Making It Happen Dr. Michael Astion, director of lab medicine's computer section, has led the project from its beginning in 1991. By 1992, in collaboration with the Center for Bioengineering, a high-end digital microscopy system was built that made it much easier to make high quality images of certain clinical lab tests. Over the years, Astion and his team have developed a systematic approach to creating new programs in the Tutors series. They bring together programmers, artists, and topic experts and put together a 36-week production schedule. The detailed plan includes who the product is aimed at, how it will work, and what it will do.
Work often begins with collecting large numbers of images of clinical specimens.
Our experts are quite finicky about what they will accept, and we learned that it is easier to do our own images and graphics rather than try to acquire them from outside. Building a Reputation Creating a quality product is only half the battle, says Astion. No matter how good they are, these things do not sell themselves. And, they bargained hard with the publishers. Microscopy, urinalysis, peripheral blood, and parasites are four of the subjects in the Laboratory-Tutors series.