APAN

Annual congress of Japan Surgical Society (JSS) - Mr. Nobuhiro Torata

Abstract: The 109th Annual congress of JSS will be held for from April 2 - 4, 2009 in Fukuoka Japan.
JSS is one of the biggest and most important congress for surgeons in our country.
We are going to organize five telemedicine session in JSS with support from many people who involved in these telemedicine activities.
We are really excited about the event and thank you in advance for your support.

Bio: Nobuhiro Torata, B.A.
I'm staff of Department of Surgery 1 at Kyushu University Hospital and worksas Medical Engineer at Operation Theater or his surgical ward.
I was involved this telemedicine activity from the middle of year 2006, APAN Singapore and got the approval for the appointment as a member of TEMDEC which established for these activities in 2008.
I coordinate Local setup part (Audio and Visual) with other engineers.

Fetus as a surgical patient -Toshio Chiba [National Center for Child Health and Development]

Abstract: Many congenital defects of interest to neonatal/pediatric surgeons can now be detected before birth. Although most correctable malformations that can be diagnosed in utero are best managed by appropriate medical and surgical therapy after delivery, the nature of the defect determines perinatal management and some fetal deficiency states may be alleviated by surgical correction before birth. With advances in maternal-fetal medicine, several anatomic abnormalities that have predictable devastating consequences have become surgically correctable antenatally. This paper highlights the advanced and emerging surgical technologies and the process of innovation that create and shape the present and direct future changes. A framework to facilitate action about the innovations to come is presented.

Bio: Dr. Toshio Chiba, M.D. Ph.D. is surgeon, majoring in fetal surgery.
Dr. Chiba is a director of Department of Clinical Research & Development of National Center for Child Health and Development, and visiting professor of Waseda University and Showa University, Tokyo, Japan. From 1997 to 2000, Dr Chiba was visiting professor of Fetal Treatment Center/ Department of surgery at UCSF, where fetal surgery was initially developed.
Dr Chiba will be serving as general chair of IFMSS (International Fetal Medicine and Surgery Society) 2010 in Japan.

Transmission of 23rd International Workshop on Therapeutic Endoscopy from Hong Kong to nearby Asian centres - Enders KW Ng [Department of Surgery and the Minimally Invasive Surgical Skill Centre, Prince of Wales Hospital, The Chinese University of Hong Kong]

Abstract: The 23rd International Workshop on Therapeutic Endoscopy was held from 9th to 11th December, 2008. As usual, it was a conjoint program between the Hong Kong Society of Digestive Endoscopy and the Prince of Wales Hospital, Chinese University of Hong Kong. Via the APAN medical DVTS network, we managed to broadcast the afternoon session of the first day to three other locations, namely the National Taiwan University Hospital, Chulalongkorn University Hospital of Thailand, and National Centre for Scientific and Technological Information in Vietnam. The transmission of image was reported to be of good quality according to the receiving end. While there was no disruption in the connection during the entire afternoon of 9th Dec, there was significant interference in sound transmission. Strong echo noise and disturbance was caused by Vietnam side, who had mixed the audio and video signals for transmission.
Our plan of transmission using the APAN for 2009 includes a Master Course on Novel diagnostic endoscopy and ESD technique which is likely to be held in June and also the 24th International Therapeutic Endoscopy Workshop in December.

Bio: Enders KW Ng - Dr. Ng obtained his medical degree from the Chinese University of Hong Kong. After completion of surgical training in 1993, he commenced his clinical research in surgical treatment of peptic ulcer complications, oesophageal carcinoma and gastric malignancies.

Dr Ng's interest also includes basic surgical research and minimally invasive surgery. He was awarded the Young Scientist Research Prize in the 4th United European Gastroenterology Meeting (1994) and the Young Scientist Award in the 11th International Workshop on Gastroduodenal Pathology and Helicobacter pylori in Hungary (1998). He had been the winner of the Best Paper Presentation in the 3rd and the 5th Annual Scientific Meeting of the Hong Kong College of Surgeons. In 1996, he spent one year in the United States to gain further insight on gastric carcinogenesis by working as a research fellow in the Vanderbilt University. Dr Ng obtained his higher degree of Doctor of Medicine from the Chinese University of Hong Kong in 1999. Currently he is appointed the Assistant Dean (Clinical) of the Faculty of Medicine, Director of the CUHK Jockey Club Minimally Invasive Surgical Skills Centre and the Chief of Upper Gastrointestinal Division in the Department of Surgery, The Chinese University of Hong Kong.
In 2007, he was elected as the Council Member of the College of Surgeons of Hong Kong. He is also the President of Hong Kong Society of Upper Gastrointestinal Surgeons and Hong Kong Society of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition.

