing technology-based interventions to improve cancer patients' pain management needs with opioids. She is particularly interested in identifying and treating the impact of psychological factors on chronic disease outcomes.
Lea C. Brandt, PhD, OTD, MA, OTR/L
Course Faculty
Center for Health Ethics, University of Missouri School of Medicine:
Lea Brandt is an Associate Professional Practice Professor at the University of Missouri School of Medicine. She serves in leadership positions as the Director of the University of Missouri’s Center for Health Ethics and Medical Director of Clinical Ethics and Consultation Services for MU Health Care (MUHC). She served as the Coordinator for Show-Me ECHO’s Health Care Ethics ECHO. ECHO (Extension for Community Health Outcomes) uses videoconferencing technology to connect a team of interdisciplinary experts with primary care providers to deliver education and clinical expertise to enhance healthcare quality with a focus on rural outreach. She also serves as a HUB team member for the COVID-19 Show-Me ECHO, developed to address the State of Missouri’s COVID-19 pandemic response. In addition, through her leadership roles, she oversees the Tele-Ethics Consultation Service that has been in force since January 2004.
Elizabeth Burner, MD
Course Faculty
Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California:
Elizabeth Burner is an Assistant Professor of Clinical Emergency Medicine at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California. In 2013, Dr. Burner joined the faculty at the Keck School and has worked clinically in the emergency department at the LAC+USC hospital and the Jail Urgent Care based in the LA County Twin Towers Correctional Facility, as well as several community hospitals in the Los Angeles area. Dr. Burner’s research interests center on investigating emergent health communication tools to reach health disparity groups and directing patients to chronic care and medical homes, as appropriate. She is committed to engaging patients in healthier lifestyles. She conducts mixed-methods research to better understand the viewpoints of marginalized populations, particularly urban Latino immigrants. Her work has been supported by several NIH, institutional, and local grants.
Nathan Cortez, JD
Course Faculty
Dedman School of Law, Southern Methodist University:
Nathan Cortez is the Callejo Endowed Professor and a Gerald J. Ford Research Fellow at the SMU Dedman School of Law, where he focuses his teaching and research on healthcare law, regulatory theory, and biotechnology policy. He received his BA from the University of Pennsylvania and his JD from Stanford and practiced with the Washington D.C. firm, Arnold & Porter, before joining academia. His work has been used by a number of regulatory agencies and he lectures frequently at law schools and medical schools around the country.
Kerry Davis, EdD, CCC-SLP
Course Faculty
Spaulding Rehabilitation Outpatient Center:
Kerry Davis is a speech-language pathologist and AAC coordinator at Spaulding Outpatient Center in Lexington, MA. She provides clinical care to children with severe communication and behavioral challenges. Kerry has experience with providing virtual care and training, helping support patients and their families in several countries. Through her interest in this area, Kerry developed a telehealth pilot and fee-for-service program at her current workplace, providing telehealth services to patients across Massachusetts.
Keren Diamond, RN, BSN, MBA
Course Faculty
Mass General Brigham Home Care:
Keren Diamond has more than 25 years of experience as an executive leader in home health care and a proven track record in initiating, setting, and achieving or exceeding goals. She is currently a Senior VP & COO for Mass General Brigham Home Care.
Keren is a registered nurse, received her BS in Nursing from the University of Pennsylvania, and holds an MBA in health care management from Boston University. Keren is a board member of the Massachusetts Home Care Alliance and has served in the past on the Board of the Hospice & Palliative Care Federation of Massachusetts.
Keren has presented at various conferences and taught at several local colleges on a variety of healthcare topics.
David Fleming, MD
Course Faculty
Center for Health Ethics, University of Missouri School of Medicine:
David Fleming is Professor Emeritus of Medicine and Senior Scholar in the Center for Health Ethics at the University of Missouri School of Medicine (MU). Prior to retirement in 2016, he served as Chair of Medicine at MU (2009-2016). He was also the founding Director of the MU Center for Health Ethics (2003). His scholarly work encompasses end-of-life care, tele-ethics, health disparity, health literacy, organizational ethics, health care access, and research ethics. At the national level, Dr. Fleming served as President of the American College of Physicians 2014-2015; on both the Literature Selection and Technical Review Committee (LSTRC, 2005-2011) and Board of Regents (2011-2015) of the National Institutes of Health - National Library of Medicine; and is presently a member of the Council for Ethics and Judicial Affairs (CEJA) of the American Medical Association.
