Insights on International Collaborative Health
In 1998, with just a handful of staff, Johns Hopkins Medicine established a global ambassador, Johns Hopkins Medicine International (JHI), to take its mission worldwide: improving the health of the community and the world by setting the standard of excellence in medical education, research and clinical care. Since then, we’ve grown to help Johns Hopkins(...)
Direct-to-consumer genetic tests are popular. For a few hundred dollars, companies like 23andMe and AncestryDNA promise information about disease risk for customers and their children, details about ancestry, and insights about personal characteristics—like why you may think cilantro tastes like soap. It’s a simple process. Customers just pay, sign a waiver, and send in a(...)
By Dr. James Aw The patient, in his early 20’s, was clinically depressed and struggled with sleep. His family physician prescribed him an antidepressant and medication to treat his insomnia. But his mood wasn’t lifting, and his sleep wasn’t improving. He had difficulty at school and was on a waiting list to see a psychiatrist.(...)
Each year at Johns Hopkins Medicine International, we welcome about 4,500 patients who travel from all over the world, trusting us to coordinate every aspect of their care while they’re receiving treatment at Johns Hopkins. Let me share one patient’s story: Mateo was born May 14, 2014, in Mexico City after a complication-free pregnancy and(...)
When you’re ill, it’s a struggle just to change out of your pajamas or heat up a cup of tea. Going into work is out of the question. For patients who are critically ill, traveling for care can feel unbearable. Patients would rather receive treatment locally, where they have family support and can recuperate in(...)
Health care is a competitive business. Hospitals often invest in their clinical programs as a way to distinguish themselves in an increasingly tough marketplace. Hospitals offer clinical programs, such as emergency services, to compete directly for patients. Others use some services as a stepping stone leading to other in-demand care, for example, launching cardiac catheterization(...)
As early as the 1960s, the armed services, government laboratories and military think tanks began using the most modern computers available to create computer-based games for training, analysis and virtual warfare. These simulations created a low-risk, yet effective way to test and refine military and political policies and prepare teams to undertake extremely difficult tasks.(...)
Though the term hadn’t yet been invented, the first “smartphone” became available to consumers in 1994. It was the IBM Simon Personal Communicator, and it retailed for today’s equivalent of $1,852—without a contract. Back then, who would have imagined that clunky, expensive mobile could represent the future of medicine? So much has changed nearly 25(...)
By Dr. Oscar Cingolani We all know high blood pressure is a global threat, often called “the silent killer.” In fact, hypertension is responsible for one in eight deaths worldwide, and it is the major culprit behind stroke, heart and kidney disease. In a new effort to curb this deadly impact, the American Heart Association(...)
Each year at Johns Hopkins Medicine International’s Partners Forum, leaders from our global affiliates discuss ways to improve health and health care for the collective good. This year’s theme, “The Evolution of Health Care: Predictions and Practices in a Changing Environment,” helped us better understand the context and landscape of health care today. We wrestled(...)