The Cajun Navy – people who rally their personal boats to rescue hurricane survivors – is an example of how ordinary citizens are the true first responders in a disaster zone. Instead of seeing locals as liabilities, the Federal Emergency Management Agency has started looking for ways to support their work. As David Graham wrote in The Atlantic: […]
hc's problem list
The P stands for portability
One of my core beliefs is that we need to open up access to the data, information, and tools people need to solve their own problems in health care — or at least give people the chance to direct their data to experts who can help them. I recently had the chance to be part […]
The Great Now What
Today is World Stroke Day. With this post I’m amplifying the work that Maggie Whittum and her team are doing to raise awareness of the following: 15 million people suffer a stroke each year worldwide. Stroke is the #4 killer and the #1 cause of long-term disability in the U.S. There are over 7 million […]
How to judge an innovation
Update: George Hacks is being held again this year, January 26-27, 2019. I’ll serve as a judge once again and I can’t wait to see what students come up with! George Hacks is a medical and assistive device hackathon happening this weekend in Washington, DC. The students organizing the event have done a stellar job recruiting […]
Re-imagining care for hospitalized kids
On Nov. 1-2, 2017, Hope for Henry convened a diverse group of parents, kids, clinicians, designers, educators, and entrepreneurs to reimagine care for hospitalized kids. I’ll disclose that I am an advisor to Hope for Henry and helped organize the event, but I hope you’ll believe me when I say that it was, objectively, a […]
“His doctors were stumped. Then he took over.”
How might we empower people to participate in research about their own diseases or conditions? Which models work best for organizations solving medical mysteries or improving care for those living with rare conditions? These are two of the questions raised by a New York Times story today: “His doctors were stumped. Then he took over,” by Katie Thomas […]
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