The 20th International Symposium on ALS/MND took place (December 8th-10th) in Berlin, Germany. This is the 4th ALS Symposium attended by PatientsLikeMe, and certainly the most exciting in terms of new findings. The annual symposium is a tremendous opportunity for researchers from around the world to meet and share new developments – it’s the big… Continue reading PatientsLikeMe @ The 20th International ALS/MND Symposium in Berlin
Category: Patient Experiences
Harnessing New Media for Patient Advocacy (Part II)
A few weeks ago, I was invited to present on behalf of PatientsLikeMe at the Arthritis Foundation workshop held in Newport, RI. The presentation was on how to “harness new media for patient advocacy” – the same as what I presented at a workshop for non-profits in northern New England in August. This time the… Continue reading Harnessing New Media for Patient Advocacy (Part II)
PatientsLikeMe Facing World AIDS Day 2009
Every December 1st, we join hands with the HIV community at large in recognition of World AIDS Day. The theme of World AIDS Day this year is leadership — a fitting theme for the 2500+ patients who are leading the way through openness in the PatientsLikeMe HIV community. These leaders have chosen to share their… Continue reading PatientsLikeMe Facing World AIDS Day 2009
Bil:Pil Conference Presentation on PatientsLikeMe
A few weeks ago, I gave a 30-minute talk about PatientsLikeMe at Bil:Pil, the unconference following TEDMED in San Diego (where Jamie Heywood made an amazing presentation, by the way). The topic of my presentation was “A Healthy Mix with an Economic Twist.” I focused on how difficult it can be to make money in… Continue reading Bil:Pil Conference Presentation on PatientsLikeMe
Sharing, Openness…and Privacy?
Every so often, we sit down to try and make our business objectives clearer to our patient communities. Why? Well, we can’t have a business without you and our communities can’t exist to help patients without a business. This often results in our Privacy Policy and User Agreement being updated to help clarify our goals… Continue reading Sharing, Openness…and Privacy?
Redesigned Treatment Reports on PatientsLikeMe
One thing that’s great about working at PatientsLikeMe is that our members are really invested in making our product better. Every day, we receive lots of great recommendations about how to improve the site. Today, we’re unveiling newly redesigned treatment reports that incorporate feedback we’ve received in all our communities. Want to know what medications… Continue reading Redesigned Treatment Reports on PatientsLikeMe
The Smart List (Forget Medical Privacy) and The Future of Healthcare
Check out the October issue of WIRED magazine! PatientsLikeMe makes “The Smart List: 12 Shocking Ideas That Will Change the World.” In an interview with Brendan Koerner (“Forget Medical Privacy“), Co-founder Jamie Heywood talks about how “the lack of openness [in medicine] is making us sicker” and how sharing individual health data can benefit you. … Continue reading The Smart List (Forget Medical Privacy) and The Future of Healthcare
Harnessing “New Media” for Patient Advocacy
The media is abuzz at the moment with stories about social networks like Facebook and Twitter, carrying pieces on the good (Facebook Fan Page raises $10,000 for a Silicon Valley Food Bank), the bad (Facebook users are leaving out of mistrust and boredom), and the controversial (Social networking site for living organ donors). In the… Continue reading Harnessing “New Media” for Patient Advocacy
Charting the course of PLS and PMA
Primary Lateral Sclerosis (PLS) and Progressive Muscular Atrophy (PMA) are two rare variants of the disease ALS. Normally, ALS affects the upper motor neurons in the brain and spinal cord, as well as the lower motor neurons that send signals from the spinal cord directly to muscles. PLS and PMA are different because PLS only… Continue reading Charting the course of PLS and PMA
It’s National HIV Testing Day
Today – June 27, 2009 – is National HIV Testing Day. AIDS.gov, the one-stop access to U.S. Government HIV/AIDS information and an organization PatientsLikeMe collaborates with to raise awareness of HIV, has been running a campaign all month to promote National HIV Testing Day. As part of the campaign, AIDS.gov launched the “I Know. I… Continue reading It’s National HIV Testing Day