The Morehouse School of Medicine has unveiled its new mobile clinical research vehicle. The 30-foot vehicle is seen as an extension of the research center at the medical school. It will travel the state bringing state-of-the-research capabilities to urban neighborhoods and the most rural parts of Georgia.
The vehicle includes two examination rooms, a laboratory, office space where interviews can take place, a restroom, and audio/visual equipment that can be used as educational tools at remote sites. The vehicle will be equipped with computers with Internet access, heart monitors, a scale, and portable ultrasound equipment.
Dr. Valerie Montgomery Rice, dean and executive vice president at Morehouse School of Medicine, states, “What makes this unit so unique is its sole dedication to research and education. This mobile clinical research unit is allowing us to take intervention and prevention to our patients. Research should not be limited to walls, and with this unit, we can be ‘hands-on’ right in the streets of our communities.”
A graduate of the Georgia Institute of Technology, Dr. Rice received her medical training at Harvard Medical School.