IVU board member and volunteer Dr. Heidi Stephany was featured in the July 2020 edition of The Journal of Urology, the official journal of the American Urological Association. Dr. Stephany’s article, entitled “Trends in Medicine: Virtual Visits, Now and in the Future,” explores COVID’s impacts on our medical system. Not only has the pandemic transformed how medical care is provided, it has created a space for innovation, including in the field of global health.
Dr. Stephany’s article highlights IVU’s Virtual Visiting Professor lecture series. She writes:
The advantages of telemedicine have already begun to have a meaningful impact across international borders. The not-for-profit organization IVU (International Volunteers in Urology) has already incorporated a Virtual Visiting Professor program as a dynamic tool to not only provide educational opportunities through didactics, but also to offer expert consultation for the local host urologists.
Although the pandemic has introduced countless obstacles, it has also fast-tracked the evolution of many industries, including our own. Video conferencing software combined with a willingness and excitement to adjust to our changing world has made it possible for IVU to expand its offerings. In lieu of in-person medical workshops, our nonprofit started offering live virtual lectures with case presentations to our international partners. Our volunteers and international partners have responded overwhelmingly positively to the lecture series.
Whereas before the pandemic, IVU hosted 25 medical workshops per year, we’ve been able to host nearly 20 lectures in just four months. These lectures are attended by urology departments and residents around the globe. The forced introduction of telemedicine has opened up new opportunities for IVU and our global partners. We’re excited to continue offering the lecture series even after we’re able to resume in-person workshops.
Dr. Stephany’s article highlights the profound changes that COVID-19 has had on our medical system. We couldn’t agree more with her statement that, “telemedicine has revolutionized the delivery of medical care and the term will forever be the buzzword for 2020 among the health care professions.” You can read Dr. Stephany’s full article here: https://www.auajournals.org/doi/10.1097/JU.0000000000001087.