Crisis in Amazon jungle fuels Bangor surgeon’s passion for tech in the OR

Dr. Rafael Grossmann, a surgeon at Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor, is about as passionate an advocate for telemedicine as you’ll find in Maine. On his personal blog and at various conferences, he extolls the benefits of marrying medicine with technology to improve care and save lives.

Last June, he made high-tech history by bringing the latest innovation from Google into the operating room. Grossmann used Google Glass, a wearable computer, to record a surgery he performed on a patient. He sees great potential for Google Glass in medicine, from allowing doctors to mentor medical students remotely to consulting with each other without being tied to a computer or telephone.

The device isn’t likely to become standard operating procedure in hospitals just yet, partly because of concerns about patient privacy.

Today, Grossmann Tweeted a video of his December presentation at TEDx Bermuda, where he shed light on the origins of his zeal for telemedicine. It started when he was just a medical student, learning his craft in the Amazonian jungle, and a young woman in the midst of a life-threatening labor came to him for help. Take a look at the video for the full story.

Grossmann also discussed Google Glass and other healthcare “marvels” a little closer to home, at a TEDxYouth event held in January in Bangor. Check out that video here.

Jackie Farwell

About Jackie Farwell

I'm the health editor for the Bangor Daily News, a Bangor native, a UMaine grad, and a weekend crossword warrior. I never get sick of writing about Maine people, geeking out over health care data, and finding new ways to help you stay well. I live in Gorham with my husband Nick and our hound dog Riley.