Move knowledge, not people...
Project ECHO is committed to addressing the needs
of the most vulnerable populations by equipping communities with
the right knowledge, at the right place, at the right time.
MacArthur Foundation 100&Change
Project ECHO is proud to announce our proposal is one of the top solutions in the MacArthur Foundation 100&Change competition. We are featured among a number of promising solutions to critical problems. Learn more about how our proposal was vetted and named among the highest-scoring proposals.
How It Works
What if everyone could get the high-quality services they need, from local people they know and trust?
Here at the ECHO Institute, in Albuquerque, NM, we train our partners in the ECHO Model™ to help them pursue their missions. People and organizations from all over the world are leveraging the ECHO Model to scale their own social initiatives in fields like healthcare, education, and social justice.
Using proven adult learning techniques and interactive video technology, the ECHO Model™ connects groups of community providers with specialists at centers of excellence in regular real-time collaborative sessions. The sessions, designed around case-based learning and mentorship, help local workers gain the expertise required to provide needed services. Providers gain skills and confidence; specialists learn new approaches for applying their knowledge across diverse cultural and geographical contexts. As the capacity of the local workforce increases, lives improve.
Our Story
Project ECHO was launched in 2003 as a healthcare initiative before expanding into other domains. It grew out of one doctor’s vision. Sanjeev Arora, M.D., a liver disease specialist at the University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center in Albuquerque, was frustrated that he could serve only a fraction of the hepatitis C patients in the state. He wanted to serve as many patients with hepatitis C as possible, so he created a free, educational model and mentored community providers across New Mexico in how to treat the condition.
A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine found that hepatitis C care provided by Project ECHO trained community providers was as good as care provided by specialists at a university.
The ECHO model is not traditional “telemedicine” where the specialist assumes care of the patient, but is instead telementoring, a guided practice model where the participating clinician retains responsibility for managing the patient.
Principles of the ECHO Model
A
Amplification - Use Technology
to leverage scarce resources
B
Share Best practices to reduce disparity.
C
Case-based learning
to master complexity
D
Web-based Database to
Monitor Outcomes
When all the principles are applied, a learning community in which
All Teach and All Learn
comes together
Our Funders
We are very grateful for the support and partnership of our funders.
“Collaboration is at the heart of Project ECHO.”
Sanjeev Arora, MD | Founder
Our Team
Sanjeev Arora, MD
Founder and Director
Senior Leadership
Elizabeth Clewett, PhD
Chief of Staff
Summers Kalishman, PhD
Director of Evaluation, Special Projects
Joanna Katzman, MD, MPSH
Senior Associate Director
Kyky Knowles, BA
Director of Replication
Justyna La Pay, BSc
Chief Technology Officer
Bruce Baird Struminger, MD, MA, FACP
Senior Associate Director
Karla Thornton, MD, MPH
Senior Associate Director
Lynn Waln, BS
Chief Administrative Officer
Affiliated Faculty
Matthew Bouchonville, MD
George Comerci, Jr., MD, FACP
Paulina Deming, PharmD, PhC
Daniel Duhigg, DO, MBA
Michelle Iandiorio, MD
Miriam Komaromy, MD
William K. Szaroletta, PE
7 Values Guide Everything We Do
The Values of ECHO Institute
Service to the underserved: committing our efforts to building "a better society, one that is more just and more loving"(1)
Trust and respect: working from a place where we give the best of ourselves, we assume the best of others, and we communicate openly, honestly, and with regard for others
Excellence and accountability: maximizing our individual and organizational potential, contributing to the best of our ability, seeking to be better, and owning our mistakes.
Joy of work: nurturing an environment that allows us each to do what we do best and balance our energy
Demonopolize knowledge: sharing resources, knowledge, time and talents freely across the organization, the movement, and the world
Teamwork: recognizing that achieving our ambitions requires collective contribution and collaborative effort and cultivating a culture where we support each other, pitch in, and work together
Innovation and learning: fostering continuous evolution and new creative ideas that have the power to change the world through learning and experimentation
(1) Robert K. Greenleaf, "The Servant as Leader"