Australiasian TeleHealth Society -Colin Carati [Flinders University]

The Australian TeleHealth Society (www.aths.org.au) was formed in March 2008. Some of the roles of the Society include:
1. Bringing together researchers, telehealth practitioners, clinicians and industry partners together in a unique interdisciplinary grouping.
2. Creating a credible channel for bringing issues effecting TeleHealth to the attention of decision makers. It will encourage the use of TeleHealth models and services to address issues confronting the Australian health system, such as the provision of specialist services to remote /regional hospitals and primary health care services.
3. Recommending guidelines and standards of practice for telemedicine services ensuring Quality /Safety and optimal patient care are maintained.
4. Assisting in resolving such issues as billing for telemedicine or the delivery of services across jurisdictional boundaries.
5. Investigate and influence policy /legislative opportunities to integrate telemedicine into mainstream health care including promotion of Medicare Item Numbers and cross border registration of health professionals for telemedicine practice.
6. Making Australia a part of the international telehealth community, through membership of the International Society for Telemedicine and eHealth (ISfTeH) and other relevant international organisations.
The Society had its first meeting in Perth in November 2008, which resulted in 3 projects in 2009;
1. Making the website a more informative and interactive portal for TeleHealth in the Australasian region, including providing a database for TeleHealth projects in the region.
2. Playing a major role in two conferences in Australia; 2009 Successes and Failures in Telehealth, to be held in Brisbane on 24-25 August 2009 [ www.uq.edu.au/sft ], and the International Society for Telemedicine and eHealth Conference in Perth in 2010 [ www.isft.net ]
3. Establishing links with Fiji and the Pacific region
For further information contact [ colin.carati@flinders.edu.au ]

Bio:Colin Carati, PhD - Dr Colin Carati is an Associate Professor and Assistant Dean for ICT within the School of Medicine, Flinders University, South Australia. He has academic commitments in the teaching of anatomy and physiology, research interests in the fields of the microcirculation and lymphology, and community roles in TeleHealth. He is the Australasian member of the Medical Working Group of APAN, and co-founder and Treasurer of the Australasian TeleHealth Society.
In collaboration with these groups, and national educational and research networks, Colin is working for the advancement of TeleHealth in all its forms, from basic low bandwidth applications into remote and developing areas through to high bandwidth, high definition video conferencing to allow fully e-mmersive interactions over large distances (insert video or URL).

APHPBA and TAGE --Patpong and Rungsun/Chulalongkorn U/TH

Abstract : The second biennial congress of the Asia-Pacific Hepato - Pancreato-Biliary Association will be held in Bangkok, Thailand during the 25th - 27th March 2009. The main theme is “BEST PRACTICE IN HPB SURGERY”. On the 25th during 10:00~16:00 (Thailand time) with the excellent collaboration of the Telemedicine Development Center of Asia at Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan (Associate Professor Shuji Shimizu), there will be teleconference programs broadcasted from Japan to Thailand and other selected countries. The presentations will be the video of outstanding procedures for liver and pancreatic diseases performed by Japanese surgeons both open and laparoscopic surgery. Two-way communication between stations will allowed commentators and audiences to share their opinions and questions which will be very useful.

Bio : Dr. Patpong Navicharern, M.D. FRCS(T) - is a general surgeon with main interest in minimally invasive surgery and biliary & pancreatic surgery. He also performs vascular surgery and kidney transplantation from time to time. He was involved in the telemedicine and telerobotic surgery project between Japan and Thailand during 2005-2008. Currently, he is the associate professor of the department of surgery, faculty of medicine, Chulalongkorn university hospital. He is also the head of Chula Minimally Invasive Surgery Center (CMISC) and the president of Laparoscopic and Endoscopic Surgeons of Thailand (LEST). His work now apart from surgery is about surgical education especially in the field of advance laparoscopic surgery ex. workshop in soft cadaver, interhospital conference, telementoring & teleconference.

Standardized Procedure of Laparoscopic Sigmoidectomy with Laparoscopy-Enhanced Anatomy in Mind- Sakai/Kyoto U/JP

Abstract: Standardized procedure of laparoscopic sidmoidectomy is presented. The camera port is placed at umbilicus and the other four ports are placed in the lower abdomen: two for surgeon and two for assistant. Dissection of mesosigmoid is advanced from right to left side. The most important role of assistant, how to make a clear surgical field, will be demonstrated.

Bio: Dr. Yoshiharu Sakai, MD and PhD, is Professor of Surgery of Kyoto University. His major is laparoscopic colorectal surgery but he has many experiences of esophageal and gastric operations as well. He also had interesting careers of surgical fellow of thoracic surgery (1985-1988) in Japan and surgical fellow of liver transplantation at the University of Western Ontario, Canada (1989-1991). His major concern is now the development of educational system in the laparoscopic surgical field.

Surgical Anatomy for Laparoscopic Sigmoidectomy with the Embryological Consideration -Kinugasa /Shizuoka Cancer Center/JP

Abstract: For sigmiodectomy, it is important to keep the layer of dissection while mobilization of the mesocolon from retoroperitoneum. However, there is no certain view of the construction of fasciae posterior to the mesocolon. There is a prehypogastric nerve fascia between the left ureter and mesocolon, which is covering the left ureter and gonadal vessels and hypogastric nerves. While performing the medial approach, we usually separate the dorsal of the fascia. I will present the relationship of this fascia and the surgical layer with the embryological consideration.

