College Articles & Loan Tips For Education

Aptima and UMass Medical School Collaborate on Technology to Help Patients with Chronic Pain to Manage Their Health

Woburn, MA (PRWeb) December 20, 2006 -- Aptima, Inc. , a leader in human-centered engineering, and the University of Massachusetts Medical School are collaborating on the design and testing of a computer system that will help patients living with chronic pain, such as migraines, back conditions and osteoarthritis, to better manage their health treatments and interactions with health care providers. Aptima and UMass Medical School are teaming on an 18-month $300,000 grant, as one of nine teams nationwide selected to participate in the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) program "HealthDesign: Rethinking the Power and Potential of Personal Health Records," a $4.4 million initiative.



Dr. Roger S. Luckmann, MD, MPH, Associate Professor of Family Medicine & Community Health at UMass Medical School, will lead the six-person team, which includes four employees of Aptima. The system will include a handheld computer that will allow those with chronic pain to have a way to manage their personal health activities and information, such as reminders of medication schedules, prompts and guidance for exercise regimens, and a way to track and monitor the impact of various therapies on their psychological well-being. The system will allow patients to combine that information with their electronic medical records from their various health care providers, tying together disparate medical information and providing a complete picture of their personal health records.

Aptima was recruited to the team given its expertise in interaction design and usability assessment. Aptima will design the user interface for the handheld device, drawing upon focus groups of patients living with chronic pain. They will then test the resulting prototype device with actual patients to validate its ultimate usefulness.

"Aptima is thrilled to be working on this innovative project," stated John Shaw, CEO of Aptima. "Our goal is to help put the power of the patient's personal health records in their own hands, giving them more control over their well-being. We believe we can design this tool to be as easy-to-use and intuitive as today's most widely-used handheld consumer devices."

Dr. Luckman of UMass Medical School added, "By allowing patients to keep information from all their health care providers--including practitioners of complementary medicine--in one place and to record important information about themselves, electronic patient health records promise to dramatically improve communication between patients and providers and among providers. I believe improved communication will translate into significant improvements in the quality of care," said Dr. Luckmann.

Teams were chosen from a pool of more than 165 applicants and each has been selected to receive an 18-month, $300,000 award. Primary funding for Project HealthDesign is provided by RWJF's Pioneer Portfolio, which supports innovative projects that may lead to breakthrough improvements in health and health care. RWJF is pleased to collaborate with The California HealthCare Foundation, which contributed an additional $900,000 to the initiative.

Over the first six months of Project Health Design, teams will participate in a structured process to design user-centered personal health applications that address specific health challenges faced by individuals and caregivers. In the subsequent 12-month phase, prototypes of these personal health tools will be tested with target populations.

Program activities will launch immediately with an initial design workshop involving all grantees, where they will further define the needs and preferences of the intended users of the PHR applications. For further details about UMass Medical School, visit www.umassmed.edu. More information about Project Health Design, including a listing of the other program grantees, is available at www.projecthealthdesign.org.

About Aptima
Aptima is a leader in the field of human-centered engineering, solving the problems of human performance in today's complex sociotechnical systems. Recognized by The Boston Business Journal as one of the 50 Fastest-Growing Private Companies in Massachusetts (2006), Aptima's unique approach couples social science principles with quantitative, computational methods. The company provides products and services focused on the design of organizations, user-centered technology, and training systems. Aptima is headquartered in Woburn, MA, with offices in Washington, DC. www.aptima.com.

About UMMS
The University of Massachusetts Medical School, a perennial top finisher in the annual U.S. News & World Report ranking of primary care medical schools, was founded to meet the health care needs of the citizens of the Commonwealth by providing residents an affordable, accessible, comprehensive and rewarding medical education of the highest quality. The school is committed to training in the full range of medical disciplines, with an emphasis on practice in the primary care specialties, in the public sector and in underserved areas of Massachusetts. UMMS comprises a medical school, graduate school of nursing, graduate school of biomedical sciences and an active research enterprise, and is a leader in health sciences education, research and public service.

About the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation focuses on the pressing health and health care issues facing our country. As the nation's largest philanthropy devoted exclusively to improving the health and health care of all Americans, the Foundation works with a diverse group of organizations and individuals to identify solutions and achieve comprehensive, meaningful and timely change. For more than 30 years, the Foundation has brought experience, commitment, and a rigorous, balanced approach to the problems that affect the health and health care of those it serves. By helping Americans lead healthier lives and get the care they need, the Foundation expects to make a difference in your lifetime.

About the California HealthCare Foundation
The California HealthCare Foundation, based in Oakland, is an independent philanthropy committed to improving the delivery and financing of health care in California.

