PROGRAM UPDATE (9/21/2025)

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Pilot Program + Current Stage

Our project has the good fortune of building on a successful pilot program designed to shape the beta in progress — The Long COVID + IACI Medical Education + Awareness Program. This initiative is focused on creating diagnostic and treatment guidelines for Infection-Associated Illnesses (IACI) such as Long COVID, ME/CFS, and related conditions, and sharing them broadly for adoption across the healthcare industry — from medical clinics and hospitals to schools, public health systems, and government institutions.

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The program brings together experts and partners across a wide spectrum — community clinics, hospitals, health systems, public health departments, research institutions, scientific laboratories, universities, insurers, foundations, advocates, patients, NGOs, and freelancers.

 

This innovative effort, spearheaded by our 501(c)(3) non-profit organization The Chesley Initiative in partnership with Mount Sinai’s Core Lab, has already produced more than a dozen hybrid in-person/virtual medical education modules in California. These modules provide continuing medical education to physicians, residents, and allied healthcare professionals nationwide.

 

Importantly, the pilot program is serving as the beta for our technology platform, which will enable scalability on a federal government and national level.

 

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I. Impact: Medical Education Program

1. The Long Roundtable Meeting Series (Now): A dynamic gathering of professionals beginning with a Roundtable in Santa Barbara, with expansion planned across Ventura, San Luis Obispo, Marin, Los Angeles, and beyond — ultimately scaling nationally state by state.

2. CoRE Knowledge Collaborative: A collaborative hub that consolidates information and learnings from the Roundtables and advisors into a resource for ongoing program use, future development, and evaluation.

3. IACI Intensive Hybrid CME-Accredited Course + Provider Manual (Spring 2026): A CME course designed to teach and release key diagnostic and treatment guidelines, based on the IACI Provider Manual developed with Mount Sinai CoRE. This 167-page manual has already been downloaded over 4,000 times worldwide.

4. Website-Hub + Certificate of Completion: A searchable database under development that will house the manual (updated every 6 months), companion handouts, and educational materials. Providers worldwide will be able to access resources, download CME content, and even register as expert reviewers for disability cases.

5. Study Design for Program Evaluation (Now): Co-design of longitudinal program evaluation with roundtable partners to demonstrate real-world clinical impact.

6. Adoption into Policy (Spring/Fall 2026): With the completion of formal guidelines, TCI will partner with CenCal Health and other insurers to facilitate guideline adoption into covered policy.

7. Existing Technology Integration (Fall 2026): CenCal Health, covering 1/3 of Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo residents, is exploring integration of the newest technology with clinics to confirm administrative coverage of the diagnostic tests and treatments.

8. Local–State–Federal Government (Now): Dr. Putrino serves on the Long COVID Roundtable of clinician-researchers led by RFK, Jr., providing a direct channel to share knowledge about epidemiological studies, innovation, and clinical application learned in our pilot program and possibly beta new technology.

 

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II. Awareness/Media: Documentary Film + PSA Campaign

1. Film a PSA: Spotlighting government officials personally affected by Long COVID, many of whom serve on the Long COVID Roundtable. This PSA, tentatively titled The Long Roundtable, will be filmed in Washington, D.C. and/or in the government official's home states.

2. Documentary Feature Film: A longer-format documentary that broadens awareness, featuring impacted communities and solutions. While the film is a standalone impact project, it also strengthens the ecosystem of educational tools and amplifies program reach.

 

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III. Technology Innovation

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Our third track in this application centers on technology innovation. The pilot program described above is functioning as the beta test for the technology, which ensures immediate usability and future scalability.