Keeping it real

Two high-tech health events were held last week — an East Coast-West Coast data-driven smackdown. I chose East, but my eyes kept straying West, and I am very thankful that the organizers for both are archiving the videos online.

Here are a couple of stand-outs, first from Living By Numbers in New York City:

Jennifer Kurkoski and Brian Welle talked about how Google engages in behavioral design to help people avoid gaining weight even as they are surrounded by delicious food. Obvious tip: use smaller plates and you’ll eat less. Non-obvious tip: don’t trick people, tell them what you’re doing and bring them into the game you’re playing.

Meantime, in San Francisco, Alexandra Drane of Eliza Corp. regaled Strata Rx with her insights about how caregiving and stress might be even more serious health threats than diabetes and high blood pressure:

I loved how both of these presentations focused on the reality of people’s lives. That’s where I focus my energy and time. As I said at Medicine X (and plan to say at Connected Health): the best way to anticipate the future is to understand – and respect – what people are doing today.

For further inspiration, please see:

7 Key Take-aways from Wired Health, by Carol Torgan

Wired Health: Living by Numbers – a public health perspective, by Jodi Sperber

Wired health: living by numbers – a review of the event, by Jane Sarasohn-Kahn

WIRED healthcare conference shows data at work, by Mike Miliard

The Data Explosion, by Brian Quinn

Better Data=Better Health: A Conversation with RWJF’s Steve Downs

Data from health care reviews could power “Yelp for health care” startups, by Alex Howard

“Patient Engagement is the Blockbuster Drug of the Century” – a quote from Leonard Kish and the title of an article by Dave Chase

If you see other summaries of these events — or the other excellent meetings which took place last week — please post them in the comments (or let me know on Twitter).