Awesome news just floated my way yesterday! First of all, I’m pretty excited about the upcoming 2010 mHealth Summit being held in Washington, DC again this November. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) really did some nice upgrades to the website for this second go-round and have some distinguished speakers on the roster to discuss the advancement around mobile health.

Now onto the great news! Students interested in attending the mHealth Summit now have an opportunity to go free of charge. A special Student Pass has been developed and it’s available on a first come, first served basis. So if you are a student in the field of public/community health or related field – please feel free to apply and/or spread the word!

I’m hoping to attend this year since I missed it the first time. And if you’re new to the concept of using mobile technology for health – check out a presentation I did last year introducing the possibilities.

Intent is the new demographic – What the Mobile Web Means for Health: Jane Sarasohn-Kahn highlights how people use the mobile web and how that translates into action for the health world. [healthpopuli.com]

Behavioral Economics and Public Health at TED 2010: Paul Tarini of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Pioneer Portfolio reflects on a talk he enjoyed at the recent TED event. Check out Paul’s thoughts on competitions for health innovation in an interview I did with him. [rwjf.org]

GE Healthcare Introduces the Vscan: GE unveils the world’s smallest portable ultrasound device! Below is a video (also on the link) of the Vscan in action – [medgadget.com]

Last year was the year in which mobile technology in health dropped onto my radar in a big way. Attending an unconference sponsored by Katrin Verclas and MobileActive allowed me the opportunity to meet great people and learn a ton about what is being done in the mobile health field. Since then I translated those ideas into a presentation (see below) and have had the chance to stay in touch with those people making it happen.

2009 also saw official interest from the federal government regarding mHealth with the development of the mHealth Summit sponsored by NIH. One of the things I’ve seen regarding mobiles in public health is focused on the developing world and global health efforts. While that initially drew me to the subject matter – I began thinking about how these technologies could be used on a domestic level, here in the United States.

Here are a few projects I’ve seen being put together here in the States mainly with gov’t focus:

• AIDS.gov, KNOW-IT campaign: Texting your zip code to a short code (566948) to gain locations for getting tested for HIV. Here’s a recent post from them on mobile tech in the future.
• CDC, Text Messaging for Health Information pilot: “CDC has launched a pilot project that is using mobile text messages to quickly share important health information about H1N1 flu and other important health topics such as hurricane preparedness information.”
• Text 4 Baby: New mobile messaging program to help inform expecting and new mothers. It’s an educational program of the National Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition (HMHB).

Really looking forward to seeing these programs and types of programs flourish domestically to leverage the growing use of mobiles.

Feel free to let me know of any other domestic mobile health programs that I should be aware of!

Many of you know how much I support the forward movement of mobile technology in the public health world – especially the efforts of the FrontlineSMS:Medic team being led by Josh Nesbit.

I’m pretty excited to announce that Josh has given Pulse + Signal an exclusive look at how things happen over in the southeastern African country of Malawi where he is currently working to implement the mobile health initiative.

See here for the video of how a group of community health workers are being instructed on using the technology. The video is all in chichewa, which is the native local language – but you can get an idea on what is going on with Josh’s subtitles.

How cool is this? I really have the utmost respect and admiration for the team and what they are doing in these developing countries.

Stay tuned for possibly more video footage from the SMS:Medic team on Pulse + Signal!

This article was originally written for the PopTech blog earlier this week. I’m really interested in how mobile technology is transforming public health and have written about it before with some of the key players mentioned below.

cc image from JonJon on Flickr

For the past several years, our mobile technology has become smaller, smarter and more capable of doing things beyond its initial intention. Right now we are being inundated with choices of cell phone and endless options for texting or data plans. Companies are clamoring to be ahead of the game regarding mobile marketing tactics and how to better interact with the consumer on one of their most sacred and prized possessions.

Seriously, I’m sure you know right now where your cell phone is.

Despite all of the technological advancement surrounding these portable command centers of communication – all the bells and whistles that come equipped – we are at a point in the public/global health world hardly any of it matters.

Right now there is a hotbed of activity surrounding the use of cell phones in the public health space that have nothing to do with touch screen technology or installing the latest Twitter application. This application of mobile technology to health is currently known as mHealth.

