The Medical Education Informatics Research Group (MEI) focuses on exploring shifting paradigms in education and breakthroughs in information technologies for implementation in novel and impactful learning modalities in healthcare education. The group consists of a diverse scientific pool ranging from healthcare and education experts such as medical doctors and academics all the way to technology experts such as engineers IT specialists and programmers. Research in the MEI-RG follows several axes.

On one axis exploring contemporary pedagogies in medical (and overall healthcare) education focusing on experiential and active learning such as problem based learning and case/scenario-based learning; virtual patients and the gamification of content aims to provide learners with rich interactive educational content in order to facilitate their need for rapid absorption of the ever evolving healthcare curriculum. Mobile learning and experiential technologies such as Augmented and Virtual reality in education are also explored both from the technical development and the pedagogical points of view.

On another axis the MEI group in collaboration with the rest of the medical physics’ research team is exploring the interplay between emotion and the learning process. Utilizing sensors and analysis methods the impact of affective states in the learning process, both in theoretical and in practical education is explored.

Additionally, the MEI group innovates in remote healthcare education. Through ICTs it explores the facilitation of continuous healthcare training for professionals as well as citizens in remote areas by bringing the expert close to the learner and keeping the level of healthcare expertise consistent irrespectively of the professional’s distance from large educational or healthcare institutions (Universities, Hospitals). Examples include the training of care givers (formal and informal ones too) for special target groups like the elderly, the disabled and the chronic patients.

Finally, extensive research in information communication technologies (ICTs), especially e-learning standards and semantic technologies, aims to facilitate the aggregation, repurposing and reusability of the ever expanding healthcare educational content with overall goal the consolidation of healthcare education resources, their discoverability and availability to the widest part of its consumers. The Group holds a huge experience in social media, “mashup” technologies, as well as, semantic web technologies, linked (open) data/big data and learning analystics with considerable involvement in funded national and international projects.

Members of MEI have also founded OKFN Greece is the official chapter of Open Knowledge Foundation in Greece, a non-governmental organization that pursues openness and public information freedom in Greece, through participation and transparency activities. It is  supported by a national network of volunteers most of which are experienced professionals in the fields of Computer Science, Mathematics, Medicine, Journalism etc. Members of the local chapter had previously created the first Greek Linked Open Data Cloud consisting mainly of government data nodes (Clarity programme, criminality data, wildfires data). OKFN Greece members have undertaken the Greek DBpedia realization, creating the Internationalized Extraction Framework, which further led to the establishment of the DBpedia Internationalization Committee. OKFN Greece has also led the Open Data activities in Greece and has built the Greek Open Data Hub, a central repository of the Greek open datasets, getting praise from the European Commission’s Vice President, Neelie Kroes.