Appalachian State University’s Beaver College of Health Sciences (BCHS) and Appalachian Regional Healthcare System (ARHS) are forging even closer links by forming the Appalachian NextGen Health Collaboration to maximize opportunities in education, research and care innovation.
Co-Directors seated from left, Dr. Scott Collier and Dr. Joe Morgan. Standing from left, Dr. Mitch Parry, Dr. Rahman Tashakori, Provost Darrell Kruger, BCHS Founding Dean Fred Whitt and Dr. Danielle Mahaffey. Photo by Audrey Gurkin
The collaboration brought together by Co-Directors Dr. Scott Collier, Exercise Science Program Director and Director of The Vascular Biology and Autonomic Studies Laboratory at Appalachian, and Dr. Joe Morgan, Anesthesiologist at ARHS and Adjunct Professor at Appalachian, will strengthen and build upon existing relationships between the hospital and the University, with a continued focus on making a meaningful difference to the health and well-being of people living in the high country and beyond. The collaboration complements BCHS “Educate, Engage and Elevate” strategy and is one of several strategic developments in which both organizations are jointly engaged.
The collaboration aims to improve people’s lives through creative partnerships that transcend traditional boundaries in the delivery of medical interventions, education and research development. Through perpetually improved approaches that leverage technology, the team of scientists, nurses and clinicians will develop a pipeline to rapidly translate research ideas into data, therefore creating a clinical venue for the implementation of next-gen health - one that will serve as a hub for research, education and clinical transformation.
The collaborative effort will leverage information and communication technology to conduct research and pursue innovative models of patient care as well as clinical education. The effort will also integrate physiological tracking data (such as information obtained from wearable devices), which will be used to both facilitate research studies, and to better tailor healthcare for individuals in the high country.
Broadly speaking, next-gen health and wellness is an approach that looks to leverage advances in technology to deliver more individualized, and more accessible health care through timely delivery of actionable and personally relevant information. This approach does not rely on ‘bricks and mortar’, and as such may be particularly beneficial wherever there may be limited access to care. According to Dr. Morgan, “The Collaboration opens the door to new opportunities in research, education and patient care that are on the cutting-edge of what is possible today and really stands to make a difference for the high country population.” As patients accept more responsibility for maintaining their health, consumers today have access to more data and information than any other generation. But as any physician or scientist will tell you, data without context is meaningless. For example, just imagine how much more comprehensive your next doctor’s visit would be if you could not only discuss your immediate issues, but also go over the preventative insights provided by months (or even years) of data produced by wearable devices, smartphone data and the like.
BCHS Founding Dean Fred Whitt expressed his excitement about the opportunities this collaboration presents, “This collaboration will pool an array of expertise, resources and knowledge to address a wide scope of health issues central to Western North Carolina. This initiative will also help shape our clinical curriculum which will ultimately benefit our students, lending to greater opportunities to have transformational experiences working with professionals in careers our students hope to pursue.”
Ultimately, this collaboration will provide opportunities to participate in challenges otherwise limited to large academic research hospitals. The integration of the clinical and research capabilities of Appalachian State University and Appalachian Regional Healthcare System will benefit both students and the community with a transformative patient/subject/student-centered educational and clinical experience. This unique collaboration allows for the creation of a healthcare-delivery entity designed for the patient-centered, distributed, scalable, connected, technology-laden healthcare environment of tomorrow.