T 37: Use of a Mobile Robot to Facilitate Long Distance Professional Development Meetings For Post-Doctoral Fellows

Poster Presenter

Ramya Mathew

Post-Doctoral Fellow, Medical Affairs
Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation
United States

Objectives

The Rutgers Pharmaceutical Industry Fellowship (RPIF) Program continues to grow and now has a significant presence on the West Coast. There has been an increased need to find a solution to incorporate West Coast &traveling fellows into the professional development series taking place at the University

Method

The Professional Development and Technology Committees conducted a needs assessment &proposed utilizing a mobile robot. The Double Robot offers a telepresence, allowing West Coast fellows to feel more connected and engaged by providing a remote-controlled physical presence as well as a live feed.

Results

The robot was piloted at a professional development/seminar series. It was able to maneuver in the seminar space and became a part of the live workshops and applied learning activities, while displaying a live audio/video feed of the West Coast fellows. The process of conducting meetings with personnel off site was seen as a valued skill set for training industry fellows. A preliminary assessment found that the West Coast fellows felt more engaged with the activities and that the fellows on the East Coast did not find the robot to be overly intrusive or distracting.

Conclusion

The use of the mobile robot has facilitated interaction among post-doctoral fellows on the East and West Coasts. A formalized survey is being conducted to further evaluate the level of engagement the robot provides for remote seminar attendees.