FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Brian Shanahan MediSpin Inc. 646-452-1647, extension 201 FAX: 212-255-9957 Email: bshanahan@medispin.com http://www.medispin.com MediSpin Inc. Receives NIMH Contract to Create an Interactive Educational Website for Research Mentoring (New York, NY; September 30, 2004) MediSpin Inc. has received a Phase II Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) contract for $1,465,000 from the National Institutes of Mental Health to create a Web-based professional educational initiative for research and mentoring training in mental health. The SBIR program, a competitively awarded, three-phase Federal Government initiative, is designed to stimulate technological innovation and provide opportunities for small business. Since 2002, MediSpin has been awarded nearly $2 million in grants and contracts under the SBIR program. In 2003, the NIMH awarded MediSpin an SBIR Phase I contract to create a prototype Web site and educational initiative to improve the quality of research mentoring in geriatric mental health. "The population of Americans over 65 is projected to more than double in the next 25 years," explained Brian Shanahan, MediSpin CEO and Principal Investigator for this contract. "As a result, the number of older people with mental disorders will increase from 18% to 28%, making the need to attract and retain researchers in geriatric psychiatry critical. It has been estimated that only 700 psychologists have some aging-relevant training. In addition, although there is now an increasing number of Fellows and faculty members in geriatric psychiatry, there remains a recruitment crisis in the field of research. Even among the individuals who have participated in Fellowships, a majority (68%) spends less than 10% of their time in research. In terms of recruiting more individuals to research careers, several factors stand in the way, including ageism and serious financial and time constraints (low salaries, etc.). The need for additional teaching methods is evident. The educational systems developed during Phase II provide a more flexible and very cost-effective method to reach a far greater number of prospective researchers. The benefits would be twofold. This could accelerate the learning process for attendees at these institutes as well as deliver this knowledge to a far wider audience -- institutionally and individually. Having these educational programs available in an on-demand format, the participant will have 24/7 assess to the materials. They can learn at their own pace and according to their own schedule. Mentors can have easy availability to teaching curriculum for either utilizing in their own lesson plan or to refer their mentees to for training. An added benefit will be having the educational activities accredited. This Phase II contract will refine and execute the geriatric mental health model developed in Phase I and will expanded into other mental health research areas, such as adult and child interventions and services. MediSpin is a multimedia medical communications company that specializes in development of interactive learning for healthcare professionals,consumers, and researchers. MediSpin produces online and offline symposia, eDetailing, CD-ROMs, educational software and databases, Web sites, video, and animations. Located in New York, its clients include pharmaceutical companies, online CME/CE content providers, leading medical centers, and the government. For more information, please contact Brian Shanahan at 646-452-1647. -END-