Health knowledge and trained human resources are key to societal and community health and prosperity, as well as for the reliable functioning and outcomes of a health care institution. The Global Health Initiatives, Inc.'s Virtual Health Science program enables societies and communities to benefit from health knowledge that was previously inaccessible to them. Global Health Initiatives is forming centers for excellence in health informatics to help facilitate the development of health information infrastructure and the training of essential health-oriented human resources. Below are listed some of the potential collaborators that might be drawn upon in developing community and country-specific virtual health science program projects:

• Professional Associations (e.g., American Medical Association, American Academy of Preventive Medicine)
• Quality Assurance Organizations (e.g., JCAHO, NCQA)
• Universities and Professional Schools (e.g., Harvard University, University of California, University of Miami)
• International Organizations (e.g., World Health Organization, Pan American Health Organization)
• Governmental Organizations (e.g., USAID, National Institutes of Health, Centers for Disease Control)
• Nonprofit Social Sector (e.g., International Healthy Cities Foundation, Koop Foundation, Inc.)
• Private Sector Technology Companies (e.g., Sun Microsystems)
• Private Sector Information Providers and Information Service Providers (e.g., AOL, Windom Health Enterprises, Westcott Industries)
• Entertainment Companies (e.g., Disney, ABC News, Time Warner
• Pharmaceutical Companies (e.g., Pfizer, J&J, Lily, Glaxo Wellcome)
• Integrated Delivery Systems (e.g., Premier, Columbia/HCA)
• Health Plans (e.g., Kaiser, Harvard Prilgrim Health Plan)
• Hospitals (e.g., Mayo Clinic, Beth Israel, Mass General)
• Local Onsite Training Centers (e.g., Copine African Telemedicine Hubs, Westar Telemedicine Center, HII Collaboratory Model Centers)

Only a few years ago, it was necessary to be in the same room with highly trained educators and experts in order to be effectively trained in a specific skill or be certified to practice a health discipline. Now knowledge can be conveyed, reinforced, debated, and tested at a distance nearly anywhere in the world. The Virtual Health Science program is designed to provide physicians, nurses, allied health professionals, and other health care workers with degree and certificate education, as well as continuing education and topic specific training. GHI educational and training efforts are designed to optimize use of the world's best knowledge resources, international standards, technology-assisted instruction, use of local facilitation resources in a culturally sensitive manner that reaches if not exceeds stated educational objectives.

The virtual health science program is designed to maximize the effectiveness of the following training and educational modalities using elements of the following technology platform:

Live videoteleconferences
Live audio teleconferences
Audiotex-based education
Satellite and video cassette-based trainings
CD ROM and floppy disk-based computer assisted instruction (CAI)
Text-based and World Wide Web-based internet and intranet education

Virtual health science program projects are developed to address specific educational and programmatic objectives. Some large-scale projects are based upon an initial certificate of need, which involves an assessment of an institutional, community, or societal health care system. Whereas, smaller content specific projects can be initiated with modest planning and relatively short time frames to address the needs of well scoped that can utilize previously developed educational resources.