Initiative to Increase Factual and Procedural Knowledge of European and US-based Oncologists Who Manage Minority Women with Breast Cancer

LONDON, UK, February 22, 2011: The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, San Lucas Medical (SLM), a leading London-based medical education communications company and medical publisher of fifteen medical journals throughout Europe and Asia and MDSNe, a healthcare specific, social media startup, announced today their partnership to design, implement and distribute medical education to European healthcare providers based on social learning. The partnership will also partner with leading medical organizations and institutions to co-create and distribute content utilizing their combined multi-media, publishing and social media expertise.

One of the first initiatives they will co-create is the Healthcare Disparities Action Lab Initiative for Breast Cancer (HALI-BC), developed to increase the factual and procedural knowledge of participating oncologists by giving them access to social learning tools that facilitate a collaborative approach to learning. Participants can co-create content, as well as share knowledge with others by leveraging social media tools including blogs, wikis, RSS, podcasting and peer-to-peer (P2P) media sharing utilities.

“With multiple technologies and demand-driven learning growing exponentially, we needed to re-consider how education has been traditionally available to healthcare providers,” said Nahida Zaman, CEO of SLM. “Combining MDSNe’s expertise in the social media space with SLM’s multimedia and publishing know-how, we’ve co-developed the first of several initiatives where participants can customize and personalize the way they access, share and exchange information, delivering an endless stream of learning possibilities, “ said Ms. Zaman.

HALI-BC’s goal is to enhance the collective knowledge of participants, fostering a community of members who are genuinely connected and feel as though they are able to gain valuable insight from each other. This type of social rapport not only enhances information discovery but also cultivates knowledge aggregation. Due to the nature of social media technologies, HALI-BC participants are able to capitalize on this by customizing and personalizing the way they share, exchange and create content, providing an endless stream of learning possibilities.

“Seun Moses Abimbola, CEO of MDSNe highlighted, “An important point to emphasize is that social learning isn’t radical in terms of changing how and what health care providers learn, but it will provide them with new possibilities and applications to learn.” Mr. Abimbola concluded, “In this way, learning becomes a participatory, self-directed social process that supports their individual goals and needs.”

About Johns Hopkins School of Medicine
In July 2010, U.S. News & World ranked The Johns Hopkins Hospital #1 among American hospitals for the 20th consecutive year. Johns Hopkins Medical School remains the nation's leading medical school recipient of research funds from the National Institutes of Health. In 2006, the Johns Hopkins Office of Continuing Medical Education achieved "Accreditation with Commendation" for six years, the highest ranking issued by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education. For more info contact Lisa Barnhill at lbarnhill@jhmi.edu

San Lucas Medical
London-based San Lucas Medical is an independent medical education communications company that designs, develops and implements educational programs for a global healthcare audience. By utilizing a co-creative model, SLM partners with leading national and international medical institutions to translate leading clinical research and data into practical know-how. All of SLM’s programs provide measurable outcomes as it relates to the impact on clinical competencies of healthcare provider and the care they provide. For more information, contact Nahida Zaman, CEO of San Lucas Medical at nahida.zaman@sanlucasmedical.com or visit www.sanlucasmedical.com.

MDSNe
Established in 2010, MDSNe is a marketing agency that specializes in a targeted mix of traditional, digital and social media programs to drive influence and maximize change among a healthcare audience. MDSNe combines a deep knowledge of the pharmaceutical and healthcare landscapes with innovative multi-media campaigns that produce measurable and data-driven outcomes. MDSNe works with healthcare providers to create unique strategies and messages with impact through multiple mediums, reaching the audience anytime, anywhere. For more information, contact Seun Moses Abimbola at seun.moses@mdsne.com or visit www.mdsne.com.