Technology Applications Center for Healthful Lifestyles (TACHL). TACHL is a Health Sciences South Carolina Center of Economic Excellence. MUSC launched TACHL in August 2010 with the recruitment of Frank Treiber, PhD as the institution’s Director of TACHL. One of the biggest challenges public health researchers face is the development of efficacious, cost-effective lifestyle intervention and health
care management programs which can be personalized to meet the specific needs and characteristics of individuals. TACHL provides a unique opportunity to address this challenge. The Center provides an outstanding environment to engage in multi-disciplinary based research with scientists from diverse disciplines at MUSC, University of South Carolina (USC) and Clemson University. Through multi-institutional collaborations it develops, evaluates and commercializes technology for individuals, worksites, community groups and health care provider networks to foster efficacious health promotion, disease prevention and health care management and work force capacity-building. Products include software and information systems for mobile smart phones, personal digital assistants, iPad®/tablet technologies, web based computer assisted programs, interactive call centers and others which will implement and monitor various programs including physical activity, diet, stress reduction, smoking prevention/cessation, biomarker monitoring and medication adherence. Product development is guided by the preferences of various users. For example, youth may prefer interactive game based computer technology applications for health behavior change, young adults may prefer smart phone delivered interventions and self-monitoring/adherence programs while seniors and others may prefer direct contact with healthcare call centers via phone and/or video conferencing via computer interface. TACHL has the infrastructure to conduct the hardware creation, software development, deployment and maintenance of applications in a secure encrypted environment. Our programming paradigm is to develop software systems based on an n-tier architecture, where we create the presentation layer, business logic and data layer into separate software systems. These systems are developed to minimize maintenance, but provide a robust scalable model for future growth and interaction using a unified modeling language. TACHL fosters more efficacious health promotion, disease prevention, and healthcare delivery/adherence related programs applicable to all South Carolinians. These advances will help meet the long term vision of the Center which is to improve the health and well-being of all South Carolinians, provide indirect economic benefits to the state via improved work productivity, decreased absenteeism and decreased health care costs. The Technology Center will also foster economic growth to the state via the commercialization of new technology products, development and recruitment of companies involved in various aspects of software and systems technology development and program delivery. A diversity of new jobs will result including software and hardware developers, technology based educational training, clinical intervention, publishing and advertising positions among other high-tech business related occupations. The 10-year goal is to become a multi institution based national center of excellence. Most importantly, the activities of TACHL will help contribute to a reduction in the chronic disease health disparities ravaging the state and result in improved health and well-being of all South Carolinians
