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Susannah Fox

I help people navigate health and technology.

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innovation

Building an intake valve for new ideas

May 7, 2020 By Susannah Fox Leave a Comment

A woman building an device by hand

Imagine this: You and your colleagues know there are problems to be solved. You have resources to offer, such as funding, access to experts, and publicity. You are pretty sure there are people with great ideas out there, asking questions, defining the scope of the problems you care about, seeing things that you can’t see. […]

Filed Under: hc's problem list, key people, positive patterns Tagged With: George Hacks, Hhs, innovation, prize competitions, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

Why entrepreneurs should listen to patients & caregivers

April 9, 2020 By Susannah Fox 1 Comment

Screenshot of Harvard Business Review article about how chronic disease patients are innovating together online

I am thrilled to share this excerpt from the Harvard Business Review article I wrote, “How Chronic-Disease Patients Are Innovating Together Online”: The internet gives us virtually unlimited access to each other. That deceptively simple insight is an untapped opportunity in health care. When companies are searching for their next idea, they should look to […]

Filed Under: peer-to-peer health care, social media Tagged With: Christopher Snider, Chronic Conditions, chronic disease, Dana Lewis, HopeLab Foundation, innovation, Vicky Rideout, Well Being Trust

Public Q&A: Acronyms, protocol, and other lessons learned from switching fields

July 29, 2019 By Susannah Fox 2 Comments

summer on the track - urban photography by Filip Patock on Flickr

If you have switched career tracks, what lessons did you learn? What advice would you have for someone entering a new company, organization, or even a new culture? Here’s an excerpt from my 2016 interview with The Public Manager about working for the U.S. government: Most of your career was outside of the federal government. What have […]

Filed Under: public Q&A Tagged With: career advice, Hhs, innovation

Celebrating innovation as a problem-solving tool in government

February 25, 2019 By Susannah Fox 2 Comments

Empowering Internal Innovators

On January 6, 2017, I published my final post as the Chief Technology Officer of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. My intended audience included people I’d never met: the incoming agency leadership. I’d written a memo for the transition team, which greets and orients the new leaders, but I wanted to publish a […]

Filed Under: policy issues Tagged With: Hhs, innovation, open data

DIY innovation in the hospital

March 27, 2017 By Susannah Fox 1 Comment

My grandfather, Frank H.J. Figge, was a cancer researcher who faced shortages during World War II and had to improvise to keep his lab going. When he ran short of quartz lenses he remembered hearing that plastic also transmits ultraviolet rays and filled synthetic sausage casings with water to create a perfect — much cheaper — substitute. Nurses have […]

Filed Under: key people Tagged With: home health care hacks, innovation, Lemelson Center, maker movement, nurses

Nurses in the Smithsonian spotlight

February 27, 2017 By Susannah Fox Leave a Comment

Exterior of the National Museum of American History in Washington, DC, with the Washington Monument in the background

The people best suited to solve a problem are often those experiencing it. Experimentation — and documentation — should be part of everyone’s toolbox, no matter where you sit in an organization or hierarchy. Prototypes should be shared, not hidden away. Early feedback is golden. Everyone is a potential innovator. I’m excited to explore these themes and more with Tiffany […]

Filed Under: key people Tagged With: innovation, Invent Health, maker movement, nursing

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Recent Comments

  • Kevin Lawrence on Caregiver starter pack: “We recently read The End-of-Life Handbook in our book club on Smart Patients. It’s aimed at caregivers rather than patients…” Feb 2, 09:41
  • Susannah Fox on Patient-led innovation: “Thank you! I’m very happy to know about your work and will add it to the list.” Feb 1, 09:19
  • Andrea Pauls Backman on Patient-led innovation: “Susannah, great list of patient-led organizations and programs, thank you. I would suggest adding a new, award-winning program co-produced by…” Feb 1, 08:58

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