UNBC students and faculty work together on health research project

Students and faculty from the University of Northern British Columbia are teaming up to work on a new health research project.

Georgie Betkus and Kevin Adam are working in conjunction with UNBC Assistant Professor of Nursing Dr. Shannon Freeman and University of Queensland researcher Dr. Melinda Martin-Khan to write The Evolution of Telehealth.

The collaborative work is set to become a chapter in Freeman that will be co-edited by Mobile eHealth. The book will be a collection of multidisciplinary essays exploring the opportunities and challenges presented by mobile eHealth technology

“It is exciting to mentor and inspire UNBC undergraduate students by engaging them in research activities early in their academic studies,” Freeman says.

“This allows opportunity for students to apply their learnings outside of the UNBC classroom environment and learn first-hand how the process of research works from the start where the idea is first conceptualized through to the publication of the book chapter and knowledge dissemination of the project findings.”

The researchers examined how technology has influenced health-care delivery. They focused on the evolution of face-to-face delivery to the eventual telephone, video conference and mobile phone technology.

“It was really great to be a part of a project like this,” says Betkus, who began working on the project as an undergraduate student.

“It solidified my interest in telehealth, and I decided to return to UNBC for a Master’s of Interdisciplinary studies so I could explore telehealth further.”

“As someone who grew up in a rural community, I think telehealth is a valuable tool that could increase access to health care for residents of rural communities,” Betkus said.

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