Internet Dermatology Society 1996 Annual Report
|
In its second year, the Internet Dermatology Society has grown rapidly with a membership of 425 dermatologists and allied scientists from 51 countries. The growth of the IDS is managed by an increasingly complex Internet presence complete with several email lists and flexible database functionality. Committees have emerged within the IDS harnessing the email list server to bring together the current annual meetings and substantial improvements to the Electronic Textbook of Dermatology. |
Sharing resources with other dermatology societies: |
The Internet Dermatology Society's progress in working in concert with other dermatology organizations was highlighted by the addition of the Women's Dermatology Society to the IDS webserver by Robin Travers and Joyce Rico. The IDS provided improved online scientific abstract submissions for the for the Society for Investigative Dermatology and subjected the process to careful follow-up analysis. Members of the IDS continued to show leadership in the implementation of key digital technologies by implementing an interactive Global Dermatology Grand Rounds process. The IDS membership is rich in thought leaders in institutions of dermatologic education who perceive the IDS as an excellent vehicle for the diffusion of knowledge to dermatologists around the globe. |
|
|
|
|
Opening the Architecture of Teledermatology to the IDS Membership: |
The membership has repeatedly expressed a strong interest in the use of Internet protocols to address the needs of remote health care providers through telemedicine. Major initiatives have been made in this direction. Global Dermatology Grand Rounds initiated the concept of a virtual case presentation system for dermatology on the Internet. Introduction of members to digital imaging technologies ushers in a strong new era of visual networking for dermatologic problem solving. |
IDS members work together to maintain the public's accessibility to traditional dermatology expertise in an evolving technical context. |
|
Translations to
multiple languages:
|
A Spanish dermatology email list was developed in order to further the accessibility of online resources to to the Spanish speaking population. Additional email lists will be implemented when technically feasible. Further translation of IDS documents into diverse languages is sought through the participation of the multilingual membership of the IDS. |
The 2nd Annual Meeting of the IDS |
The 1997 Annual Meeting of the IDS in San Francisco during the AAD is a testament to power of coupling the strong organizational talents of the IDS membership with the powerful communication context of the Internet. This represents the first funded meeting of the IDS. Sponsors of the meeting include Kodak,Galderma, and Glaxo. |
| A strong theme of service to world dermatology has emerged within the membership of the IDS. A grassroots Internet curriculum for dermatologists is under development is coupled with a strong interest in donation of educational materials to global dermatology programs. The distribution of these materials through the Internet makes the achievement of global Internet connectivity a high priority. The cornerstone of the common curriculum project is the Electronic Textbook of Dermatology. | |
Rhett J. Drugge, M.D., March 9, 1997.
|
|
