Colloquium - Jimeno

Telemedicine has shortened the distance between patients and healthcare providers. The development of the different technologies used in telemedicine has focused mainly on delivering medical services of a quality close to the service provided face to face in specialized hospitals. This has made telemedicine, especially in developed countries, a costly, but affordable service. Developed countries have the budget, communication links, and trained personnel available to make telemedicine accessible as needed. On the other side are developing countries. None of these variables are secured, and the necessity of telemedicine is even greater than in developed countries. In this presentation, we will take a look at the different factors affecting the use of telemedicine in developing countries, and how different institutions are dealing with them. We will also see potential solutions, and paths that could be taken to facilitate the access of telemedicine in as many locations as possible.

Miguel Jimeno is an assistant professor in the Computer Science Department at Universidad del Norte, in Barranquilla, Colombia. He received his BS in Computer Science from the same university in 2002. He received his MSc and PhD in Computer Science and Engineering from the University of South Florida, in 2007 and 2010. His dissertation focused on energy efficiency, and more exactly on developing new systems to save energy in computers that are connected to the Internet. He is starting to look at Smart Grids, where his main interests are in the design and development of efficient information systems to support the communication of the different components, including issues like bandwidth requirements, and security of the information. He was awarded a grant from the NEXUS Regional Network for Applied Research, a new program of Fulbright. His proposal presents a new low cost and highly portable telemedicine kit to be used in rural locations with communication problems.

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