Telemedicine and virtual reality in healthcare are making headlines more and more frequently. During Lunch with a Scientist, Neal Sikka will speak on the improvements to care that telemedicine provides underserved communities. He will also discuss a number of projects currently under way implementing virtual reality in medical care.

Registration is required (no charge). Limit: 22

Neal Sikka is a board-certified emergency medicine physician with a particular interest and expertise in telemedicine and technological applications to health care. He has over 12 years of telemedicine experience and is recognized as a national leader in telemedicine expertise. He holds a seat on the advisory board of the MidAtlantic Telehealth Resource Center, is an active member of the GW mHealth Collaborative, and was a founder and the first chair of the American College of Emergency Physicians telemedicine Section. He has developed undergraduate and graduate education related to emergency medicine and telemedicine and regularly speaks at regional and national telehealth meetings.

His research has focused on improving patient care through technology and he has received funding for telehealth-related research from the McKesson Foundation, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation Challenge Grant Award to use remote medical monitoring to improve care for peritoneal dialysis patients. Most recently, he is principal investigator on a CareFirst Foundation Grant to provide specialty care via telemedicine in D.C.-area Federally Qualified Health Centers.