NYU Medical Center - Child Study Center

Web Content Management Systems - NYU Medical Center-Child Study Center

Visit Site: www.aboutourkids.org

DPCI Launches New Website and Content Management System for NYU Child Study Center in Record Time

Founded in 1997, the Child Study Center at New York University is dedicated to increasing the awareness of child and adolescent psychiatric disorders and advancing the research, prevention, identification, and treatment of these disorders. Founded by Dr. Harold Koplewicz, one of America's leading child and adolescent psychiatrists, the Child Study Center is recognized as the only New York State Center of Excellence in children's mental health. Under Dr. Koplewicz's direction, the Child Study Center has published more than 400 peer-reviewed journal articles and presented at many top national and international scientific meetings.

To better communicate its tri-partite mission of education, research, and clinical care for child and adolescent psychiatric disorders, the Child Study Center realized the vital importance of expanding and redesigning its Web site, AboutOurKids.org. The previous Web site was composed entirely of static HTML pages, making it very cumbersome and often requiring technical personnel to edit, update and publish content.

The Challenge
In preparation for its 10-year anniversary, the Child Study Center proposed a Web redesign. The plan was to unveil the new Web site at the Child Study Center's annual gala event, which is also its biggest fundraiser. By the time the front-end redesign was near completion, the Child Study Center had approximately six weeks to manage the transition to a new platform and launch the redesigned site.

According to Michael Mainiero, Director of Web Services for New York University Medical Center, the Child Study Center needed to simplify the publishing and editing process for its Web site. "The current process was manual and time-consuming," he said. "We needed a content management system that could empower the Child Study Center to publish updates and new information on their own."

Working with DPCI and Sean Oakes Studios, Inc., Mainiero and his team developed a project timeline to complete the redesign of the Web site. Sean Oakes Studios, a full service design firm based in Brooklyn, New York, designed the new look and feel for the site, while DPCI, a New York City-based interactive technology agency that delivers integrated publishing solutions, customized the content management system and delivered the final, turnkey solution.

"DPCI managed to assemble a complex site in record time," Oakes said. "Despite the project's compressed timeframe, the quality of their work was exceptional. Best of all, they made our front-end design look terrific. I look forward to collaborating with them again."

Honing in on the needs of the Child Study Center, which serves patients from 41 states and 26 countries, the new Web site required "instant gratification" publishing, providing tools to update content quickly and without outside assistance.

The Solution
Integrating the new design templates, DPCI customized the Drupal Content Management System (CMS) for the Child Study Center. DPCI worked with New York University Medical Center's Web Services team to define the exact specifications and requirements for the Child Study Center. This included the capability to archive resources such as articles, research and educational materials and to automate the entire publishing process. Once the CMS was configured, DPCI worked around the clock with the Child Study Center and the NYUMC Web Services team to migrate all of the original content - nearly 1,000 pages - into the new Drupal system. This included an A-Z disorder guide, Find a Doctor resources, and multimedia video clips.

"From concept to implementation, the entire team worked extremely hard to ensure the re-launch of the Web site coincided with the Child Study Center's gala event," explained Tracy Gardner, Vice President Client Services at DPCI. "Compared to the previous process, the new CMS provides significantly more flexibility to publish content. This will certainly help the Child Study Center to promote its work and offer important resources on child and adolescent mental health."

The Result
With the launch of the Drupal CMS, non-technical personnel can participate in the publishing process and further promote the goals of the organization. Visitors can easily search and find specific information about a broad range of disorders, treatments and doctors.

"Our new Web site is a one-stop resource for visitors searching for the latest information on child mental health issues," stated Koplewicz. "We are excited to be able to provide the public with a comprehensive and user-friendly tool where parents, health professionals and educators can find exactly what they're looking for online, quickly and efficiently."

By tailoring the Drupal system, DPCI has given the Child Study Center the capability to reinforce its mission and expand its reach and influence online. With all of the Web resources in place, the knowledge and research gleaned from the Child Study Center's facilities in New York will now be available to people seeking information around the world.

"What the project team accomplished in five weeks was unprecedented, considering the scope of the customization of the CMS and volumes of content that was migrated," added Gardner. "We believe this Web site will help the Child Study Center improve its online presence and visibility, and give them a powerful platform to share their very important work with a global audience."

"The DPCI team understood the challenges of the project and delivered exceptional results," Mainiero said. "We look forward to working with them on other projects in the future."

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