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LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION
BEHIND THE SCENES OF A MEDICAL EDUCATION REVOLUTION
Remote learning is often thought of as a modern concept. However, in the 1960s — more than 20 years before the internet made its way into people’s homes — Dr. Michael E. DeBakey was empowering medical students to observe his surgical procedures at Houston Methodist regardless of their locations. His design for a camera rig capable of suspending and maneuvering a film camera above an operating table allowed the internationally esteemed cardiovascular surgeon to become one of history’s first physicians to record procedures and expand education access beyond classroom confines.
Today, Houston Methodist continues Dr. DeBakey’s legacy of education innovation through one of the world’s foremost training organizations for cardiovascular specialists, DeBakey CV Education. Founded in 2010 through a generous gift from The DeBakey Medical Foundation, the program has successfully pioneered new forms of both remote and in-person instruction, including its renowned YouTube channel, which currently provides nearly 3,000 advertisement-free educational videos at no charge to students, scientists and surgeons across the globe.
Most recently, program leaders have partnered with the Bookout Center, Houston Methodist’s state-of-the-art surgical training and emerging technology facility, to offer cutting-edge virtual reality training, giving students worldwide the opportunity for hands-on learning in a 3D environment. Dubbed the MITIEverse™, this platform allows learners to observe actual cardiovascular operations performed by Houston Methodist surgeons as realistically as if they were in the operating room — and to engage with 3D human models themselves.
DR. DEBAKEY'S LEGACY OF EDUCATION INNOVATION CONTINUES THROUGH ONE OF THE WORLD'S FOREMOST TRAINING ORGANIZATIONS FOR CARDIOVASCULAR SPECIALISTS, DEBAKEY CV EDUCATION
With interactive anatomical models, capacity for unlimited audience size and collaborative learning spaces, the MITIEverse expands the reach of this comprehensive cardiovascular education and training program to any place with an internet connection. “It essentially democratizes access to health care educators and innovators by breaking down physical barriers,” says Dr. Alan B. Lumsden, the Walter W. Fondren III Presidential Distinguished Chair, chair of the Houston Methodist Department of Cardiovascular Surgery and director of the Bookout Center.
The academic rigor of these new educational methods is now evident thanks to The DeBakey Medical Foundation. Its most recent gift, establishing the DeBakey Cardiovascular Fund, has granted DeBakey CV Education the capacity to evaluate and further optimize the effectiveness of its curriculum. With the addition of Tyree Horn as education curriculum developer, Dr. Lumsden plans to cultivate an online content curation system that will utilize existing YouTube videos to create accredited online courses with verifiable efficacy. Capable of being updated daily, these courses will provide students and medical professionals 24/7 access to the latest and most relevant cardiovascular knowledge and training.
Distance learning has come a long way since the 1960s — from 16 mm film to interactive 3D virtual reality. Through The DeBakey Medical Foundation’s long-standing relationship with Houston Methodist, scores of brilliant, celebrated surgeons continue to lead medicine by advancing cardiovascular education for future generations.
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