Applying Technology to Empower Patients. 2016’s trends gave us glimmers of towards crossing the autoimmune abyss and achieving the vision of individualized autoimmune care. What was the state of autoimmunity in 2016, that unforgettable year full of positive and negative events? One positive development was increasing awareness of the unmet
Turning Autoimmune Dreams into Reality Being a Big Vision entrepreneur is a ride on an emotional rollercoaster. My vision is of a connected world of personalized care for autoimmune patients, using data and digital tools to reshape research, diagnosis, and clinical practice for autoimmune disease. This is outside today’s mainstream
Sneak peak at what the microbiome can do for autoimmunity. We will be holding a short course on the microbiome it’s promises during Cambridge Healthtech Institute’s 23rd International Molecular Med Tri-Con on March 6, 2016 in San Francisco – The Microbiome: Sorting the Hype from the Hope. Joining us are
The dimensions of Big Data can be summed up by The Four Vs: Volume, Variety, Velocity, and Veracity. But however large or diverse one’s data, it can often be hard to find exactly what one needs. As a researcher, I spend a lot of time on Google. I might
Each day there seems to be a new type of patient community popping up. A good place to start to learn about these new approaches is a “Report on the Use of Social Media to Prevent Behavioral Risk Factors Associated with Chronic Disease”, recently published by the eHealth Initiative. Additionally,
How Big Data is Changing Current Research Methodology: Cancer Cancer is the second leading cause of death in the United States. Current treatments are ineffective with over 75% of patients not responding to treatments, despite the $50 billion pharmaceutical companies spend in research and development every year. In addition, patients
Do you ever wake up in the middle of the night with a flash of creativity (or good idea)? The idea for “Communities, Platforms and Data” came to me in the middle of the night as one of those flashes of creativity. While researching “Mobile Social Games for Health,” I
Genomics is making headlines in both academia and the celebrity world. When genetic tests revealed that Angelina Jolie was predisposed to breast cancer, intense media cover ensued. Since then, genetic testing and genomics have been propelled to the front of many more minds. In this new data field, companies are
Part Three: Election Day special: Regulatory Obstacles (continued from Part Two) By Ellen Martin Here is a 352-page description of US healthcare regulation as of 2006: Robert I. Field’s Health Care Regulation in America: Complexity, Confrontation, and Compromise. It is always mind boggling to hear so many people toss throwaway lines about
Part Two: Healthcare Structural Issues (continued from Part One) By Ellen Martin First, let’s recognize the fundamental market disconnect between providers, patients and third-party payers like employers, insurance companies, and managed care. This detachment is a fundamental reason as to why healthcare is not a free market. The tax-advantaged, employer-provided insurance