In this talk at the Quantified Self Public Health symposium, I argue that we must respect the context of people’s lives while designing health interventions, tools, and research projects. Not everyone is ready to stand naked in front of the bright light of numbers on a screen. Let’s be gentle in our approach, especially to […]
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I’m leaving Pew Research
Believe it or not, 14 years ago, the idea of using the internet for health was a novel concept. That’s when Pew Internet published its first report about the social impact of the internet on health and health care, raising eyebrows across the U.S. Our data was cited in mainstream news outlets, in JAMA, and, […]
Secret questions, naked truths
My prepared remarks for the Quantified Self Public Health Symposium (here are some notes from the event): You know when you type the first few words of a query and Google suggests the rest based on what thousands of other people have typed next? There’s a Twitter account called Google Poetics that takes those suggested phrases […]
The goal posts of life
Earlier this week, John Sharp tweeted a link to a New York Times column by Abigail Zuger, MD, about the “Unworried Unwell” — people who have been told that they are very ill, but do not seem to want to do anything about it. The comments are wonderful, particularly the Reader’s Picks, including helpful tips about […]
How would you like your data today?
After a very full year of writing reports, giving speeches, and number-checking infographics, I’m left wondering: What’s the most effective way to deliver insights? How can I better serve you? To paraphrase Dr. Seuss: Do you like the data in a table? In a tweet? In a speech? Do you like the numbers in a […]
A field guide to The Diagnosis Difference
The Pew Research Center released a report today on people living with chronic conditions: The Diagnosis Difference. Policy makers, patient advocates, entrepreneurs, investors, clinicians — all health care stakeholders — can use the data to map the current landscape. There are still barren patches, where people remain offline and cut off from the resources and […]
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