May 29, 2020 — STFM is convening a group of experts to develop national telemedicine curriculum for students, residents, and faculty. The task force is chaired by Steven Lin, MD, Executive Director of the Stanford Healthcare AI Applied Research Team, in Palo Alto, CA. 

Telemedicine or telehealth – defined as the long-distance delivery of medical care using technology – has grown exponentially in the U.S. over the past 20 years, and contemporary trends in the health care environment are serving to fuel this growth. Telehealth has been rapidly implemented across the country over the past few months to help physicians continue to provide patient care while also slowing the spread of COVID-19. 

Despite it's growing use, there is no widely recognized gold standard for telemedicine training for undergraduate or graduate medical education. 

The new curriculum will include an organized repository of resources representing foundational topics and best practices in telemedicine.  It will be designed to help faculty integrate telemedicine topics into courses, clerkships, and residency curricula. The content will help students, residents, and faculty obtain the skills needed to deliver telemedicine care in their practices. curriculum will be developed to specifically address needs in rural and other underserved areas.