Bio: Dr. Kinugasa is a senior staff of the Division of Colon and Rectal Surgery, Shizuoka Cancer Center Hospital, Shizuoka, Japan. He is a surgeon specialized in the colorectal cancer. He performs several kinds of colorectal surgery such as laparoscopic surgery as well as extended surgery (e.g. total pelvic exenteration). He obtained his Ph.D. degree from the Graduate School of Medicine, Tokyo Medical and Dental University in 2007. His research focuses on the surgical anatomy of the pelvis and the preservation of the urogenital function. He studies pelvic anatomy using fresh cadaver at the Department of Anatomy, Sapporo Medical University. His recent work is the anatomical and histological study of the fasciae around the rectum.

Mobile Surgical and Rural Health Development Project-Stuart Gowland /New Zealand

Dr Stuart Gowland is a Urologist and also Director of the New Zealand Mobile Surgical and Rural Health Development Project.
With an advisory board of 12 Clinicians representing a selection of New Zealand's Nurses, General Practitioners, Surgeons and Anaesthetists the Mobile Surgical Bus project was promoted and after its development commenced surgery in rural New Zealand in March 2002.
Some 9,000 day surgical cases have been completed by the "bus" at small country hospitals reinvigorating them with a new high profile ‘raison d’être’ and taking the load off base hospitals. Communities in all sorts of ways regularly show their huge appreciation of this service which gives them access they never dreamed of.

Shortly after the start of surgery, followed the implementation of the Rural Health Development component involving an advanced form of electronic distance collaboration termed "Teleporting". This technique uses a combination of multiple camera selection and control to give the feeling to a user of being at the remote site, able to move around, look where they want to and to select devices such as X-rays, ultrasound or computers for viewing.

Starting with a virtual private network in New Zealand this has now expanding to sites at major health institutions. At this point in the USA, Memorial Sloane Kettering and the Cleveland Clinic have been involved in 2007/2008 but soon to join are sites Australia

Abstract: Malaysian Research & Education Network started in year 2005. Since then, the network and its members experience growth in term of its members and bandwidth requirements. This presentation will provide some information on soon to be tendered MYREN2 infrastructure as well as its future plans.

Bio: Kamal Hisham Kamaruddin is currently the MYREN Network Operation Manager. He is responsible for the running of MYREN activities and technical administration. His areas of interest are Network Engineering specifically on ISP level routing, IPv6 multicast/unicast routing and Open source network management tools. He is also the lead technical coordinator with APNIC and TEIN2 for MYREN routing and security issues. He was previously with VADS Berhad, a subsidiary of Telekom Malaysia looking after the Managed WAN services for financial sector. He has been coordinating MYREN video conferencing session locally and internationally and well verse with wide range of video conferencing application from hardware and software based.

Bio: A/Prof. Bu-Sung Lee received his B.Sc. (Hons) and PhD from the Electrical and Electronics Department, Loughborough University of Technology, UK in 1982 and 1987 respectively. He is currently an Associate Professor with the Nanyang Technological University and Associate Chair (Research), School of Computer Engineering. He is the invited lecturer to Osaka University, under the Pacific Rim International UniverSity program in 2005 to 2009.

He has been actively involved with the Asia-Pacific research and education network since the formation of Singapore Advance Research and Education Network project in 1997. He was the Director of Network Technology of the Asia Pacific Advance Network Consortium (APAN) from 2000-2003. He is the founding president of the Singapore Research & Education Networks (SingAREN) society, formed in Sept 2003. Since 2004, he is a member of the technical management team of Trans-Eurasia Information Network(TEIN-2), the first large scale is the first large-scale research and education network for the Asia-Pacific. It connects ten countries in the region, and provides direct connectivity to Europe’s GÉANT2 network.

Centre for Online Health (COH)--Anthony Smith [University of Queensland]

The Centre for Online Health (COH) is a research, teaching and service provider - within the Faculty of Health Sciences of the University of Queensland. The centre undertakes research and teaching in the area of clinical support using telehealth/telemedicine (the delivery of health services at a distance using a range of communication techniques). The COH is situated within the Royal Children's Hospital in Brisbane and maintains a key role in the provision and evaluation of telehealth services for children and families in Queensland. Web: Here

Presentation outline: The term 'telepaediatrics' may be used to describe paediatric activity that involves a distance element, e.g. clinical, educational or research work, in which the parties concerned may not be present in the same place or at the same time. In clinical work, telepaediatrics therefore encompasses the delivery of specialist services to regional sites, using techniques such as videoconferencing, email or the telephone.
In November 2000, the Centre for Online Health, (University of Queensland) commenced a research project aimed at establishing and evaluating a novel telepaediatric service in Queensland. The telepaediatric service is characterized by a centralized coordination unit, responsible for the facilitation of telepaediatric referrals.
The telepaediatric service has evolved into a major clinical support programme which directly benefits children, their families and the clinicians delivering services. More than 7500 consultations have been conducted for thousands of children in Queensland. The telepaediatric service covers 37 different sub-specialist areas and involves more than 230 medical, nursing and allied health staff. To date, telepaediatric services have been delivered to 87 regional hospitals in Queensland, several facilities in northern NSW, Western Australia and the Northern Territory.

