Joslin Professional Education Continuum (JPEC(TM)) Launches World-Class Dental Portal for Continuing Medical Education and Performance Improvement

BOSTON, Feb. 8 /PRNewswire/ -- The Joslin Professional Education Continuum (JPEC™) is inviting primary care physicians, dentists and oral health professionals to participate and engage in a new world-class professional education and performance improvement platform to explore the interrelationships between diabetes and oral health. The JPEC™ mission is to be the premier professional education resource for diabetes and related conditions, and help improve treatment knowledge, skills, and performance regarding this condition that affects an estimated 24+ million Americans and consumes 14 percent of healthcare dollars expended.

Diabetes can affect and be affected by conditions that impact many parts of the body, including the mouth and dental structures. Diabetes can be affected by several oral health problems, and conversely, the presence of oral health concerns such as tooth decay, periodontal (gum) disease, salivary gland dysfunction, and infection can have implications for diabetes and other cardiometabolic risk-conferring conditions. The Joslin Professional Education Continuum (JPEC™) launched the JPEC™ Dental Care Center to provide the global community of dentists, hygienists, and primary care providers an online venue to collaborate and improve patient treatment outcomes for these issues of overlapping concern between diabetes and dental disease, using the expertise, tools, and resources of the Joslin Diabetes Center – the world leader in diabetes research, education, and care.

The JPEC Dental Care Center will provide primary care physicians, dentists, and oral health professionals the opportunity to:

• View Web-based diabetes enduring material and post-test to earn Continuing Dental Education (CDE) or Continuing Medical Education (CME) credits;
• Interact with colleagues interested in the prevention and treatment of diabetes;
• Exchange ideas on diabetes and its connection to oral health; and
• Participate in patient case discussions with colleagues from around the country and the world on the dedicated Dental Discussion Board, monitored by Joslin diabetes clinical experts.

Leveraging the expertise of world-leading experts and research at the Joslin Diabetes Center, the Joslin Professional Education Continuum (JPEC™) also provides knowledge and analysis tools for physicians and healthcare professionals to enhance the ability of clinical and office teams to improve office systems, patient care, and patient outcomes.

Physicians, dentists, and oral health professionals can go online and join JPEC™ today   to take advantage of ongoing, cutting edge, interactive educational resources; timely articles on current research and care of diabetes; virtual patient cases; and step-by-step tools to implement performance improvement CME. The JPEC™ educational platform also includes an active, moderated discussion board allowing the exchange of ideas on best practices and providing support for practice improvement efforts.

The JPEC™ Advisory Board consists of internationally recognized experts from the Joslin Diabetes Center who bring decades of experience in the treatment of patients with diabetes and the disease's complications to the development of this online professional education community. Board members  include Martin J. Abrahamson, MD; Richard S. Beaser, MD; Enrique Caballero, MD; Om P. Ganda, MD; Osama Hamdy, MD, PhD, FACE; William C. Hsu, MD; Kenneth J. Snow, MD; Howard A. Wolpert, MD; Amy P. Campbell, MS, RD, LDN, CDE; Melinda Maryniuk, MEd, RD, CDE; Carole Mensing, RN, MA, CDE; and Elaine D. Sullivan, MS, RN, CDE.

Joslin has the world's largest team of board-certified physicians treating diabetes and its complications, as well as the largest staff of Certified Diabetes Educators anywhere in the world. Joslin researchers have won top awards and recognition from the National Academy of Sciences, the Institute of Medicine, the American Diabetes Association (ADA), and the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF), among many others. The number of papers Joslin researchers present each year at the annual ADA Scientific Sessions surpasses any other organization. Joslin also offers one of the largest research training programs in the world, with more than 120 MD and PhD fellows training at the center annually.

The JPEC Dental Care Center—supported by an educational grant from Sunstar Inc.—allows access to a wealth of resources for primary care providers, dentists, and other healthcare professionals to help prevent and cure diabetes and is available on JPEC. Click here to register and obtain full access to the site.

Physicians, dentists and healthcare professionals can now follow the Joslin Professional Education Consortium (JPEC) on Facebook and Twitter for updates and information on diabetes care, continuing medical education opportunities, and important news announcements.

Joslin Diabetes Center is the world's preeminent diabetes research and clinical care organization. Joslin is dedicated to ensuring people with diabetes live long, healthy lives and offers real hope and progress toward diabetes prevention and a cure for the disease. Founded in 1898 by Elliott P. Joslin, MD, Joslin is an independent nonprofit institution affiliated with Harvard Medical School. For more information about Joslin, call 1-800-JOSLIN-1 or visit www.joslin.org.

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SOURCE Joslin Professional Education Continuum