In the future, health students will be able to operate on a “working” heart or manipulate “live” muscles using 3-D images.
This is one of the innovative educational approaches to be discussed by leading international health educators at the Universitas 21 Health Sciences meeting being held in Brisbane this week.
According to event chairman, The University of Queensland’s Professor Peter Brooks (Executive Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences), health education was entering a new paradigm in which hi-tech imaging techniques would enable virtual “hands on” learning that would change the face of health sciences education.
“We need to explore new opportunities for using radiologists and some of the newer imaging techniques, as well as tapping into the experience of surgeons in this area,” Professor Brooks said.
The Deans and Heads of medicine, dentistry, nursing, rehabilitation sciences and pharmacy of 17 of the world’s leading research-intensive universities are attending the meeting.
Their institutions are part of the U21 international network, established in 1997 to facilitate collaboration and co-operation between member universities and to create entrepreneurial opportunities.
The network spans nine countries and collectively, its members enrol about 500,000 students, employ around 40,000 academics and researchers, and have over two million alumni.
“Through collaboration and co-operation, U21 colleagues create and explore opportunities for enhancing current practice and meeting challenges through research, standards setting and innovation,” Professor Brooks said.
The U21 Health Sciences group has met annually since 2000.
The major theme of the 2005 meeting, being held at The University of Queensland St Lucia campus from 29 September to 1 October, will be new approaches to the teaching of basic sciences such as anatomy, physiology and biochemistry as part of health sciences courses.
For more information, visit http://www.u21health.org/meetings/brisbane2004/index.html, or contact U21 Health Sciences Group Executive Officer Lorraine Devitt (phone: 0400 589 701)
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