Plan to join us the evening of January 26th to hear a rapid-fire series of short presentations from seven Health 2.0 leaders. The presentations will be followed by a panel style Q&A session, moderated by Dr. Carol Torgan, that will facilitate and explore a range of topics. The presentations will highlight results associated with the innovative implementation and use of Web 2.0 based solutions at hospitals, medical research institutions, government (HHS and DoD), and from a patient and user perspective.

Agenda
6:00 - 6:30 Registration and Networking
6:30 - 7:30 Presentation
7:30 - 8:00 Q&A

Topics and speaker bios:

1) Guerilla Health Information

Project management has shifted radically in the last decade. Waterfall methodology has given way to agile development. Both have transitioned from "behind closed door" processes to open development with full public participation, i.e. Gmail. The "perpetual beta" has given developers the ability to collaborate with consumers to create true user-centered experiences.

So, what do you do when you and your Communications Office have a difference of opinion regarding what it means for your health information resource to be in beta? What do you do when they won't give your project a full press push (press releases, magazine article, etc.)? You go guerrilla.

David Hale, Social Media Strategist at the NIH National Library of Medicine (NLM) and Project Manager of Pillbox, a pharmaceutical information and identification resource from the NLM, will outline how open and transparent project development creates a community of engagement that creates it's own information push, which exceeds the power of traditional media because each information source is trusted within its community.

2) Give us Speedometers. Help us heed your advice

“e-Patient Dave” deBronkart was diagnosed in January 2007 with Stage IV, Grade 4 renal cell carcinoma (kidney cancer) at a very late stage. His median survival time at diagnosis was just 24 weeks; with tumors in both lungs, several bones, and muscle tissue, his prognosis was “grim,” as one web site described it.

He received great treatment at Boston’s Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center: his surgeon removed the extensive mess (laparoscopically!), and the Biologic Therapy program helped him participate in a clinical trial for the powerful but severe High Dosage Interleukin-2 (HDIL-2). His last treatment was July 23, 2007, and by September, it was clear he’d beaten the disease.

Today: Advocate and Activist
An accomplished speaker and writer in his professional life before his illness, today Dave is actively engaged in opening health care information directly to patients on an unprecedented level, thus creating a new dynamic in how information is delivered, accessed, and used by the patient. Dave will be sharing his experiences and thoughts from a patient perspective, including a look at some of the Web 2.0 tools and technologies he has used and wishes he could use.

3) "Nick's Blog" - perspective from a former hospital CEO and Health 2.0 pioneer

Nicholas (Nick) Jacobs was the first hospital CEO in the country/world to start a hospital CEO blog, “Nick’s Blog”, now titled, healinghospitals.com, for Windbercare and he pioneered their involvement with social media tools to promote the hospital and research institute. Nick has also authored two books - a serious one titled, “Taking the Hell out of Healthcare,” and a humor book titled, “You Hold ‘Em. I’ll Bite ‘Em.”

As an early adopter of Health 2.0, Nick's job was “on the line” a few times during the early periods due to the openness and transparency of his blog. As part of his presentation, Nick will be discussing the merits of Web 2.0 as a communication and marketing tool for health care organizations, including a historic look at the how’s and why's of blogging as a pioneer CEO. Nick holds a Master’s degree in public management/health systems management from Carnegie Mellon University, a Master’s degree from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, and a certification in health systems management from Harvard University.

4) YouTube as a Platform for Citizen Engagement: The 2009 H1N1 (Swine) Flu Prevention YouTube Contest

On July 9 of last year, as the H1N1 (swine) flu was building its spread, HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced a video PSA contest. Americans were called to create a 15, 30, or 60 second video promoting flu prevention practices and submit this video over YouTube. The top 10 videos were put to public vote for the community to select the overall winner and recipient of $2500 in cash. This video and many others were featured on national television and the contest garnered international attention. This presentation will go into how we made it all happen and provide particular insights for government entities.

Read Holman works at the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) in the Web Communications & New Media Division. He’s a central linking point between studio productions, web content management, and new/social media activities. His work within the HHS Center for New Media allows him to help disseminate best practices in new/social media and break down government silos.

5) Developing effective SEO strategies: a case study of how SEO is helping HealthCentral to attract the "long tail" web audience

Health information seekers are drilling deeper and pushing search engines further in their quest to find the resources they need on their own terms. This presentation will take a look at how the wealth of data that health information seekers provide can be harnessed to better understand their needs, attitudes, and behaviors. We’ll dive into how HealthCentral gathers search referral data, breaks it down, and uses findings to serve users better and attract larger audiences.

Dan Marschinke is Search Marketing Manager at HealthCentral, in charge of search engine optimization and audience analytics. Prior to his current role, he worked directly with doctors, experts and patients to create and manage several of HealthCentral’s most successful sites, including MyMigraineConnection.com, which won top recognition in the 2007 eHealthcare Leadership Awards.

6) Open Mobile Health Exchange (OMHE): A microsyntax.org project

This will be an introduction and overview of OMHE, an open-source microsyntax for medical devices, and other “short text capable” systems. OMHE is used for sending blood pressure, blood glucose, weight, step-per-day, pain levels, and other common information often sent between people and their health care provider. It’s designed to be easily typed on a mobile phone, while at the same time, easy for machines (i.e. computer, applications) to understand.

Alan Viars is Founder and CEO of Videntity, a software company specializing in a secure information exchange for health care. Prior to founding Vididentity, Alan spent four years working for the DoD Biometrics Fusion Center, where he was best known as the original implementor for the DoD ABIS transaction manager, making the first positive identification from the ABIS, and as the primary author/champion for the DoD Biometrics Transmission Specification 1.0. Alan holds a Masters in computer science and an MBA from West Virginia University.

7) Social Media and TRICARE—The Nation’s Military Health Program

In the face of two wars and an increasingly mobile military population, it’s more important than ever to provide convenient, easy-to-understand information for TRICARE’s 9.6 million beneficiaries worldwide. TRICARE is engaging stakeholders through a variety of Health 2.0 tactics such as social media monitoring, social networks, podcasts, and microblogs. TRICARE is also in the development phase for a Media Center that will integrate social media into the traditional press room. This presentation will highlight the successes, challenges, and opportunities for Health 2.0 at TRICARE.

Jacque Brown is currently supporting TRICARE Management Activity Communications and Customer Service. As a social media leader, she helps public and not-for-profit health organizations overcome potential barriers to integrate social media into existing communication, collaboration, and knowledge management strategies.

Q&A Panel Moderator - Dr. Carol Torgan
BIO - Dr. Carol Torgan is an award-winning health scientist, strategist, educator and consultant with over 15 years experience in public health and medicine. She received her Ph.D. in Kinesiology, was an assistant research professor at Duke University Medical Center, and then served as a research fellow at NIH. While at NIH, Carol traded in the lab bench for a lap top in order to translate scientific information to a broader audience. She then joined Revolution Health as senior content director, where she designed strategies to blend evidence-based information and Web 2.0 tactics into actionable content. She currently consults for a number of agencies, including several institutes at NIH.

Event Logistics

This meetup will be at Jackie’s restaurant in downtown Silver Spring. This is a short walk from the Silver Spring metro on the red line and there is plenty of parking. As always, I want to make sure to give thanks to our sponsor, Aquilent. Because of their support, we have been able to continue putting on some really informative events, as well as, offer some great appetizers and beverages at the meetup.