NOTE TO ALL APPLICANTS TO OAS SCHOLARSHIPS

PLEASE READ BEFORE STARTING

The application must be completed in its entirety before exiting the site or submitting the form. The information you enter can be saved as you are working on it during this session. However, information cannot be saved for another session before the application is submitted. We strongly suggest that you print the blank application form, prepare the narrative information in a separate Word document which you can copy and paste into the on-line application form, and fill out the other data by hand on the application form before you begin to fill out the form on line. Once you access and open the form, it can remain open (without exiting or submitting it) indefinitely, so you will have time to fillout the form and check your information before submitting it. No changes will be permitted after you submit the form.

This application must be completed on-line.

“Telemedicine and Distance Learning Synopsis and Applications”

                                                                                                                                                                                   OAS/DHDEC/CIR.151/2010

1. Study venue: United States Telecommunications Training Institute (USTTI), 1150 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Suite 702, Washington, DC 20036, United States of America

2. Offered by: University of Virginia Health System, Office of Telemedicine and The Office for the Advancement of Telehealth (OAT), Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), of the Department of Health and Human Services under the auspices of the United States Telecommunications Training Institute (USTTI), Regional Training Center of the Inter-American Telecommunication Commission (CITEL).

3. Coordinator: Mike Beirne, USTTI Curriculum Coordinator, Email: [email protected] Phone: (202) 785-7373, Fax: (202) 785 1930

4. Modality:                  On site

5. Start and end dates: October 18 – 22, 2010

6. Course duration:       One-week

7. Language:                 English

8. Objectives: This course, taught by leaders in the telehealth and telemedicine field, is designed for participants who want a more in-depth exposure to advanced telemedicine and distance learning applications and a better understanding of the United States federal and non-governmental telemedicine activities.

The purpose of the course is to highlight the use of teleconferencing networks, Internet applications, multimedia education tools and other advanced applications for the provision of health care services and education at a distance. In addition, this course provides the participant with a unique opportunity to learn about a large US federal Agency that specifically deals with some of the most difficult health care challenges facing the world; e.g., HIV/AIDS, maternal and child health. Based on extensive experience with OAT telemedicine and distance learning grantees, "best practice" models for both clinical and technological procedures using telemedicine have been developed. Course participants will be introduced to these models by some of the leading practitioners in the field. Participants will have ample opportunity to interact with these leaders, and hopefully develop ongoing partnerships to enhance their resource network upon returning home.

Course lecturers will include OAT's interdisciplinary team of network engineers, clinicians, policy analysts, multimedia production staff and telemedicine grant program directors. Other guest lecturers will include members of the Joint Working Group on Telemedicine, the US federal government interagency group that provides an overview of the US government's telemedicine and telehealth activities.

Participants will gain hands-on experience in a live Telemedicine and Distance Learning environment at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, VA. Presentations and actual patient encounters will take place at rural sites throughout Virginia. Technicians will demonstrate numerous technologies such as transmission over ISDN, Wireless and over the Internet. Clinicians and multimedia production staff will cover the entire process of producing, broadcasting, and recording for later Internet access to Distance Education and Continuing Medical Education.

9. Participant Learning Objectives: To understand the many different options available to conduct interactive medicine and education.

10. Methodology: The course is taught primarily by experts from the University of Virginia Health System’s Office of Telemedicine, along with experts from the Office for the Advancement of Telehealth (OAT).

11. Requirements:

• Citizenship or permanent residence of an OAS Member State, with the exception of the United States since is the host country.
• Participant profile: Working in projects related to telemedicine, and make a commitment to share the knowledge they gain in their home country. It is required to have command of English and computer skills.
• Submission of completed application form by the deadline set by the National Liaison Organization (ONE).[1] It is the candidate’s responsibility to ascertain the deadline set by the ONE in his or her country of residence
• In addition to the OAS application, applicants must also submit a formal application through the USTTI. Applications may be filed through USTTI’s web site: http://ustti.org

12. OAS Scholarship Selection Criteria: In accordance with article 4.2 of the Manual of Procedures of the Scholarship and Training Programs of the OAS, OAS scholarships shall be granted based on the following criteria:

• The objectives and priorities established in the Strategic Plan for Partnership for Development;
• The training priorities of the member states;
• The merits and overall credentials of the candidate, including his/her academic and professional background;
• The financial need of the candidate; and
• An extensive and equitable geographic distribution for the benefit of all member states and that takes into account the greater needs of the smaller and relatively less developed economies.

