With no airstrip on the island, emergency evacuation or outside medical intervention has been and remains today virtually impossible.

Project Tristan was conceived by Edward Mullen, chairman of Beacon Equity Partners, and Paul Grundy, MD, IBM's director of healthcare technology and strategic initiatives, as a way to honor the memory of a close friend, Thomas Wiese.

It was implemented with the guidance and support of UPMC, as well as of Richard Bakalar, chief medical officer for IBM, who also established the Navy's first integrated Telemedicine Office at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, MD, prior to joining IBM. Bakalar is also president of the American Telemedicine Association.

Project Tristan, which is based on open standards and runs on the Linux Operating System, is expected to greatly enhance the island's level of medical care and standard of living. The island's physician is now able to electronically capture and share medical data and information, including X-Rays and EKGs as well as pulmonary function evaluations and video camera examinations with physician consultants. Satellite communications will enable clinicians to provide real-time diagnostic advice and suggested treatments to the attending physician.

"The ability to share medical data quickly and easily will be a life saver for our residents," said Van der Merwe. "By joining forces, IBM, Beacon Equity Partners, Medweb and UPMC have not only created the capability to bring critical, patient-centric care to our remote island, but also to other distant locations around the world - on land or sea - that require constant connection to expert medical resources."