International VR and Healthcare Association (IVRHA) Launches with 40 Founding Member Organizations

“The Association will play a critical role as the coordinator for the design, development and promulgation of industry standards and best practices for the use of VR/AR technology as part of the next generation of digital medical systems.”

“We know from decades of research that virtual and augmented reality (VR/AR) technologies can address the most difficult problems in healthcare. Ranging from mood disorders such as anxiety and depression to post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), addiction, autism, cognitive aging, as well as neuro and physical rehabilitation,” said Dr. Walter Greenleaf of the Virtual Human Interaction Lab at Stanford University and the Association’s Founding Advisory Board Chair.

“VR/AR technology will have impact by enabling objective clinical assessments as well as providing for improved skill training and procedure planning. Personal health and wellness can also be improved by using immersive systems to promote better nutrition, engender healthier lifestyles, and to reduce personal stress and anxiety. As the cost of healthcare rises, VR and AR can serve as an effective telemedicine platform to reduce the costs of care delivery and improve clinical efficiency in both urban and rural settings.”

The Association had its official kick-off meeting at the end of the 3rd Annual VR and Healthcare Symposium this past March 8th, 2019 at the University of Arizona. The group discussed the initial goals and strategy for the Association for 2019.

“We look forward to further collaborating with the immersive healthcare community to shape how XR healthcare solutions are effectively and ethically designed and delivered,” said Carrie Shaw, Founder and CEO of Embodied Labs. “Our organization, Embodied Labs, is proud to be a founding member of the IVRHA.”

“Having co-founded the ‘VR for Good’ annual conference in 2017 with Robert Fine and participating in the ‘VR and Healthcare’ symposiums, I have witnessed first-hand the vast potential for VR to do good in healthcare,” said Ken Ehrhart, Founder and CEO of Paracosma. “It’s with great enthusiasm that our company accepted the invitation to be a founding member of the Association.”

The Association founding member organizations include: 

• BehaVR
• Bongiovi Medical and Health Technologies
• Brain Performance Institute, University of Texas – Dallas
• Center for Accelerated Biomedical Innovation, University of Arizona
• Center for Aging + Brain Health Innovation (CAHBI)
• Chronic Pain Research Institute, Simon Fraser University
• Cleanbox Technology
• College of Nursing, University of Central Florida
• EdgeOne Medical
• Embodied Labs
• Empower 360 Foundation
• Enduvo
• FundamentalVR
• George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences
• Healium
• Health Scholars
• HP
• HumanEyes Technologies
• IKONA Health
• Immersive Worlds
• Lavendr by RicoLab
• Mary Furlong and Associates
• MindMaze
• Motus XR
• MyndVR
• National Mental Health Innovation Center, University of Colorado
• NIH/NIAID Bioinformatics
• NotionTheory
• Paracosma
• Playing Forward
• Polhemus
• SimforHealth
• Sine Wave Company
• The RLab NYC
• TRIPP
• Vanderbilt University Innovation Center
• Very Real Help
• Virtual Human Interaction Lab, Stanford University
• Virtual Switzerland
• Washington State University Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine

About Embodied Labs

Embodied Labs provides VR-enabled immersive learning systems giveing professional and family caregivers insights that improve the way they view, and provide care for residents, patients, and clients.

About Paracosma

Paracosma Inc is an AR and VR consulting and systems integration company that provides solutions and skills to both small and large customers. Thier services include content creation, application development, and systems integration across a broad range of AR and VR platforms.