13. Benefits: For successful candidates:

• OAS/CITEL will cover round trip economy class air tickets from country of origin or residence to Washington, DC, United States of America. Funds for terminal and in-transit expenses are NOT provided.
• USTTI will provide a stipend of $400.00 to offset hotel and living expenses, as well as waiving the $150.00 administrative fee.

14. Responsibilities of the selected candidates:

• Based on shared accommodations and an arrival date of Sunday, October 17th and departure date of Saturday, October 23rd, the additional amount needed for this course is USD$425.00. If single accommodations are requested, a total of $850.00 will be required.
• Please be advised that:
• 1. The accommodation that is being provided requires participants to share hotel rooms, and
• 2. Each participant will be responsible for paying the cost of the accommodation.
• The selected candidates must confirm their acceptance to the OAS General Secretariat Office in their respective countries and through the ONE in order for the OAS to proceed with making the necessary travel arrangements to purchase the air travel tickets, economy class, round-trip, between their country of origin or residence and the study location or, if the scholarship is refused, to appoint another candidate.
• The selected candidates must confirm their acceptance of the scholarship by signing and returning to DHDEC their completed “form of acceptance of the scholarship award”; only after this has been done will the OAS proceed with the necessary travel arrangements to purchase the air travel tickets, economy class, round-trip, between the scholarship recipient’s country of origin and the study location.
• Upon selection, candidates must accept the scholarship by confirming their availability to follow the course during the period indicated and their acceptance of the duly provided conditions of study.
• Selected scholarship recipients are responsible for obtaining the necessary visa(s) to enter the country of study and the corresponding transit(s). The OAS will not be responsible for any costs related to obtaining visas or transfer documentation.
• Each scholarship recipient is responsible for arriving in time for the commencement of activities on the date established by the institution offering the course or program.
• If the scholarship recipient fails to travel on the scheduled dates, or change routes, after the General Secretariat of the Organization of American States (GS/OAS) has purchased his/her travel ticket, he/she will be responsible for paying the difference in ticket costs in order to arrive at the course site in time. The scholarship recipient will furthermore have to reimburse the GS/OAS the total cost of the airfare for his/her travel from his/her country of residence to the site where the Professional Development Course will take place and back if, after the ticket has been purchased, he/she declines the scholarship without written authorization from the Department of Human Development, Education and Culture.
• The latter includes any additional costs, if any, incurred by the GS/OAS, such as extra costs for accommodation during the scholarship recipient’s travel to and from the country where the course will be held.
• If the fellow declines, cancels or terminates the Scholarship after the course or program has started without providing the GS/OAS with a compelling reason, he or she will have to reimburse GS/OAS the total amount of incurred costs/expenses.

15. Certification: The participants will receive a diploma from the United States Telecommunications Training Institute (USTTI), regional Training Center of the Inter-American Telecommunication Commission (CITEL).

16. Presentation of candidacies:

Please Notice: If you were awarded an OAS Professional Development Scholarship in the past twelve (12) months or if you currently hold an OAS Scholarship for Academic Studies, you are not eligible to apply for another Professional Development Scholarship.

The online application form must be completed on-line and can be accessed at: http://www.educoas.org/portal/en/oasbecas/onsite.aspx?culture=en&navid=282 here you’ll find the announcements of all the onsite courses, click in the one you are interested in, go though the end of the page, and then you’ll find the Continue button which will direct you to the online application form.

Once the applicant has completed the online application form and submitted it, a copy will be sent automatically to his/her e-mail account. This completed form must be printed, signed and submitted to the National Liaison Office (ONE) with all other forms (http://www.educoas.org/portal/en/oasbecas/formspd.aspx?culture=en&navid=282)

All the additional forms must be completed electronically or in typewritten format.

The following is the list of National Liaison Organizations (ONEs) in the OAS Member states: http://www.educoas.org/portal/en/oasbecas/ones.aspx?culture=en&navid=282

Please note that the official announcement is published in the language of instruction of the course and is available via the Educational Portal of the Americas Web page at: http://www.educoea.org.

Any questions regarding submission of applications for this course should be sent to: [email protected]

IMPORTANT NOTICE: THESE SCHOLARSHIPS ARE SUBJECT TO THE AVAILABILITY OF FUNDS CORRESPONDING TO THE 2010 REGULAR BUDGET

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