“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 […]
Writing
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 […]
Caregiving is not a “career break”
LinkedIn recently announced a new feature: the “career break.” Users can choose from 13 different types of time away from paid work, such as bereavement, career transition, caregiving, full-time parenting, a gap year, or travel. It is a big step forward. But I want more. I want caregivers to be recognized as essential members of a health […]
Designing Peer-to-peer Health
“How can peer to peer connection make a healthier society? Can Amazon reviews give us fresh insight into our health? Why do on-line patient communities represent an incredible untapped resource in healthcare? How can a co-designed death give us a fuller life?” Bon Ku and I explore these questions and more in Episode 59 of […]
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