Susannah Fox

I help people navigate health and technology.

Main navigation

Now

Now

This is my public declaration of priorities.

Put another way, it’s my answer to “What are you doing now?”

Work:

Two recent speaking engagements (one at the National Cancer Institute, the other at TechTown Detroit) have me studying up on clinical trials, social media, health entrepreneurship, and cross-sector collaboration.

One of the most important activities I’ve participated in recently was a peer mentor retreat with Wendy Sue Swanson, MD, and Roni Zeiger, MD. We carried a giant white board outside on a beautiful Saturday and took turns writing, drawing, dreaming, and critiquing. One recurring theme: The power of a sabbatical (I drew it as an escape hatch) when you are in need of a refresh or infusion of inspiration in your career. (Here’s a great post on how to assemble your own advisory board, by Andre Blackman.)

Vicky Rideout and I are deep into the writing phase of a project focused on teens and young adults (14-22 year-olds), sponsored by Hopelab and the Well Being Trust. Our national survey takes stock of this age group’s use of social media and other digital tools to gather, share, and create health information, particularly related to emotional well-being and peer advice. Stay tuned for an announcement about the release date. (Catch up on my research interests and past publications.)

My next big project will include a measure of the digital health landscape among U.S. adults, both picking up where I left off at the Pew Research Center and expanding the scope to include new questions. I’d love to hear from people who have ideas about collaborations and sponsorships for this work.

Current reading list: 

  • Flashpoints in Polling, by Claudia Deane, Courtney Kennedy, Scott Keeter and Kyley McGeeney of the Pew Research Center. Diving back into survey research after a hiatus means I need to brush up on my methods (and yes, you can still trust polls).
  • Doug Lindsay’s newsletter, “The Weekly One” is one of the few emails that I look forward to receiving. And I would have said that even before his breathtaking keynote at WTFix 2018. Sign up on his site.

Featured image: Peer Mentor Retreat, by Wendy Sue Swanson, MD.

Past Now pages: April-May 2018; Feb-March 2018; January 2018; December 2017; November 2017; September 2017.