Tele-medicine in action onboard COMFORT. Note the camera overhead and the VTC in the background.

Navy Medcine history was made onboard USNS COMFORT on 12 May 2009 at approximately 1400 as she hosted a tele-medicine video teleconference with Walter Reed and the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, MD.

Ground-breaking technology for navy medicine with multiple uses especially on humanitarian missions like Continuing Promise 09. It will be a great teaching tool since COMFORT medical personnel will see patients that have cases that are rarely seen in the United States.

BZ as well to the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, MD for all they have done to bring tele-medicine to the COMFORT.

More including interviews with the doctors and additional background on the surgery to follow in coming days.

(photo by me)