Erin Gordon, MS RD, LDN, CDCES
Course Faculty
Boston Children's Hospital:
Erin Gordon is a registered dietitian at Boston Children’s Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts. She specializes in pediatric oncology and diabetes care. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Documentary Filmmaking and Photography from New York University, a Master of Science in Nutrition Education from Columbia University, and completed her dietetic training at Children’s Hospital Colorado. Erin has focused her career on program and policy development, health education, and expanding nutrition access in under-resourced communities both domestically and abroad.
Osama Hamdy, MD, PhD, FACE
Course Faculty
Joslin Diabetes Center / Harvard Medical School:
Osama Hamdy is a world expert and recognized thought leader in the area of obesity and nutrition in diabetes. Dr. Hamdy is a senior endocrinologist and Medical Director of the Joslin Obesity Clinical Program and Director of the Inpatient Diabetes Program at Joslin Diabetes Center. He is also an Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School.
Dr. Hamdy's research led to the first discovery that 7% weight loss in obese patients with and without diabetes significantly improves vascular endothelial function, insulin sensitivity, and markers of inflammation. This improvement may eventually prevent the progression of coronary artery disease. Dr. Hamdy was a co-investigator in two landmark studies; the National Diabetes Prevention Program and the Look AHEAD (Action for Health in Diabetes) Study. He translated the successful clinical research results of these lifestyle modification clinical trials into a clinical practice model through the initiation of the Why WAIT Program (Weight Achievement and Intensive Treatment), the world's first multidisciplinary clinical practice model for diabetes weight management. His research led to several changes in the standards of diabetes care and lifestyle management by the American Diabetes Association and the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists. Dr. Hamdy has more than 150 peer-reviewed original articles, reviews, and book chapters. He is also the author of the Harvard Health Publication “The Diabetes Breakthrough” reversing diabetes through weight management. He is on the editorial review board of many medical journals including Lancet, JAMA, British Medical Journal, Diabetes Care, and 2 times section editor of the Current Diabetes Report.
Scott Howell, DMD, MPH
Course Faculty
A.T. Still University, Arizona School of Dentistry & Oral Health:
Scott Howell is a graduate of A.T. Still University's dual degree program in dentistry (DMD) and public health (MPH). He has also completed a dental public health residency at UT Health, San Antonio. He now works at ATSU as the Director of Public Health Dentistry & Teledentistry within the Arizona School of Dentistry & Oral Health. He has taught several hundred dental students on the practical aspects of teledentistry and he has lectured both nationally and internationally on how teledentistry can help providers connect with their patients.
Kristina Liu, MD, MHS
Course Faculty
Brigham and Women's Hospital:
Kristina Liu is a dermatologist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, where she serves as the Director of Dermatology Simulation Education, Director of the Vitiligo Clinic, and Medical Director of Brigham Dermatology Associates. She is also Associate Program Director for the Harvard Combined Dermatology Residency. Her research interests include the use of simulation in education and curriculum development.
Robert Nithman, PT, PhD, DPTGCS, COS-C
Course Faculty
Midwestern University, College of Health Sciences:
Bob Nithman is a tenured Associate Professor in the Doctor of Physical Therapy Program at Midwestern University, College of Health Sciences, Glendale, Arizona. Bob has a clinical Doctorate in Physical Therapy and is Board Certified as a Geriatric Clinical Specialist. He recently earned his PhD with a course focus on healthcare policy, law, and ethics. His research interests are in telerehabilitation, fall screening in community-dwelling older adults, technology acceptance and adoption, interprofessional care management within alternative payment models, high-fidelity simulation, and risk management.
John Roefaro, PharmD, BCGP, FASHP
Course Faculty
Veteran Affairs Healthcare, Boston:
John Roefaro received his BS in Pharmacy from Northeastern University and his PharmD from Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences. His entire career has been with the VA, working in both the outpatient and inpatient pharmacies and as a clinical specialist in pulmonary, critical care, ambulatory care, and now geriatrics. He was a long-time director of our PGY-1 Residency Program, a Board Member of the Eastern States Conference, and is currently on the ASHP Commission of Credentialing and a member of the VA National Residency Training Committee. John has published on pulmonary and geriatric medicine topics and speaks regularly, both locally and nationally, on topics involving residency training.