Contacts:
Debra McNeely
Aptima, Inc.
781.496.2423

Joel Greenberg
DCPR LLC
202.363.1065 | 202-669-3639 cell

# # #

Other Article Sites

findabook.com  moneycd.info  a-mortgage.info   about-lemon-laws.info  aboutstudentloans.info
all-about-publishing.info  auctions-articles.info  bestcollege-university.com  bestispconnection.com
biblefolder.com  blogger-website.com  books-used.info  brokers-guide.info  buywindows.info  cable-dsl.info
career-miner.com  carpel-tunnel.info  cashinaflash.info  cashloanreviews.info  casinobell.com  chat-house.info
clearmycredit.info  collegeloantips.info  crones.info  depression-articles.info   dirnic.net  dishguides.info
divers-below.com  expodog.info   financewizz.com  fire-insurance.info  getgood.info  handleit.net   it-idea.info
health-supplies.info  hosting-right.com  insidealert.com  insurance-facts.info  jobs-employment.info
justgood.info  lookgold.net   lowcost-travel.info  money-source.info  myhostzone.info  numisblog.com
peoplesearchfinder.info  pr-articles.info  realeas.com   refinancing-guides.info  spyware-remove.info
telelot.info  the-law.info   toppaid.info  travel-deals.info  travelcorrect.com  wedding-guide-site.com
your-blog.info  your-credit.info

Personal Safety on College Campuses
With the start of the new school year already underway, many college students are eagerly anticipating a great semester. While some college students commute to school, the majority of them live directly on the university or college campus.

Disney's High School Musical Room Decor Debuts at WithCharacterKids.com
High School Musical room decor, inspired by Disney Channel's smash hit, is now available at WithCharacterKids.com! With the click of a button, parents can enjoy easy one-stop shopping and decorate their kids' rooms with unique room decor and accessories inspired by the TV movie that has captured the hearts of teenagers across the globe. When hoops star Troy and brainy Gabriella teamed up to audition for their school's musical, they turned their lives - and their school - upside down. Now kids can deck out their rooms with their favorite High School Musical sweethearts with this rockin' room decor!

Career Education Options For Working Adults
Ask yourself this question: "Do I like what I do for a living?" If you answered "no", what are you doing about it? Maybe you have a "good" job, but it's not very rewarding to you personally. Maybe you have job with good pay, but bad hours or worse – a job with good hours, but bad pay.

Ypulse and Modern Media Launch the Ypulse College Mashup and Announce the Second Annual 2008 Ypulse National Mashup
Ypulse.com, the leading, independent media platform for youth media and marketing professionals, in partnership with conference producer Modern Media, today announced the launch of the Ypulse College Mashup, designed to help youth media and marketing professionals understand how to speak authentically to college students with technology. The event, taking place at the Sheraton Delfina in Santa Monica, CA, will kick off with an evening program and reception January 31, 2008, followed by a full day of sessions February 1, 2008.

Montgomery Hospital Medical Center - Drexel University Launch Online Educational Partnership
Drexel University Online, winner of the 2006 21st Century Best Practice Award for Distance Learning from the United States Distance Learning Association, recently announced an educational partnership with Montgomery Hospital Medical Center (MHMC), a 210-bed comprehensive community hospital that offers primary care for more than 80,000 patients each year throughout central Montgomery County, Pa.

Albar Metals/Cash4Gold CEO Jeff Aronson Wows the Audience at Lynn University Address on Entrepreneurship
Jeff Aronson, CEO of Albar Precious Metals and its subsidiary Cash4Gold.com, the revolutionary refiner that is defining how consumers can turn unwanted, broken or outdated jewelry or dental gold into cash and whose company has been recognized by the Inc. and Entrepreneur as being among the nation's fastest growing small businesses, wowed an excited crowd of nearly 100 students and faculty at Lynn University in Boca Raton, FL on Wednesday, November 28th. Aronson was invited to address a general audience of Lynn University students on the subject of "Entrepreneurship" and building a business.

Online University Sponsors New Online Journal
Walden University, an online institution accredited by The Higher Learning Commission, announces its sponsorship of the Journal of Social, Behavioral and Health Sciences. The journal seeks articles for the inaugural issue.

Fair Wind Sailing School Launches New Docking Instruction
Fair Wind Sailing School announces the opening of its new Docking Bootcamp sailing lessons from its Lake Erie sailing base in Sandusky, OH. Docking Bootcamp will be an all day class focusing solely on the techniques, skills and theory of docking. This class will benefit both sailors and power boaters alike.

King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) Announces Inaugural Global Research Partnership (GRP) Center Grants
Research proposals from four universities selected for global significance and potential economic impact in the areas of applied mathematics, molecular photovoltaics, nanomaterials and computational science. Cornell University, the University of Oxford, Stanford University, and Texas A&M University will be the inaugural KAUST Global Research Partnership centers.

Art Enrichment Grants and Scholarships Offered in Celebration of National Youth Art Month
Art franchise owners collaborate with local schools to help kids discover creativity.

CostCaptain.com Launches Back-to-School Sale
Costcaptain.com is a Microsoft Authorized Education Reseller. It provides Microsoft products to Accredited Educational Institutions Administrative Offices & Boards of Education, Faculty and Staff of eligible educational institutions, Enrolled Students of eligible educational institutions, Public Libraries, Public Museums, and Home-School Programs.

For New College Grads? the First of July is as Important as the Fourth
It's Time to Declare Independence from High Student Loan Payments by Refinancing Before July 1.

Casino College Dealing Casino Training in Los Angeles
The Casino College recently opened their second Southern California Casino School on Wilshire Blvd. in Los Angeles. Due to the the area's high demand for trained casino dealers to work local card rooms & casinos as well as to fill positions in gambling meccas such as Las Vegas, Reno, Atlantic City, there was a large need to expand beyond the school's original Orange County (Southbay) campus.

Enrolling Into A Wedding Planning School - Wedding Planning Tips
Seems you are interested in becoming a wedding planner The choose is completely yours, keeping searching for clients telling them you can do the job or then enrolling into a wedding school shall be a better option