Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #112202

Thomas M. Cook, PhD¹, Robin Ungar, MS¹, Gabriel Gulis, PhD², and Ivan Ciznar, PhD DSc³. (1) Occupational and Environmental Health, University of Iowa, 158 IREH Oakdale Campus, The University of Iowa, Iowa Citiy, IA 52242, 319 335-4533, thomas-cook@uiowa.edu, (2) Department of Hygiene and epidemiology, Trnava University, Univerzitne namestie 1, Trnava, 917 01, Slovak Republic, (3) Faculty of Public Health, Slovak Medical University, Limbova 14, Bratislava, 83351, Slovak Republic

For the last four years, The University of Iowa has conducted a 2-week Summer Institute in Trnava, Slovakia, as part of a Fogarty International Center funded “International Training and Research in Environmental and Occupational Health” program. Targeted at young Public Health professionals in the Central and Eastern European region, the program refreshes participants' knowledge, exposes them to new information and ideas, and provides networking opportunities for colleagues and collaborators from neighboring countries. Instructors include institutional collaborators, US-trained Fogarty scholars, and regional experts. In addition to traditional teaching methods (presentations, field trips, problem solving, and open discussions) high-tech, cost-saving distance learning methods have included live, interactive internet-based video originating from Iowa as well as “virtual classroom” technology using low-bandwidth 2-way audio with text messaging and application sharing. These technologies allow a greater number of instructors to be involved without expensive travel costs. During the last two years, the program has made use of these new technologies during an “electronic” portion of the Summer Institute in which participants log on from their home institution for 5 weekly presentations that introduce topics to be covered more deeply during one week on-site in Trnava. The program is increasing in reputation and averages 40-50 participants each summer from as many as 15 different countries. At the conclusion of this presentation, participants will be able to describe how new distance learning technology can be used for international public health professional education and to describe the cost-benefit of using such technology.

Learning Objectives:

• At the conclusion of this presentation, participants will be able to describe how new distance learning technology can be used for international public health professional education and to describe the cost-benefit of using such technology.

Keywords: Distance Education, International Systems

Related Web page: www.public-health.uiowa.edu/cireh/

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.

Recorded presentation