PatientsLikeMe @ The 20th International ALS/MND Symposium in Berlin

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

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

Research Award: Patients Informing Practice

Earlier this Fall at Medicine 2.0, PatientsLikeMe was honored to receive the inaugural Journal of Medical Internet Research (JMIR) Award for our paper on what we can learn about drugs post market from patients reporting treatment experiences on PatientsLikeMe. Once a drug is on the market, it can be difficult to evaluate how it’s working… Continue reading Research Award: Patients Informing Practice

PatientsLikeMe Adds Online Community for People With Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

PatientsLikeMe made the following announcement last night at the TEDMED conference.  For more on Jamie Heywood’s presentation, check out what people are saying on Twitter. – – – – – – – PATIENTSLIKEME ADDS ONLINE COMMUNITY FOR PEOPLE WITH CHRONIC FATIGUE SYNDROMEResearchers Use Open Medical Network to Measure Real-World Impact of XMRV Virus Cambridge, MA–October… Continue reading PatientsLikeMe Adds Online Community for People With Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

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