Listen up! Actually, log on, look and listen!
The federal government and many professional associations have discovered Webcasting--making live audio and video broadcasts via the Internet and accessible to all!
We've all returned our census forms, and are eagerly awaiting the results of the headcount, in the meantime listen to the reports from Census Bureau officials, which are surprisingly well-spoken insightful, and especially useful for health planners and community health specialists.
Professional organizations are also recognizing the importance of live and archival records of their annual meetings. The information and formats vary widely from association to association:
The American College of Physicians-American Society of Internal Medicine has mounted a Virtual Annual Session 2000 which contains brief reports of some of the events of the meeting held in Philadelphia and order forms for audiocassettes of presentations.
Two major conferences have received much press coverage this summer--the AIDS Conference in Durban, South Africa and the World Alzheimer Congress 2000 in Washington, DC. Reading materials in the news or seeing clips on television newscasts can be supplemented by actually hearing the presentations via the Web.
The World Alzheimer Congress 2000 brought together experts doing pivotal research and creative care. Researchers, clinicians, and caregivers united together to exchange ideas. Ten Webcasts are now available on such topics as epidemiology, neuroimmunology, brain imaging, international aspects, end-of-life decision making, early detection, genetics, and other cutting edge research and clinical solutions.
The XIII International AIDS Conference has archived several Webcasts on prevention, legal and social aspects, and immunology of AIDS.
Healthology produces Webcasts live and archived on consumer health topics ranging from hair loss to herpes to arthritis and Hodgkin Disease.
The National Institutes of Health Radio News Service, which is updated every few days, with breaking stories from the National Institutes of Health. Most of these are picked up and rebroadcast by radio stations around the world, but anyone can see/hear the information "on demand."
What's online right now?
- special report with the director of the National Human Genome Research Institute
- soundbites and service announcements regarding the new Study of Tamoxifen and Raloxifene(STAR)--the largest breast-cancer-prevention study ever.
- reports on such varying topics as bedding, childhood wellbeing, migraine, and hyperthermia.
The NIH weekly reports also are available Monday 5 a.m. through Friday 5 p.m. ET on 1-800-MED-DIAL (1-800-633-3425). (However, the line may yield a busy signal during peak business hours.)
A comprehensive list of live and archived health-related events, including online surgeries, can also be found on the Web.
If you need help downloading the "plug-ins" or helper software to play these Webcasts, see Kevin Johnson's article in this issue.
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