The 2025 Telehealth Pioneer award was presented posthumously to Michael Haschker during the 13th Annual Telehealth Summit of South Carolina held last month in Charleston. The award recognizes an individual champion in the areas of clinical care, education, or policy who implemented telehealth with a practice, health center, school-based or administrative setting.
Michael Haschker died in April and is remembered as a pioneer in telehealth communications. He worked for 36 years in the telehealth technology field and was one of the founding members of the Center for Telehealth at the Medical University of South Carolina. His work helped to increase health care access for vulnerable patient populations throughout South Carolina and around the world. As a leader he guided MUSC physicians in creating global health initiatives which set up telehealth connections to countries including Honduras and Uganda.
“He was very mission oriented and wanted to serve those who historically had not had the ability to get access to speciality care and to good high quality medical care,” said Emily Warr, administrator at the Center for Telehealth. “It was really important to him to use the role within the Center for Telehealth to help people.”
Palmetto Care Connections is the host of the Annual Telehealth Summit of South Carolina. The Telehealth Summit brings together leaders and professionals interested in utilizing telehealth to increase access to health care.
