Title: Cancer, disability and public health service providers: better education through informatics and the Supercourse

Authors: Faina Linkov, Ronald LaPorte, Katherine D. Seelman

Addresses: Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology and Oncology and Division of Cancer Prevention and Population Science, University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, Cancer Pavillion, 4th Floor, Room 466, 5150 Centre Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15232, USA. ' Department of Epidemiology, 111 Parran Hall, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA. ' School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, 5036 Forbes Tower, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA

Abstract: Improving the performance of service organisations and enhancing the well-being of communities are critical challenges in the field of public health. In this paper, we will discuss issues relating to the issues of cancer disability in the context of information transfer and delivery to public health service providing organisations. This paper will highlight the development of the Global Health Supercourse project (www.pitt.edu/~super1) and its achievements in information transfer in the fields of cancer disability. With increasing life expectancy, cancer and disability became a growing concern in both developing and developed world. Research in the area of cancer disability has been quite limited. Prevention of cancer-related disabilities will involve collaborative efforts among cancer epidemiologists, rehabilitation professionals, physical therapists, nutritionists, medical doctors, nurses and representatives of various public health service providing organisations. IT can potentially serve as a bridge that that can link all these important fields together for the development of productive multidisciplinary research projects. At the same time, IT could serve an important role in translating these important research findings to the classrooms, public health service providing organisations, nurses and educators.

Keywords: internet-based education; cancer disabilites; public health service providers; informatics; healthcare service providers; information transfer; e-learning; online learning; electronic learning; information technology; information delivery; USA; United States.

DOI: 10.1504/IJPP.2010.035128

International Journal of Public Policy, 2010 Vol.6 No.3/4, pp.247 - 259

Published online: 05 Sep 2010 *

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