The telepaediatric service has proven valuable for selected regional hospitals in Queensland. Our research has demonstrated substantial savings for the health department due to reduced patient travel; benefits for regional families who are saved the inconvenience and costs of travel away from home, improved communication and collaboration between regional hospital staff and specialists at tertiary hospitals; and valuable opportunities for professional education and support in remote areas which traditionally are underserved.

This presentation will provide a brief overview of telepaediatrics in Queensland. Aspects such as feasibility and cost-effectiveness will be addressed.

Bio: Dr Anthony Smith is a Senior Research Fellow and the Deputy Director of the Centre for Online Health (COH) at the University of Queensland. He holds Doctor of Philosophy and Master of Education degrees from the University of Queensland, and a Bachelor of Nursing degree from Queensland University of Technology. Anthony's doctorate thesis examined the feasibility and cost-effectiveness of a novel telepaediatric service. His principal role in the COH includes the management, coordination and evaluation of telepaediatric services, and has included work in telemedicine in aboriginal communities in central Queensland. He assists with the supervision of a broad range of telemedicine projects and teaching programmes in the centre and also provides consultancy services to other university departments and external organisations.

Bio: Presently working as Sr. Manager in ERNET India. Has been managing Network Operation Centre of ERNET India at Delhi. Fields of interests are Information Security, routing and telecommunications. Presently involved in managing IDS, IPS and Firewalls in ERNET India. Also involved in

Prior to joining ERNET India worked as Sr. Design Engineer(April 1998 to july, 1999) in Centre for Design Technology in Tezpur Central University, India. During this tenure, I was involved in R&D activities in the filed of telecommunications. Also offered courses production and testing of telephone exchange.

I worked in Assam Electronics Development Corporation, Guwahati, Assam, India as Engineer (Telematics) for the duration January, 1991 to April, 1998. during this time I was involved in production, testing and installation of telephone exchanges.

I also worked as a Lecturer in Assam Engineering for a short span of time(about 2months) in 1990 after my graduation in engineering (Electronics & Telecommunications ). During this period I offered courses on Microprocessor and on Computer Architecture in the undergraduate level of Electronics Engineering.

Abstract: TEIN3
The TEIN2 project linking 11 countries in Asia to each other and to Europe has come to the end of its funding cycle. The next phase (TEIN3) is currently being rolled out and should be fully operational by April. The Feasibility Study to extend TEIN3 to include the countries of South Asia was submitted to the European Commission on 15 January and the EC approved the recommendation on 24 January. The tender to include the South Asian countries has started, aiming at an October 2009 implementation.

Applications continue to have a driving focus for TEIN3. Proposals for the South Asian extension network include the development of a Roadmap for Telehealth in South Asia, and possibly the linking of the national Disaster Centre nodes in each country to the SAARC DM centre in New Dehli and from there to other Disaster Management Centres and research modellers around the world.

Bio: George McLaughlin was originally a chemist and crystallographer whose interests in computing and networking took him through a variety of positions in industry and academia in the UK and Australia leading to his lead role in the Australian Academic and Research Network (AARNet). These days, as well as acting as Treasurer for APAN, he helps DANTE with the Applications and Collaboration Framework for TEIN3 and led the Feasibility Study for including the South Asian countries in TEIN3. He also undertakes the role of Applications Advocate for TransPac, with a focus on the US-Pakistan links, and is engaged with the World Bank on initiatives common to all of these projects. In January 2009 he was appointed as a Member of the Order of Australia for services to the education, research and infrastructures sectors though a variety of national and international roles.

Ministry of IT Health net Rural Support program- Pakistan.-- Dr. Qasim

Abstract: Introduction: The Government of Pakistan has taken a bold initiative to utilize ICT for transforming delivery of public services by making such services more effective, inclusive, efficient and available at the door steps of common man. Offering quality advanced health care services to rural and remote areas of Pakistan through the use of telemedicine is one such endeavor in this direction. Rural telemedicine centers has enabled rural population to seek consultation, advice and treatment from specialist doctors in urban center hospitals, without having to travel hundreds of kilometers and spending their meager financial resources on related transportation and accommodation.

Methodology: MoIT- health NET project links telemedicine infrastructure in 2 Hub hospitals in Punjab and one in Sind. These hubs are linked with four district & tehsil level hospitals in rural /remote areas of Pakistan. Remote sites have been finalized based on need, the availability of required medical staff support and physical infrastructure. All sites are equipped with Video conferencing equipment, and Peripheral devices including digital ECG, Auto scope, Digital Stethoscope and Document Camera. Connectivity is satellite based utilizing VSAT being provided by A Pakistani satellite – PAKSAT. Staff include trained health Care Professionals at Remote sites with IT Support staff at the HUB and remote sites. The Customized web based software is utilized in all teleconsultations. The project is providing basic telemedicine services in ENT, Dermatology, cardiology and surgical specialties. Weekly Tele consultation schedule is circulated to streamline Tele –Clinics Results: Experience of initial 500 consultations in various specialties from 4 remote sites in Northern Punjab will be shared with outcome and lessons learnt with future prospects

Bio: Dr. Qasim Ali is working in general surgery as registrar at Holy Family Hospital Rawalpindi Pakistan. He is also the research fellow of telemedicine projects at the hospital. He has been actively involved in telemedicine activities like multitasking of telemedicine, telerehabilitation and minimal invasive surgery lab. His recent visit to Kyushu University has open new doors of communication with Japan and Asia Pacific countries.

