The University of Central Florida Medical School campus at Lake Nona is using a “Second Life” gaming approach to train medical students.  In the first year, the student will be given a cyber-patient (avatar) that will go through the usual progression from childhood illnesses to the chronic disease of old age by the time the new doctor graduates.  Actually, the avatar will die at the end of the fourth year.  The University drew expertise for this from its neighbor, the US Army’s Simulation and Training Technology Center. The school also is hiring actors to be “real life” patients with Alzheimer’s, diabetes, epilepsy, et al.             MORE