About the Project

The Augmenting Rural Healthcare project is a response to the crisis in access to healthcare besetting rural America.

Frontline healthcare providers such as Emergency Medical Technicians, Ambulance Drivers, and Immediate Care Center staff are overworked and are confronted with injuries and illnesses that they may not have the training to address. Travel to hospitals can delay treatment in remote areas, at times leading to unnecessary deaths. We combine new technologies and existing communications networks to bring real-time, hands-free support to those frontline providers by connecting them with doctors who can guide their actions in difficult or critical cases. Read More

Participating organizations

  • The Intermediate Care Clinic of the North Bend Medical Center

  • The Home Paramedic Program of Advance Health and the Bay Area Ambulance service

  • The Bay Area Hospital

  • Avamere Rehabilitation Center

  • The Coos Bay Fire Department

The Augmenting Rural Healthcare Project Team

Dr. Ernest K. Manders
Professor of Surgery at the University of Pittsburgh. Dr. Manders is a member of the American College of Surgeons, the American Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons, the American Association of Plastic Surgeons, the Plastic Surgery Research Council, the James IV Association of Surgeons, the Society of Latin American Plastic Surgeons, and is an honorary member of the Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons of Southern Africa.

Karen Alexander, PhD
Founder and Director of XRconnectED, a Pittsburgh-based company that is moving the region forward through cultivating understanding and adoption of XR technologies (virtual reality, augmented reality, mixed reality, and 360 video). XRconnectED helps organizations see the benefits of XR, identifies the appropriate hardware and software for their use case, and works with them to develop a strategy for implementation.