Post –operative care through tele follow –up visits in patients undergoing thyroidectomy and parathyroidectomy in a resource- constrained environment
Anjali Mishra*, Lily Kapoor and Saroj Kanta Mishra*
*Department of Endocrine surgery , Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute Of Medical Sciences, Lucknow, India
*Telemedicine Resource Center Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences, Lucknow, India

Summary: We conducted a pilot study to assess to feasibility of tele- follow up in post –operative cases of thyroid and parathyroid diseases. Patients were enrolled after operation at the tertiary hospital in Lucknow who consented to report to the telemedicine centre at Cuttack some 1500 km away. Initially videoconferencing used a single ISDN Line (128kbit/s); subsequently a satellite based connection (384 kbit/s) was employed. Patients were given a questionnaire to assess their satisfaction with tele-follow up and the financial and work- time savings incurred by them. Over a period of nearly four years, a total of 34 postoperative patients were followed up by telemedicine. A total of 66 tele – visit sessions were held. The average number of visits per patient was two (range1-6). The nature of disease was benign in 17 patients and malignant in the other 17. The reasons for tele-follow up were: confirmation of histology report (n=18), medication dosage adjustments(n=24) and serum thyroglobulin monitoring (n=5). The patient’s level of satisfaction was very good (31%) or excellent(69%). There were substantial financial and work time savings per visit. Tele follow up is feasible after thyroid and parathyroid surgery for benign thyroid and parathyroid disorders and in patients with low – risk thyroid cancers.
The technique ensures satisfactory postoperative follow- up

Bio: Saroj Kanta MISHRA is a full time professor and Head of Department of Endocrine Surgery at Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences, Lucknow, India. Born in 1956 in the eastern coast of India, did his Masters in General Surgery (1983) at Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh. Involved in application oriented Telemedicine Research and Development Projects since 1999. Principal Investigator & Research collaborator in various National and International e-health projects. Member of National Task Force on Telemedicine, Member and Chair of various national E-health Project review committees and undertaken assignments as e-health Consultant for ITU, WHO and UN. Founder Secretary of Telemedicine Society of India. He is instrumental in setting up a School of Telemedicine and Biomedical Informatics which is recognized as National Resource Center of Telemedicine by Ministry of Communication & Information Technology, Government of India.

ICT for cancer diagnosis, treatment and management --Sudhamony S
Additional Director and Head, Medical Informatics Section, Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC),
Thiruvananthapuram-695033, INDIA

Abstract: Treatment of cancer disease has been the challenge of health care provider worldwide. Cancer is an important public health problem in India with about 800,000 new cases detected every year and about 2.5 million existing patients. Telemedicine provides expert-based health care to understaffed remote sites, advanced emergency care through modern telecommunication and information technologies. The incidence of cancer can be reduced if the people are aware of cancer and its root causes. Introduction of Telemedicine in Oncology is playing a vital role nowadays. As majority of the patients require regular follow-ups, use of Tele-medicine to support the patient care remotely offers an attractive alternative. In its role to promote ICT applications in healthcare a major pilot program was supported by Department of Information Technology and implemented by Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC), Thiruvananthapuram to see its efficacy and impact with a view to benefit cancer patients in remote areas and a possible subsequent roll-out for large scale coverage . The project of Telemedicine in Oncology was undertaken in the State of Kerala in southwest India. The Regional cancer centre, Thiruvananthapuram (RCC-T) is a tertiary referral cancer hospital catering to South India. The RCC-T has established peripheral centres with essential infrastructure in remote areas in Kerala. ‘ONCONET- Cancer Care for Rural Masses’ telemedicine project was launched at RCC-T. This system is the first Tele-Oncology system in India with Hospital Information System tightly integrated with it and experimented with different available communication infrastructure. This system provides telemedicine services for cancer detection, patient follow-up, palliative treatment and, thereby, continuity of care in remote site hospitals. During the last two years, approximately 7000 patients have undergone tele-consultation through ONCONET. Success of this ongoing project has spurred the user Ministry of Health & Family Welfare to contemplate covering the whole country by establishing Tele-Oncology network connecting 25 Regional Cancer Centres and 100 peripheral centres (4 for each RCC) across the country and provide Telemedicine Services like Early Cancer Detection, Follow up Consultation, Cancer awareness, Continuing Medical Education. The presentation throws light on the technical details and the status of telemedicine services through this system.

