At the SEARCH 2025 National Telehealth Research Symposium, you’ll gain insights from top researchers, healthcare leaders, and innovators from institutions across the country. Here’s your guide to the trending topics, groundbreaking research, and dynamic sessions that you won’t want to miss.
Day 1: February 2, 2025
Keynote Presentation
The Intersection of Technology, Aging, and Healthcare: Innovating for Impact and Scale
- Zia Agha, MD, MS, Executive Vice President and Chief Medical Officer, West Health Institute, will explore how technology is reshaping healthcare for aging populations, creating scalable solutions for better outcomes.
Breakout Sessions
Virtual Nursing Innovations
- Experts from leading institutions will share strategies to mitigate workforce challenges:
- Briana Petty, MSN, RN (University of Mississippi Medical Center)
- Caitlyn Koob, PhD, MS, OTR/L (Medical University of South Carolina)
- Jennifer Morelli, MPS, RN (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill)
Mental & Behavioral Health
- Dive into solutions for mental health access with speakers such as:
- Julio Cespedes Jr., BS, MBA (Mississippi State Department of Health)
- Eve-Lynn Nelson, PhD, LP, FATA (University of Kansas Medical Center)
- E (Alice) Zhang, PhD, BCBA-D (University of Kansas Medical Center)
Care for Chronic Conditions
- Learn from experts tackling chronic illness care:
- Caroline Yoo (VA HSR&D Center for the Study of Healthcare Innovation, Implementation & Policy)
- Tony Fabiano, MD (Jefferson Health)
Workshop Spotlight
Enhancing Digital Health Equity Through User-Centered Design
- This hands-on session, led by Saif Khairat, PhD, MPH, FAMIA, and his team from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, including John Geracitano, MS, and Melissa Coffel, MS, will focus on actionable strategies to ensure equitable digital health solutions.
Research Flash Highlights
Morning Topics:
- Briana Lott, MPH (VA HSR&D Center for the Study of Healthcare Innovation, Implementation & Policy): Implementation Strategies in Primary Care.
- Yunxi Zhang, PhD (University of Mississippi Medical Center): Telehealth Use for Hypertension in Medicare Beneficiaries.
- Don Willis, PhD (University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences): Virtual Prenatal Care and Social Determinants of Health.
Afternoon Topics:
- Jason Goldwater, MA, MPA (Laurel Health Advisors): Telehealth’s Impact on Environmental Health Across States.
- Lindsey Kruiper, PhD (University of Mississippi Medical Center): Audio-Only Telehealth for Pediatric Surgery.
- Gracie Little, BS (University of Mississippi Medical Center): Enhancing Perinatal Care for Adolescent Mississippians.
Day 2: February 3, 2025
Keynote Presentations
Building Bridges: Community-Driven Innovation in Connected Health
- Anthony Cheng, MD, Associate Professor, Oregon Health & Sciences University, will highlight the importance of community-driven approaches to telehealth innovation.
Digital and AI-Enabled Clinical Practice: Embedding Real-World Solutions Into Healthcare
- Lee H. Schwamm, MD, Senior Vice President for Virtual Care, Yale New Haven Health, will discuss how digital and AI technologies are transforming clinical practice.
Breakout Sessions
Policy & Payment
- Learn how telehealth policies and reimbursement models impact care delivery:
- Nicholas Mohr, MD, MS (University of Iowa)
- Jason Goldwater, MA, MPA (Laurel Health Advisors)
- Christian Milaster (Ingenium Digital Health Advisors)
Pediatric Applications
- Explore telehealth innovations designed for pediatric care:
- Sarah Asch, MD (Hometown Pediatric Dermatology)
- Silvio Fernandes (Nationwide Children’s Hospital)
- Adithi Mahankali (University of Washington)
Research Flash Highlights
Morning Topics:
- Stephanie Punt, PhD (University of California Los Angeles): Barriers to Social Determinants of Health Addressed Through Telehealth.
- Caitlyn Koob, PhD, MS (Medical University of South Carolina): Evaluating Virtual-Only Specialty Care Programs.
- Lori Berry, MNSc, RN, CNOR (University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences): Telehealth Education in Acute Care.
Afternoon Topics:
- Crystal Jones, RDCS, MHS & Mayra Leal Vargas (University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences): Telehealth Lactation Support for Medicaid Patients.
- Devin Miller, MPH (University of Colorado): Balancing Patient Care and Climate Action with eConsults.
- Cari A. Bogulski, PhD (University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences): Telehealth Use and Disparities During COVID-19.
Why Attend SEARCH 2025?
From keynotes by renowned leaders to sessions led by experts representing institutions like West Health Institute, Yale New Haven Health, and the University of Mississippi Medical Center, SEARCH 2025 is your gateway to the future of telehealth.
Dr. Nick Mohr, Professor of Emergency Medicine, Anesthesia, Critical Care, and Epidemiology has been awarded the SEARCH 2023 National Telehealth Research Symposium’ Judge’s Award. His abstract, Provider-to-Provider Sepsis Telehealth Use in Rural Emergency Departments in Medicare Beneficiaries, focuses on evaluating provider-to-provider telehealth in rural emergency departments to understand how sepsis care is changed by having teleconsultation.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
The Society for Education and the Advancement of Research in Connected Health (@SEARCHSociety) just launched a new video series, SEARCH Spotlights. These 
Elizabeth Krupinski, PhD, will serve as the President for SEARCH. Elizabeth is a Professor and Vice-Chair of Research at Emory University in the Departments of Radiology, Psychology and Bioinformatics. She is the Associate Director of Evaluation for the Arizona Telemedicine Program and the Director of the SouthWest Telehealth Resource Center. She also serves as the editor of the Telemedicine Reports and the Journal of Digital Imaging. “SEARCH is currently the only major venue for finding cutting-edge research presentations, interacting with top-notch telehealth investigators, finding research collaborators, and for supporting trainees interested in telehealth research,” says Krupsinksi. “Its independence from vendors ensures the data presented are unbiased and of the highest quality.”
David Fletcher will serve as the Vice President and Secretary for SEARCH. David is the Associate Vice President of Telehealth at Geisinger, has worked for 20 years in the healthcare industry. He currently oversees all facets of telehealth and the eICU program with 160 employees serving Geisinger’s 10 hospital campuses and more than 50 community clinics and 15 urgent care clinics, which serves more than 2 million residents in Pennsylvania. In July 2020, the program was recognized as the #1 National Telehealth Network at the Teladoc National Telehealth Innovation Forum. “SEARCH is immensely valuable to me because the unbiased, thoughtful research it provides helps me separate the wheat from the chaff in all of the proposals I see in this still young industry. Every year after the conference, I come away increasingly empowered to make clear-eyed, evidence-based decisions to help build our program,” says Fletcher.
Mari Robinson, JD, is the newest member of SEARCH and will serve as the new Treasurer. Mari is the Director of Telehealth for the University of Texas Medical Branch and in that role she is assisting with the roll out of the Virtual Health Network, a project to link all UT systems medical campuses to allow for the shared provision of telemedicine throughout the state. She is also the Director of the Medical Technology Resource & Education Center (MTREC), which provides training and support in the area of medical technology. “SEARCH’s role of promoting objective data regarding the efficacy in telehealth in the various areas of medical care fills an important need in the telehealth landscape,” says Robinson. “This is necessary if we hope to utilize telemedicine to universally improve healthcare for all of the population.”
PRESS RELEASE