CyberTherapy comes to Washington

The 12th Annual CyberTherapy Conference will be held at the Sheraton Crystal City on June 11-14, 2007. The theme of this year’s conference is “Transforming Healthcare Through Technology.” Please visit http://www.interactivemediainstitute.com/conference2007 to submit abstracts for presentation at the conference or to register to attend this important and exciting event.

The International Child Art Foundation (ICAF) has been working with the Interactive Media Institute (IMI) since 2002 to facilitate the interface between cybertherapy and children. Dr. Brenda K. Wiederhold, Chief Executive Officer of IMI and a pioneer in cybertherapy, serves on ICAF’s Advisory Board.

Dr. Ashfaq Ishaq, founder and executive director of ICAF serves on the CyberTherapy Conference Committee. In June 2005, he made a presentation at the 10th CyberTherapy Conference held in Basel, Switzerland, which highlighted the largest program ever presented on controlled clinical trials of virtual reality and other cutting-edge technologies in the areas of mental health, rehabilitation, disabilities, training, and education. It involved representatives from 19 countries, reflecting its truly international character.

According to Dr. Wiederhold, “The Interactive Media Institute is thrilled to have the opportunity to host the conference in the U.S. capital and to be working with DC-based partners like ICAF. We feel that not only can technology aid in ICAF’s and IMI’s mission to overcome language and distance barriers, bringing together children from many cultures, but it can also be used to help in the treatment of prevalent childhood disorders like anxiety and autism.”

“We are delighted that CyberTherapy is coming to Washington right before the World Children’s Festival which will be held on the National Mall on June 23-25, 2007. This will facilitate the exhibition at the festival of cutting-edge technologies. We urge therapists working with children in the United States and around the world to attend the CyberTherapy Conference so that the children can benefit from new technologies that will transform healthcare,” said Dr. Ishaq.

The Interactive Media Institute is a 501 (c) 3 non-profit organization that dedicates its activities to advancing the application of advanced technologies for patient care on a global scale. IMI sponsors national and international workshops, meetings and continuing education courses. IMI is also active in conducting research and clinical trials, and specializes in virtual reality, telehealth, videogame virtual reality, and human-computer interaction research. IMI is vigorously working with world leaders who are industry experts in utilizing virtual reality, multimedia, computer-generated avatars, personal robots and other technologies to treat patients with both mental and physical disorders. For more information about IMI, please visit the following website: www.interactivemediainstitute.com.