The first example we mentioned was the Ann Myers Medical Center (see the first page of this e-course), but there are several opportunities for medical professionals and for patients to find educational meetings or support groups in Second Life. Examples include:

The e-Learning Faculty of Imperial College London created a spectacular and useful Second Life tool in medical education (click here to teleport) .

At the reception, you have to ask permission to see a patient.



Find the room of that particular patient you got access to.



Choose from the three options:



Check the patient’s history through a text file.



If you answer the test question regarding differential diagnosis, you can purchase investigations.



Though, at the moment, you have to pay for objects such as X-Rays.



A video may describe it better:

Second Nature (click here to teleport) is the Second Life island of Nature Publishing Group where scientific presentations, meetings and sessions take place regularly.


The website of Nature.com/secondnature

Jean-Claude Bradley, among others, create models for teaching chemistry including 3D molecules and periodic tables.


Models of molecules


3D periodic table

The Scifoo Lives On conference sessions are organized on Second Nature island and focus on events like videos in science; famous science bloggers or the research of 23andMe. Speakers set posters up and present their slideshows.


A Scifoo Lives On session about web 2.0 and medicine


Another session about the online projects of Nature Publishing Group


An overview of all of the posters on the island

This site is currently under development, and a much better space will be dedicated to the Scifoo Lives On series.


The new building that is under development

Part of the difficulty of teaching online science classes is the lack of a lab. The Gene Pool contains simulated experiments that students use to enhance their online class work.

The Gene Pool contains notecards with information about much of Mendel’s writing as well as Web sites to refer to for further information. The Greenhouse, Garden and Orangery have displays showing the results of cross breeding between various types of peas and flowers.

Swimming in the Gene Pool (SLNN.com)

The Genome Island (click here to teleport) was designed by Max Chatnoir (Professor at Texas Wesleyan in Fort Worth, Texas) who envisioned a place where students can do virtual experiments, test crosses or genetic quizzes and learn more about the laws of inheritance.

In Second Life, you have an immersive environment in which students can actually do experiments that produce analyzable data. That is why the different floors of that futuristic building are full of virtual experiments and slides about the basics of genetics and genomics.


The Genome Island


The Genome Pool

Such a chromosome gallery can prove the strong connection between the virtual models of Second Life and real scientific data as when you click on a region of a chromosome, you receive information about that specific genetic material and its impact on medical conditions.


Human Chromosome Gallery


A set of virtual experiments


Interactive tools to learn more about polymerase chain reaction

Genome Island is a great example of how to build useful virtual models. Another example is the human testis model of DrDoug Pennell (Associate Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at The Ohio State University in Columbus, OH USA).

Second Health (click here to teleport), the Second Life project of NHS London, is an experimental site where medical professionals with patients can illustrate what healthcare of the future could look like.


The NHS PolyClinic





Behind the scenes of Second Health:

Red Cross established its online presence years ago and now manages an island where they try to raise awareness on important health issues such as AIDS or hunger.


The Hug for Life Campaign


Raising awareness on hunger in Africa

The Ontario Health Center (click here to teleport) features video rooms, educational devices and is open to interview in a virtual environment those who are interested in finding a job at the center.


The main building


The place where they interview residents and medical students


Video room, where they organize meetings and presentations


You or your patients can pratice cardiopulmonary resuscitation on a virtual model

Healthinfo Island

Healthinfo Island (click here to teleport), where librarians try to explore the possibilities of consumer health information services in a virtual environment is funded by the National Library of Medicine. A consumer health and a medical library are both located on the island, and they also create environment for people with any kind of disabilities.




Patient support is an important part of their project


You can also do Pubmed searches in-world.

The medical librarians can help you in these areas:

• Basic or more advanced information about a disease or condition
• Information about surgical procedures
• Drugs and their side effects or interactions
• How to find a support forum where people are dealing with the same issues you are facing
• New research about diseases or therapies

Sexual Health SIM

A project of the University of Plymouth (click here to teleport) where education about sexually transmitted infections is in the focus.


Sexual Health Sim of the University of Plymouth


Wear a skin disease: the AIDS-related Kaposi Sarcoma experience


AIDS and HIV infection information and visual global statistics

Developed by the faculty, this new virtual teaching model, Pharmatopia, is a shared practice model involving ten leading pharmacy schools from around the world.

Monash has purchased a closed-access island (not available to the public) in Second Life, a virtual world, available to staff and students at participating universities. The island has been christened ‘Pharmatopia’, and as the name suggests, aims to develop a pharmacy education ‘oasis’. The cost of the island is low and access for students is free.

University of Auckland

This simulation is being constructed to explore the potential of virtual worlds to offer near-real clinical and human experiences for medical training.

Most of the “build” to date has been focused on the physical structures and equipment, however continued work will be to animate equipment and avatars to simulate real-life contingencies.