With the use of Vidyo Conferencing Systems offered by the DOST-Advanced Science and Technology Institute (DOST-ASTI), St. Luke's Medical Center was able to grab the prestigious Margret Oddsdottir Award from the Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons (SAGES) for their work entitled "The First Telemedicine Network of the Philippines: “Beyond Borders” last 22-25 March 2017 in Houston, Texas.
Represented by Dr. Katherine M. Panganiban, St. Luke's Medical Center presented the current status of telemedicine in their institution, development and establishment of the First Telemedicine Network of the Philippines, and the essential needs and future of telemedicine in the country among others during the event.
The partnership of St. Luke's Medical Center and DOST-ASTI had made Telesurgery and Live Demo Connection at the Cadaver Dissection course performed during the first Philippine Telemedicine Network Symposium last July 9, 2016 possible thru the Polycom Video Conferencing System. Said event was also able to connect via video-conference partner-hospitals including Veterans Medical Center, National Kidney and Transplant Institute, University of Cebu Hospital, Baguio General Hospital, Philippine General Hospital, Aborlan Medicare Hospital Palawan, and Davao Doctors' Hospital.
SAGES is a non-profit professional organization that provide education on gastrointestinal minimally invasive surgery, with the mission "to improve quality patient care through education, research, innovation and leadership, principally in gastrointestinal and endoscopic surgery".