ICT and USC Keck School Collaborate on Virtual Patient Project
April 03, 2008
ICT and USC’s Keck School of Medicine teamed up to apply ICT’s virtual human technology, orginally developed for Army training, to develop a program to enhance and elevate the quality of psychiatric education. Funded by a Provost seed grant for Teaching with Technology, “Justina”, a virtual patient suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, helps clinicians develop interviewing and diagnostic techniques. “Students can interact with Justina anytime and there is no limit on the amount of time they can practice with the program,” said Patrick Kenny, ICT research scientist. “Virtual patients also have the capability to present different conditions and the system records every evaluation. The data can be used to assess the students in a timely manner.”