Bio: Mrs.Sudhamony S received her B.Sc. Engg. in Electronics and Communication from College of Engineering, Thiruvananthapuram, India in 1978. Currently, she is an Additional Director and heading the Medical Informatics section of Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC), Thiruvananthapuram which has a number of projects, both sponsored and funded. She has a wide-ranging experience of 30 years in the field of Health Care Applications, Embedded System Hardware & software, ICT etc., and their multifaceted domains of marketing, project definition, detailed engineering, development, implementation, impact assessment training, team building for successful project completion etc. Her current research interests include Telemedicine, PACS (Picture Archiving and Communication System), Image processing and Medical imaging etc. Mrs.Sudhamony S and her research group have made many development projects in Telemedicine systems, transferring the technologies to industry and aided in the commercialization of these technologies.
Email: sudha@cdactvm.in

About C-DAC: Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC), Thiruvananthapuram, is a Scientific Society of the Department of Information Technology, Ministry of Communications & Information Technology, Government of India. It is a national Centre of Excellence, pioneering application oriented research, design and development in Electronics and Information Technology. The centre has build up a strong expertise over the years in the areas of computers & communication, control and instrumentation, health care application, artificial intelligence, power electronics, VLSI Design etc.

Government Measures for the Treatment of Malignant Neoplasms in Japan
Department of Surgery and Science , Kyushu University
Masaru Morita, MD, PhD, FACS, Yoshihiko Maehara, MD, PhD, FACS

Abstract: In Japan, the number of cancer patients has markedly increased, especially for lung cancer, colorectal cancer and breast cancer. In order to overcome the increasing burden of cancer, the Cancer Control Act was enacted in 2007. The objectives of this law are the prevention and early detection of the cancer, the improvement of quality of cancer treatment, and the activation of cancer research. Based on this law, the Japanese government not only authorized Cancer Centers but also established 18 Human Resource Development Plans for Cancer Treatment and Research. These policies are now all currently being actively implemented.

Bio: Masaru Morita is a specialist in gastrointestinal tract surgery. He received his Ph.D. from Kyushu University in 1996, and his M.D. from Kyushu University, Faculty of Medicine. Since completing post-doctoral work at the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Texas, he has held various academic and surgical positions in hospitals in Japan. Currently, Morita is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Surgery II at Kyushu University Hospital located in Fukuoka, Japan.

TWAREN and the medical collaborations--Te-Lung Liu

Abstract: Taiwan Advanced Research and Education Network (TWAREN) has been serving the academic and medical society in Taiwan since its completion in 2004. Besides universities and research institutions, TWAREN connectivity and the new generation network technologies including lightpath, IPv6, multicast and VPLS VPN have been provisioning to many medical schools and hospitals including the National Health Research Institutes, Kaohsiung Medical University, National Defence Medical Center, National Cheng Kung University Hospital Dou-Liou Branch and National Taiwan University Hospital Yun-Lin Branch. Collaborations in telesurgery with Japan, Czech and other Asian and European countries are also actively supported via TWAREN's international circuits. We hope that TWAREN will further help the medical collaborations to grow in the future.

Bio: Te-Lung Liu received the B.S. and Ph.D. degrees in computer science from the National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, Taiwan, R.O.C., in 1995 and 2002, respecively. He is currently an Associate Researcher in National Center for High-Performance Computing, Tainan, Taiwan, R.O.C. He is also a Team Member of the Taiwan Advanced Research and Education Network (TWAREN). He is now co-chair of Lambda BoF of APAN and active in regional network area. His current research interests include network survivability and provisioning, optical networks, and network design.

Next APAN --Salem /UM/MY

Abstract: Next APAN Meeting will be held at Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia from 20th to 24th July, 2009. One of the programs during the medical working group sessions is to have a live endoscopic session with participation of other centers around the world. We are expecting the live endoscopic transmission from Endoscopy Unit, University Malaya Medical Centre with the laying down of the new MYREN 2 line which has a 50Mbps capability. This transmission of live endoscopy will hopefully be annual affair starting from the live endoscopic workshop planned during the Asian Pacific Digestive Week to be held from 19th to 22nd September, 2010 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Bio: Dr. Salem Omar is an Associate Professor in Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur Malaysia. Dr. Salem is also the consultant endoscopist at the Endoscopic Unit, University Malaya Medical Centre, an OMED (Organisation Mondiale d'Endoscopie Digestive/World Organisation for Digestive Endoscopy) Center of Excellence. Dr. Salem had spent 4 years in University Hospital Hamburg-Eppendorf under the guidance of Professor Nib Soehendra and Professor Stefan Seewald and now specializes in the field endoscopic ultrasound or EUS. Dr. Salem has also great interest in IT applications for medicine generally and endoscopy specifically.

Overview of Telehealth Status in South Asia

As part of the South Asia Feasibility Study for TEIN3, a review was undertaken of the status of telehealth in the various South Asian countries. A summary of this review will be presented, along with the perceived opportunities and barriers to expansion.

Bio: Parvati Dev completed her doctoral degree in Electrical Engineering on computer models of the brain at Stanford University. She has worked on the research and teaching staff at M.I.T., Boston University, and Stanford. From 1982 to 1989 she was Vice-President at CEMAX Inc, where she developed products for three-dimensional imaging of patients from computed tomography and magnetic resonance scans. From 1990 to 2007, she led the SUMMIT Research Laboratory for Learning Technologies at Stanford, a pioneer in the development of digital educational materials related to anatomy and surgery. Between 2002 and 2004, she was appointed Associate Dean of Learning Technologies for the medical school. Dr. Dev's research includes simulation and game-based learning, collaborative visualization of human anatomy over Internet2, the simulation of clinical procedures, and the evaluation of learning outcomes. She now leads a new company, Innovation in Learning, Inc., to further develop new online learning environments.

