Champions help take a scrappy patient-led idea to scale. They give Seekers, Networkers, and Solvers access to resources held by mainstream institutions such as funding, media attention, regulatory guidance, or access to labs and manufacturing facilities. Champions fast-track innovations. This is the fourth post in a series that I’m writing to introduce the archetypes of […]
key people
Solvers attack problems
Solvers identify challenges, then test and develop new concepts, code, and inventions to meet their needs. They work on a problem with a singular focus because their life – or the life of a loved one – often depends on their ability to find or invent a solution. Some Solvers openly share their designs online for […]
Networkers pool resources
“You are not alone.” People who are newly diagnosed or facing a health challenge long to hear those words. Connection is an antidote to suffering and confusion. When they are able to tap into peer-to-peer networks of patients and caregivers, Networkers learn in community about their condition, shrug off the burdens of isolation and shame, then urge […]
Seekers go out on the hunt
As I’ve shared in previous posts, I’m writing a book for MIT Press about the key role that peer health advice plays at every level of our health care system. The people I’m describing in my book do not wait to be invited to create opportunities for positive change. They seize opportunities to take action. They reject […]
Too legit to quit
Sara Riggare, PhD, an expert in patient-led research and personal science, tweeted this animated GIF depicting the common process in starting personal science, which is based on Anne Wright’s work: Andrea Downing was among those who replied, writing: “My feedback: We’ve been saying for years what you outline here. The question is: how do we […]
What can we do by Tuesday?
If you have spent time learning about health care improvement, you may have heard someone ask, “What can we do by Tuesday?” It’s an urgent question that asks you to immediately apply an abstract principle to your daily practice. I had heard it repeated many times over the years, without attribution, and I was curious […]
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