iACToR Weekly Newsletter #4

[James Cullen]

Opening Statement
Hello iACToR members,

A new feature has made its way onto our site:

All iACToR Members can now add their own videos! iACToR Members can also rate and comment on previously posted videos! Click on the Videos Tab and hit + Add Videos to highlight your’s and your organization’s work to the iACToR Community! Please continue reading as this newsletter provides some important news, people, and highlights in the world of CyberPsychology, Training, & Rehabilitation.

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Top CyberPsychology News

E-Health Week 2010 Kicks off in Barcelona
Barcelona, Spain March 15, 2010 - Vice President of European Commission and Commissioner for Digital Agenda, Neelle Kroes, officially opened eHealth week 2010 in Barcelona, alongside the Spanish Minister of Health and Social Policy, Trinidad Jimenez, and the Catalan Regional Minister of Health, Marina Gell. The conference theme of this 8th edition – “eHealth for Sustainable Healthcare Delivery: global challenges through local actions” – acknowledges the pressing perspective of a rapidly ageing European society, where the progressively extended life expectancy and the consequent increase in the prevalence of chronic diseases are globally posing serious challenges to the sustainability of national health systems. To read more and keep update on this important event, visit www.ehealthweek2010.org or www.worldofhealthit.org.

The Virtual Difference
by Regina Kerrigan MMT Correspondent
Rockville, MD - Clinicians are using virtual reality software for a variety of applications, including training medics and emergency room personnel and speeding patient recovery. To read the full article visit: http://www.military-medical-technology.com/mmt-archives/221-mmt-201...
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iACToR Premium Member of the Week

Giuseppe Riva, Ph.D., M.S., M.A.

Giuseppe Riva, Ph.D. (http://www.giusepperiva.com), is Professor (tenure position) of General Psychology and Communication Psychology at the Catholic University of Milan, Italy and Head Researcher of the Applied Technology for Neuro-Psychology Laboratory - ATN-P Lab., Istituto Auxologico Italiano, Milan, Italy. Coordinator and Scientific Coordinator of different European research projects (VREPAR 1 and 2, Vepsy Updated, Interstress) he received in 2005 and 2007 the Laval Virtual Award for the best world-wide virtual reality applications in the field of Medicine (2005 - VEPSY) and Science (2007 - NeuroVR open source software - http://www.neurovr.org). In 2008 Riva received the Grand Challenge Presence Award from the PEACH – Presence Research in Action - IST FET Presence Support Action. Goal of the award was to identify long-term research challenges engaging the research communities in Human Cognition, Human-Machine Interaction and Machine Cognition around a focal problem leading to a major advancement in science and result in major positive social impact. According to the scientific databases ISI Web of Science, PubMed/Medline and PsycInfo he is the scholar who authored the highest number of peer-reviewed scientific publications in the world under the “Virtual Reality” topic (accessed on March 12, 2010, keyword "virtual reality"). He also maintains a website – http://www.cybertherapy.info - that received different awards and acknowledgements.

5 Most Significant Contributions to the field

1. Creating the only free virtual reality toolkit - NeuroVR - http://www.neurovr.org - for researchers in Cybertherapy and Cyberpsychology.
2. Conducting the biggest controlled clinical trial using virtual reality (211 obese patients).
3. Developing and testing different clinical protocols for the use of virtual reality in obesity, eating disorders, generalized anxiety disorders and panic disorders.
4. Developing a web site – http://www.cybertherapy.info - with free stuff for all the cybertherapy and cyberpsychology researchers.
5. Developing a theory of presence addressing both mediated and unmediated experience: presence as the intuitive enaction of intentions in actions

Please visit his iACToR Profile at http://iactor.ning.com/profile/GiuseppeRiva

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5 Ways to Get More Involved in the iACToR Members Website

1. Become a Premium Member of iACToR!
   • Get extensive discounts off registration for the World Health Care Congress in Washington D.C., World Health Care Congress in Brussels, Belgium, Med-E-Tel Conference, and the 15th Annual CyberPsychology and CyberTherapy Conference.
   • Get discounted subscriptions to your favorite CyberPsychology publications
   • Enjoy free online access to the largest online CyberPsychology Database on the Internet (Being launched soon!)
   • Take part in the annual iACToR General Assembly
   • Receive discounted membership to affiliated associations and societies.
2. Join your local iACToR Chapter! Please visit the Chapter page to request membership to the appropriate iACToR Chapter. This is an excellent way to become acquainted and introduced to colleagues in your area!
   
   
3. Begin the discussion! Please visit the Forum, find the appropriate category, and click Add a Discussion! As this field is rapidly growing, collaboration and discussion is vital to the growth and progress. Some have begun already, and we hope to see you post as well.
   
   
4. Invite your colleagues! On the right hand side, under your name, next to the friends hyperlink is an Invite hyperlink. We encourage you to invite your colleagues to join in the discussion.
   
   
5. Update Your Profile and Comment on Other's! Keep members up to date with your latest information. Post a blog, update your status, add a picture of yourself, and let the community know your area of expertise. All can be done with in your Profile page and we encourage you to do so!

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Coming Soon

1. iACToR is in the process of compiling and formatting the largest CyberPsychology and CyberTherapy Resource for Premium iACToR Members to be launched soon! Stay tuned for details.
2. iACToR is in the process of adding video chat to the iACToR website so that members can communicate and collaborate no matter where they are across the globe face-to-face. Stay tuned for updates!

Thank you all and I look forward to shaping our community with your help and valuable input!

Create your own reality!

Brenda K. Wiederhold, PhD, MBA, BCIA
Secretary General
International Association of CyberPsychology, Training, & Rehabilitation (iACToR)