Bio: Shuji Shimizu
Associate Professor, Department of Endoscopic Diagnostics Therapeutics, Kyushu University Hospital
Academic Degree: Medical Doctor, Field of Specialization: General Surgery, Endoscopic Surgery, Telemedicine

Outline Activities: Managing Department of Endoscopic Diagnostics and Therapeutics in Kyushu University Hospital as a dupty cheif, where about 10000 patients are treated annually.

Acting as a chief of medical team in next generation Intenet project between Korea-Japan, and a chairperson of Medical Working Group in Asia-Pacific Advanced Network. Transmission of live surgery or teleconference of medical fields are major activities. Cooperating with Core University Program and Kyushu University P&P project, we are actively expanding the network to other Asian Pacific countries.

Research Interests
* Telemedicine with gigabit network in Asia-Pacific regions
* Clinical study of endoscopic surgery

Current and Past Project
* Establishment of a collaboration research and education center for hamatopoietic disorders in Asia: Application of IT and medica technology in research and education of hematology
* Establishment of Asian medical network system using broadband Internet
* Integrated medical education by web-based training
* Research and development of next generation Internet
* Telecommunication between Korea and Japan on Internet protocol using submarine optic cable

Membership in Academic Society
* American Telemedicine Association
* Japanese Telemedicine and Telecare Association
* Japan Pancreas Society

E-cancer project in Korea using KOREN

Korea National Cancer Center(KNCC) has a project to enhance the performance of cancer research by correlating cancer-related researchers throughout the nation, based on its 9 regional cancer centers.

KNCC is playing an essential role as the national headquarters in the fight against cancer by conducting world-class research, providing medical care, education and training, and supporting national cancer control programs.

Such collaborative activities among the KNCC and regional cancer centers using KOREN are expected to improve the quality level of healthcaring cancer patients. In this session I'll introduce Korean programs executed in collaboration with regional cancer centers through last year, and will mention future projects.

Bio: Dr. Young Sung Lee, M.D. Ph.D. has been leading MedRIC (Medical Research Information Center), a Ministry of Science and Technology funded organization in S. Korea, focusing on research and development in medical informatics, medical data visualization, telematics, Virtual Reality-based medical training, and health communication and promotion policies and programs. Dr. Lee is Professor of College of Medicine at Chungbuk National University and a visiting scholar at Stanford University Medical Media and Information Technology. He has lead many global health literacy initiatives covering diseases such as AIDS, Avian Influenza, cancer series (e.g., lung, colon, and breast cancer), and other diseases such as pneumonia, malaria, tsutsugamushi fever, haemorrhagic fever, and leptospirosis). He is currently serving as a board member of the Korean Society of Medical Informatics.

Che-Hoo will briefly talk about the network interconnections at Hong Kong, especially among the overseas R&E networks in Mega-iAdvantage Building and at HKIX.

Bio: Che-Hoo is knowledgeable in the area of Internet infrastructure. He is familiar with the Internet industry in Asia through his 10 years of service in APNIC Executive Council, his regional responsibility in Level 3 Asia and FLAG Telecom Asia and his active participation in other AP Internet activities plus his involvement in .ASIA TLD application.

Che-Hoo is an Internet pioneer in Hong Kong. In The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), he helped to set up the first Internet link in Hong Kong in 1991, he helped to set up .hk domain name registration service in 1993/94 and he set up Hong Kong Internet Exchange (HKIX) in 1995. He was also in charge of the set-up and operations of the campus network for the whole university. He worked there for more than 15 years until Aug 2000. Then, he joined Level 3 as Senior director, Global IP Services, Asia and was in charge of the IP Line of Business in Asia. He worked there until January 2002 when Reach took over Level 3 Asia. In June 2002, he joined Hong Kong Internet Registration Corporation (HKIRC) as CEO which is in charge of .hk domain name registration officially. He left there in Jan 2003 to start his own business venture. Starting from Jan 2004, he led the application of .ASIA Top Level Domain (TLD) together with a number of ccTLDs and regional organizations. Approval was finally given by ICANN Board in Oct 2006 after 3 years of hard work.

In Jul 2005, he joined FLAG Telecom as Head of IP Business, Asia Pacific and he stayed there until Oct 2007. In Nov 2007, he re-joined CUHK as Associated Director (Infrastructure) of Information Technology Services Centre (ITSC) in charge of network, systems and operations after serving in the commercial sector for 7+ years.

As community service, Che-Hoo holds/held key positions in Asia Pacific Network Information Centre (APNIC), Hong Kong Internet Service Providers Association (HKISPA), Hong Kong Information Technology Federation (HKITF), DotAsia Organisation and Internet Society Hong Kong Chapter (ISOC-HK).

