20 WORLD GASTROENTEROLOGY NEWS JANUARY 2016 Gastro 2015: AGW-WGO | Expert Point of View | Gastro 2016: EGHS-WGO | WDHD News | WGO & WGOF News | WGO Global Guidelines | Calendar of Events Project ECHO An Interview with Prof. Dr. Henry Cohen Since 2012, Dr. Henry Cohen has been working on the implementa-tion in Uruguay of Project ECHO (Extension for Community Health-care Outcomes), a successful experi-ence funded by the University of New Mexico by Prof. Sanjeev Arora. This initiative, of great interna-tional prestige and solid academic performance, aims to democratize and de-monopolize academic knowl-edge in medicine to the most remote or underserved areas of the territory. In Uruguay, ECHO is carried out by the Faculty of Medicine of the University of the Republic, under the direction of Prof. Dr. Henry Cohen, who is currently developing Hepati-tis C, HIV/AIDS, Anemia, Autism, Cervical Cancer, Palliative Care, and Heart Failure clinics. What is Project ECHO? Project ECHO was developed at the University of New Mexico, United States, by Prof. Dr. Sanjeev Arora, a gastroenterologist who was born in India and lived in that country for over 20 years. This project began 11 years ago when Dr. Arora, worried that being the only doctor in the state trained to treat patients with Hepati-tis C, noticed that his patients had to wait so long to be assisted and travel thousands of kilometers. It was designed to improve access to health care for disadvantaged populations, who suffer chronic health problems, such as Hepatitis C. With the use of videoconferenc-ing technology, Project ECHO trains physicians and health personnel based in inner cities, towns, or rural area, in the diagnosis and treatment of complex diseases. The patient remains in their place of residence and through the video-conferencing equipment from the University of New Mexico, analyzes and solves the problems of the patient. In each of these sessions, which we call Clinic ECHO, not only does the doctor who has the patient’s case participate, but also an “ECHO community,” consisting of all medical and health personnel interested in the disease. Just like that, a community of learning and exchange is quickly formed. Dr. Arora’s project had a big success. It began with one disease and has quickly moved to have the ECHO Institute which today has five floors, more than 60 rented officials, 33 diseases involved, more than 30 universities, and over 1,000 running ECHO clinics. It has also reached agreements for its implementation in other countries like India, Ireland, Brazil, Chile, and Uruguay, which was the first country in Latin America where it was applied. How did Project ECHO begin in Uruguay? It began over four years ago when I met Dr. Arora and he supported the development of a pilot project in Uruguay, supported by the World Gastroenterology Organisation and the National Academy of Medicine. An agreement between the Faculty of Medicine of the University of the Republic and the University of New Mexico was signed so that ECHO can provide us with the information, software, and know how needed to operate. Other organizations participating in the project are: the Administration of State Health Services (ASSE), the Ministry of Public Health, the US Embassy in Uruguay, the National Re-sources Fund, the Medical Federation of the Interior (FEMI), the Health Program.uy (AGESIC), the Medi-cal Union of Uruguay, the Medical College of Uruguay, and the British Embassy in Uruguay. In April 2014, Prof. Arora came to our country and was received by the health authorities and university as well as by former President of Uru-guay, Jose Mujica, and the US ambas-sador, Julissa Reynoso. While the ini-tial idea was to do a pilot project on Hepatitis C, Dr. Arora suggested not to start with a single disease but begin with at least two. HIV/AIDS was then added. In August 2014, we launched the two diseases (HIV and Hepatitis C) and made the first ECHO clinic from the 4th floor of the Hospital de Clinicas. What were the results? After the first stage of the project (August-December 2014), eight ECHO teleclinics on Hepatitis C and HIV/AIDS were met. More than 100 connections in all departments were performed, which represented
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