BUSM student Wins Information Technology Award from Massachusetts Medical Society

A BUSM student is one of only two recipients of the 2011 Massachusetts Medical Society’s Information Technology Awards. The honor recognizes the development of an information technology tool that helps physicians practice medicine, teach medicine, or pursue clinical research. Two awards of $3,000 each are presented annually by the state medical society, to one medical student and one resident, fellow, or intern.

Andrey Ostrovsky is a fourth-year medical student at BUSM. Between his third and fourth years, he was awarded a year-long Doris Duke Charitable Foundation Fellowship to conduct health policy research at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) in conjunction with the California Department of Public Health.

Mr. Ostrovsky was a principal in developing the website, the San Francisco Community Vital Signs, an online tool to evaluate and strengthen the local public health system. He has subsequently published a paper in the Journal of Public Health Management and Practice, demonstrating how the Community Vital Signs streamlines health system assessment and collaboration by fusing public health with social media. He has also given Grand Rounds for the Department of Pediatrics at UCSF in applying lean-startup entrepreneurship principles to public health innovation.

Since his return to medical school, he has written a series of five speeches on health disparities for U.S. Senator Benjamin L. Cardin, which were delivered by the Senator in Congress. Mr. Ostrovsky is currently working with several web-based health companies as a consultant for customer development. He plans to train in medicine-pediatrics during residency and looks forward to a career in primary care medicine, health policy, and social entrepreneurship.

The Massachusetts Medical Society, with nearly 23,000 physicians and student members, is dedicated to educating and advocating for the patients and physicians of Massachusetts.