Sanjeev Arora

Sanjeev Arora, is the Director of Project ECHO (Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes).  He is a tenured Professor of Medicine in the Department of Internal Medicine at the University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center (UNMHSC).  He has been involved in the management of viral hepatitis for over 15 years, and led the development and implementation of the Hepatitis C Disease Management Program at UNMHSC.  Dr. Arora developed the Project ECHO model as a platform for service delivery, education and evaluation.  Using video-conferencing technology and case-based learning, primary care providers from rural and underserved areas and prisons are trained and mentored by ECHO’s medical specialists to deliver best-practice management of complex health conditions in their communities or correctional institutions.  A key component of the ECHO model is an innovation known as Knowledge Networks, in which the expertise of a single specialist is shared with numerous primary providers through telehealth clinics.  In 2007, Project ECHO came in first among more than 300 entries from 27 countries in winning the Changemakers award.