Andrea Schwartz, MD, MPH
Course Faculty
Veterans Affair Healthcare, Boston:
Andrea Schwartz is the Medical Director of the Geriatrics Consult Clinic at VA Boston, where she runs a Tele-Geriatrics clinic that serves older veterans and their families through a medical, pharmacy, and social work interprofessional team. Dr. Schwartz is an Assistant Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School where she co-directs the Aging and End-of-Life Care longitudinal curricular theme. The 2018 recipient of the American Geriatric Society's Outstanding Junior Clinician Educator award, Dr. Schwartz serves as Associate Fellowship Director of the Harvard Medical School Multicampus Geriatrics Fellowship and co-directs the Epidemiology of Frailty course at the Harvard School of Public Health.
She mentors trainees in geriatrics at the VA New England Geriatrics Research Education Clinical Center and serves on the steering committee of the HMS Arts and Humanities Initiative.
Lisa Shea, LICSW
Course Faculty
Veterans Affair Healthcare, Boston:
Lisa Shea is VA Boston’s 2020 Social Worker of the Year recipient. She is the Geriatric Social Work Coordinator for the VA Boston Healthcare System. In this position, Lisa provides social work support to veterans and their caregivers in the outpatient geriatric clinics at the three main campuses, as well as coordination with the program. Lisa works as part of an interdisciplinary team and assesses all veterans for VA and non-VA referrals with a focus on maintaining veterans’ independence in the safest but least restrictive environment. Lisa received her MSW from Fordham University. She came to VA Boston in 2015 as a social worker in the Community Living Center (CLC) where she provided psychosocial assessment and discharge planning in the transitional care unit, coordination of the respite program, and care for veterans with dementia. Prior to the VA, Lisa worked as the Director of Social Services for a community nursing home.
Kelley Wittbold, MD
Course Faculty
Massachusetts General Hospital:
Kelley Wittbold is an emergency medicine physician at Massachusetts General Hospital and a Fellow in Emergency Department Administration, where she studies care delivery innovation at the intersection of operations management, digital health, artificial intelligence, and telemedicine. Her interest in digital health began prior to her residency training at Harvard when she worked with an eConsult start-up company to disrupt barriers to remote access to subspecialty care. She was also influenced by her subsequent experiences in ED and hospital-system capacity management, seeing the value in leveraging a digital toolkit to augment capacity constraints and prevent unnecessary hospital admissions for patients who might be better served by remote virtual care. She is also currently completing a Master's in Healthcare Management at Harvard and is closely involved with the design of the new digital health curriculum for resident trainees at Massachusetts General Hospital and Brigham & Women’s Hospital.
Amanda Worek, MS CCC-SLP/L
Course Faculty
MGH Institute of Health Professions:
Amanda Worek is an Instructor in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders in the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences at MGH Institute of Health Professions (MGHIHP), and a practicing Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP). Amanda holds a Certificate of Clinical Competency from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, as well as state SLP licensure in Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and Delaware. Amanda's professional experience includes working as an SLP with individuals of all ages in telepractice, outpatient, school, acute care, and home health environments. She has also worked in psychology, linguistics, and communication disorders research.
Shinyi Wu, PhD
Course Faculty
USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work / USC Viterbi School of Engineering:
Shinyi Wu is an Associate Professor of Social Work and Industrial and Systems Engineering at the University of Southern California (USC). She is a senior scientist at the USC Edward R. Roybal Institute on Aging and a senior fellow at the USC Leonard D. Schaeffer Center of Health Policy and Economics. Dr. Wu’s scholarship focuses on health services and systems research to identify the healthcare needs of chronically ill and older populations and address these needs through innovative applications of systems redesign, simulation modeling, cost-effectiveness analysis, and health information technology. She was the principal investigator of a multi-site large-scale experiment called “Diabetes-depression Care-management Adoption Technology” trial where she tested an automated telehealth solution for comorbid depression care management among diabetes patients in a safety-net care system.
Additionally, Dr. Wu led a large experiment in Taiwan to test an inter-generational diabetes self-care learning program for older adults through learning a mobile health app and the use of the Internet with tutoring by college students. In this program, older adults with diabetes learned to use mobile health technology to improve their health and quality of life while college students served as their technology tutors. Currently, Dr. Wu is researching the use of predictive modeling to improve diabetes care management in an FQHC system.