Leading with the Heart® 2008
The Texas Heart Institute’s commitment to education is one of the dimensions that sets it apart from other major centers. Postdoctoral and allied training programs, seminars, symposia, conferences, publication of scientific and clinical findings, training materials, and public outreach are all part of the Institute’s educational thrust.
Reaching Out to People
THI’s Heart Information Center (HIC) remains a valuable resource for patients and the public. The HIC staff responded to more than 3,500 e-mail inquiries and calls for information. The facility, which is open to the public Monday through Friday, 8 AM to 4 PM, is located on the first floor of the Texas Heart Institute at St. Luke’s Episcopal Hospital – The Denton A. Cooley Building at 6770 Bertner. The HIC also provides assistance through a toll-free telephone number, 1-800-292-2221.
Sharing Knowledge
The award-winning THI website offers a full spectrum of research updates, physician training and educational opportunities, and public education resources.
The THI website (texasheart.org) logged more than 2.3 million visitors in 2007. Over 80% of them viewed consumer health information in the Heart Information Center (HIC). All 151 HIC topics on the website are available in both English and Spanish and are reviewed each year for currency and accuracy. 7,000 of our visitors took the “How Healthy is Your Heart?” online risk assessment.
As an extension of the THI educational mission, Continuing Medical Education (cme.texasheart.org) provides online programs designed to keep physicians up-to-date with the latest information on the prevention and treatment of heart disease. The website offers physicians, scientists, and health-care professionals the opportunity to view and receive free credit for more than 80 different online symposia, cardiology grand rounds, courses in ethics and heart sounds auscultation, and case studies in peripheral vascular disease, electrophysiology, and echocardiography. Participants can also track their CME credits and register for upcoming symposia. With more than 41,000 visitors, CME saw an increase of 70% over the previous year.
The Project Heart website (texasheart.org/projectheart), a heart-smart resource for teachers, parents, and students, extends the Heart Information Center outreach to the virtual classroom. With complete lesson plans for grades K through 6 at its core, the site provides educators with activities to teach heart anatomy, good nutrition, and a healthy lifestyle. Materials comply with Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills criteria—a key standard for curriculum. The 28,000 visitors to the site nearly doubled from the previous year. Last year, the Albert and Margaret Alkek Foundation provided a $1 million grant to THI to establish the Project Heart Endowment. These funds will be used to translate the entire Project Heart curriculum into Spanish and enhance graphics and animation.
Other enhancements to the THI website included the addition of a multimedia room with video and audio programming of interest to our diverse audience, and the creation of a Stem Cell Center website (texasheart.org/stemcell) inviting patients and physicians to learn about research activities and clinical trials at THI
Improving the Skills of Heart Specialists
THI sponsors live symposia on cardiovascular intervention and cardiovascular surgery, many in conjunction with major national meetings. The THI Journal circulates to 45,000 cardiovascular physicians across the country and internationally; online submission of manuscripts begins May 2008. Website features (texasheart.org/journal) include real-time motion images, full-text articles, and links to presentations. A CD-ROM inserted in the March issue contained a full CME course. Circulation for the scientific bulletin Heart Watch (also translated into Spanish) continued to expand and articles are now indexed on the website (see texasheart.org/physicians). Nearly 300 manuscripts were accepted or published last year, and more than 500 went through the editing process. A Library and Learning Resource Center teaches health professionals and researchers to use new technologies and electronic systems to access the volumes of rapidly evolving information about cardiovascular disease and to deliver medical services more efficiently. Each year, 100 young heart specialists improve their knowledge and skills through participation in our postdoctoral programs. THI’s programs have now trained more than 2,600 heart specialists from 44 states and 47 countries.
Surgical teams from heart centers across the country come here to learn new techniques, especially those involving new heart assist devices. Last year THI staff provided two dozen trainings for teams here and they traveled to three continents to provide instruction. Doctors recently established a biomedical engineering program at THI that will partner with local universities including Rice, The University of Texas, Texas A & M and the University of Houston.