Che-Hoo holds BSc and MSc from The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK)

Bio: Professor Yogesan is a world leading medical informatics specialist. He is the director of the Centre for e-Health based at the Lions Eye Institute and a Professor at the Centre of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences at the University of Western Australia. Professor Yogesan is also a Senior Research Fellow of the National Health and Medical Research Council in Australia and the President of the Australian Telehealth Society.

He is the inventor of the EyeScan device which is the first of such low cost easy-to-operate imaging device used for diagnosis of multiple eye disease. This device is expected to relace the 150 years old direct ophthalmoscopes used by the GPs and ophthalmologists around the world. He obtained one of the Inventor of the Year award for this device in 2006. Professor Yogesan has obtained 6 patents and most of are commercialised to leading international companies. He has also won the inventor of the awards in 2008 for vision testing software system. He has strong record in translation of research findings into clinical practice.

At present he is working on non-invasive measurement of blood glucose level from the eye. He has introduced new digital technologies into rural eye screenings which can be operated by nurses and screened more than 5000 people in rural and remote WA for blinding eye conditions.

He has also implemented the world renowned remote eye care delivery in WA and it is now benefiting thousands of West Australians living in rural and remote areas. He has published over 85 peer-reviewed research papers and books in the field, and has been awarded more than $20 million in funding from various sources. His multi-disciplinary expertise extends from medicine, e-medicine, electronic engineering, and biomedical engineering to computer science.

Ubiquitous Virtual Slide System of Korea-- Woo Young Jang, M.D., M.S.
Affiliations: Hangang Sacred Heart Hospital, Hallym University, Seoul, Republic of Korea

Content: It is very hard to create ubiquitous computing environment without IPV6. The 'Korean Society for Cytopathology' decided to build a ubiquitous virtual slide system of pathology. But, high price of hardware, software, and maintenance fee, and some technical problems of internet make difficult to create ubiquitous consult system of pathology. After searching of internet to find helpful software and take a negotiation with friendly company, ‘performance & money saving’ system was finally created.

Technology: Virtual Slide Machine, HP Xeon Server, Pentium (Quad Core) Desktop Computer, Pentium (Dual Core) Laptop Computer, Combined Cable/Wireless Internet (Speed: 100/54Mbps), Wireless Internet Access Point Repeater Type (Speed: 54Mbps), Wireless Internet USB Type (Speed: 2Mbps), Fixed IP/DNS Emulation Software, Free FTP Software, Free Voice Chatting Software, Free Anti-Virus/Anti-Spyware Software were used for construction of this system. Design: This system was designed for ‘performance & money saving’, clear vision diagnosis-consultation-conference-teaching. We set this system at retail HP Xeon Server then give a public notice to all members. The free service Virtual slide machine was installed at HP Xeon Server and connected with Combined Cable/Wireless Internet. The retail or free control software was installed at HP Xeon server. Every pathologist who installed the free viewer software to their Pentium computer system, started download the virtual slide via FTP channel or web browsing and exchange their opinion about the case, using monitor and voice chatting system. When they reached agreement, they could take high quality pictures.

Results: Prototype ubiquitous virtual slide system of pathology made possible to get the excellent diagnosis, consultation, conference, teaching and high quality of pictures at anytime and anywhere with ease.

Conclusions: Prototype ubiquitous virtual slide system had the following advantages:

1) Easy handling of viewer
2) High resolution image quality
3) Easy get snapshot
4) Discussion using voice chatting software
5) Access anytime and anywhere with ease.
6) Performance & money saving

More technical refinements would be desirable for the more advanced expanded tasks.

Bio: Dr. Woo Young Jang, M.D. M.S. is Department Chief of Pathology at Hangang Sacred Heart Hospital, Seoul, Korea. Dr. Jang is Associate Professor of College of Medicine at Hallym University. He is currently serving as a Department Chief of Medical informatics of Korean Society for Cytopathology and member of Korean Society of Pathologists.

Application of the telecommunication systems in gastroendoscopy

I’ve given live endoscopic demonstrations since 10 years ago to educate various methods of therapeutic endoscopic procedures. Live demonstration is a very effective way of endoscopic education by showing patient procedure directly and in real time. As doctors and patients had to move to demonstrate their cases and, thus with exposure to unfamiliar environments, unexpected complications broke out in the patients. Besides, people and hospitals far from the demonstration venue couldn’t join the demonstration.

By using telecommunication systems for the first time this year many hospitals could join the 2009 ERCP live demonstration, which gained a big success. Live demonstrations using telecommunication systems in various fields will open a new horizon to the development of medical technology.

Bio: Dr. SeonMee Park, M.D. Ph.D. is a chief of Gastroenterology Department of Internal Medicine, Chungbuk National University Hospital(CBNUH). CBNUH is a tertiary hospital in Chungbuk Province, and in Gastroenterology department, many kinds of therapeutic endoscopic procedures as well as diagnostic endoscopy were performed. Dr. Park is a member of the Korean Society of Gastroenterology, and her subspeciality is therapeutic ERCP in the field of pancreas-billary diseases. She participated in the 2009 ERCP live demonstration, on February 21st, using telecommunication system. This new-styled live demonstration opened a great starting point for application of teleconference in clinical fields in Korea.