Suzanne Stensaas is a neuroscientist
interested in using computers,
videodiscs, CD-ROMs and websites to
enhance medical education. Integrating
existing texts, images, animations,
video, and sound with teaching material
for independent study or classroom use
is slow and costly. She believes this is
most effectively done by pooling
resources, avoiding duplication,
repurposing material and sharing it
again.
Twenty years ago she began the "Slice
of Life" videodisc image project
with over 200 contributors from over 60
institutions. As course director for
Neuroanatomy and Pathology at the
University of Utah she had need for
images. Subsequently software was
created at various institutions and
shared. (History at
http://medstat.med.utah.edu/sol/aboutus/index.html.)
The sharing session grew into the
"Slice of Life Workshop" which has
brought users and developers together
for the past 17 years to discuss trends,
evaluate software and see how new
technology might be applied to health
sciences education. Information for the
2006 July meeting and past archives is
at
http://slice.utah.edu/
Her interest in multimedia took her from
Utah to Cornell for 8 years where she
directed the Pathology course and the
Joan and Sanford Weill Education
Center. With the Knowledge Weavers
in Utah she created material that can be
used by educators in whatever
educational way they desire (http://medstat.med.utah.edu/kw/resources.html).
The next project for sharing was HEAL
(Health Education Asset Library (http://healcentral.org/),
a multi-institutional effort with which
she continues to be involved. Her most
recent contribution has been with her
colleagues Paul Burrows and Paul Larsen
of over 400 neurological video clips,
http://medstat.med.utah.edu/neurologicexam
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