Project ECHO

Medicine that inspires us goes beyond what happens in the research lab or clinical setting. As future physicians, premed students inherit the responsibility of educating and serving their communities. One organization that truly exemplifies this responsibility is Project ECHO. Originally founded as Project Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes (ECHO), Project ECHO seeks to bring specialist knowledge to local primary care providers worldwide.

Dr. Sanjeev Arora founded Project ECHO in 2003 after a woman with hepatitis C visited his office. As one of New Mexico’s few gastroenterologists specializing in hepatitis C, Dr. Arora had a very long waitlist, with some patients waiting nearly 8 months to see him for the first time. They also frequently had to travel long distances from rural areas. When a mother of two young children came to his office in visible pain, and he saw she had been diagnosed with hepatitis C eight years prior, he was alarmed. She had waited so long because she couldn’t take time off work or get childcare for the round-trip eight-hour drive, which she would have had to make frequently during her treatment. She only came to see him once the pain had become so severe that she could no longer work. She died months later from late-stage liver cancer, caused by the untreated hepatitis C.

“Making access to care more equitable for everyone, regardless of where they live or their social status became my life’s work.” - Dr. Sanjeev Arora

Dr. Arora founded Project ECHO in an attempt to make sure no one else would die from a treatable disease because they couldn’t get access to timely and quality health care. He thought of a new strategy to get care where it was needed as best as possible. Instead of bringing patients to distant specialists, he would bring specialist knowledge to local primary care providers. Using regular virtual learning sessions—now called the ECHO model—he mentored providers so they could treat hepatitis C in their own communities.

Since its inception, Project ECHO has expanded dramatically. Specialist knowledge of hepatitis C is still shared today, but it is now joined by more than 8,000 ECHO programs worldwide. These programs cover wide-ranging topics that have spread far beyond healthcare. In more than 180 countries and areas, specialists use virtual learning sessions to share knowledge with local communities, build networks, and address local needs.

“Our goal is to connect every frontline worker, in every corner of the world, to a community of practice that helps them hone and acquire new skills for greater impact.” - Project ECHO

Project ECHO has been recognized for its success throughout the years. In 2016, Congress passed the ECHO Act, making it a national model for healthcare collaboration in rural and underserved areas. In 2025, a trial published in Diabetes Carefound that the ECHO model improved outcomes for medically underserved patients with diabetes across California and Florida.

Educating local communities and connecting them to resources are vital aspects of being a healthcare provider. Project ECHO is an excellent example of an organization that spreads knowledge and trains providers to better serve their communities. If you’re interested in attending Project ECHO sessions, register at https://iecho.org/welcome and get involved.

Thank you for reading,

Ashby Glover

Sources:

Ashby F. Walker, Michael J. Haller, Ananta Addala, Stephanie L. Filipp, Rayhan A. Lal, Matthew J. Gurka, Lauren E. Figg, Melanie Hechavarria, Dessi P. Zaharieva, Keilecia G. Malden, et al. “Project ECHO Diabetes Trial Improves Outcomes for Medically Underserved People.” Diabetes Care 48, no. 2 (2025): 243–250.

Kim Donoghue. “Project ECHO: Origin Story.” UNM Health Sciences: Project ECHO. July 14, 2025. https://projectecho.unm.edu/story/project-echo-origin-story/

Kim Donoghue. “What Does ECHO Mean?” UNM Health Sciences: Project ECHO. October 9, 2025. https://projectecho.unm.edu/story/what-does-echo-mean/

“Our Why.” UNM Health Sciences: Project ECHO. Accessed July 14, 2026. https://projectecho.unm.edu/what-we-do/

"S.2873 - 114th Congress (2015-2016): ECHO Act." Congress.gov, Library of Congress. December 14 2016. https://www.congress.gov/bill/114th-congress/senate-bill/2873