A large amount of mHealth’s impact is being focused into developing, low-resource countries where there are numerous health issues needing to be addressed. The helpful technology that comes into play is SMS (Short Messaging Service). Fondly referred to as texting, SMS is one of the most basic aspects of the cell phone where data entered can be sent back and forth between phones. This service has been wildly useful in the implementation of more effective health initiatives around the world.

One of the projects that has been making extensive use of SMS and text messaging in the global health scene is Ken Banks’ FrontlineSMS software. In the spirit of true open source innovation, a team of young innovators created FrontlineSMS:Medic in order to improve communication and collaboration among rural health clinics in the developing world. According to their mission, they hope to “advance healthcare networks in the developing world by building and distributing innovative, appropriate mobile technologies.”

In addition to creating this hub of innovation, the FrontlineSMS:Medic team helped put together an initiative to foster the generation of equipment to help implement their goals – the HopePhones project. By donating and recycling your unused cell phones, the proceeds are transferred into the HopePhones program, allowing for the purchase of appropriate mobile technology to aid in the healthcare of these clinics.

It is this sort of innovation on a basic level that truly yields great results, something Clay Shirky touched upon during his recent TED@State talk on how technology is being made useful today by citizens, especially in repressive regimes, around the world.

I really feel that as we continue to see more innovation come about in public health, we will begin to visualize a whole different perspective on how to create solutions.

On how to prevent disease.

On improving healthier behaviors.

On changing the world.

The race to the finish line. Your heart racing. Your legs being pushed to their limits while your opponent gradually comes into your peripheral vision. You see it up ahead…the line that separates the winners from the losers. The visible mark in the pavement that brings your efforts to a sweet, victorious end.

Can you see it?

Good. Because I have a feeling that what is taking place around the globe in various sectors such as philanthropy, economic development and citizen democracy has finally set its eyes on the world of health. In my case, public health – however many aspects of health care are being transformed by this phenomenon. What is this movement that is flexing its muscles and causing global change?

Crowd-sourced innovation.

Let me give you a few scenarios in which the minds of many are helping to push forward a new age of eye opening innovation that I believe will be the basis of public health developments in the near future:

Resource Poor Areas & Global Health

We are coming to terms that the world is getting smaller. With the tools that have cropped up over the past few years which the social Web has dropped into our laps, it’s no wonder that those who are trying to improve the lives of the many are picking them up and putting them to use. Technology and innovation are now becoming readily available to individuals and countries who many associate with the poorest of conditions. But think about it – what better situation to create helpful, easy-to-use tools than for those who are in dire need?

In this area, Microsoft created an open invitation with their contest Mobile Challenge for Development. With the help of NetSquared and a focus on the Millenium Development Goals, the hot field of mobile technology for development gets another boost. Great innovations such as Ushahidi and FrontlineSMS have been hugely useful and popular. Along with the Netsquared N2Y4 Mobile Challenge, there has been a tidal wave of pretty fantastic ideas from alot of people in this space. By the way, the winners of both contests are being announced during the Netsquared conference which is currently underway.

Disease Specific Problem Solving

Diabetes. HIV/AIDS. Osteoporosis. These are just a few examples of diseases/conditions that affect an increasingly large amount of people and for years public health professionals have been seeking ways to improving prevention tactics as well as treatment options. Imagine what we could come up with if we enlisted the help of people outside of the health world to improve aspects related to user experience, design and communication methods! That is exactly what Amy Tenderich of DiabetesMine thought about when she first launched the DiabetesMine Design Challenge (I also wrote about this year’s challenge). Innovative thinkers from all backgrounds including patients, engineers, designers, developers, entrepreneurs and students were invited to take part in the challenge – they even had an Under 18 category! Ultimately the winners chosen were two grad students from Northwestern University.

Health Care Reform

Lastly we come to overall health care – making some much needed changes. Without a doubt, there are many differing opinions on what should change about health care, so catering to those opinions and ideas are a perfect way to get the ball rolling. One of the contests surrounding health care innovation that has gotten quite a bit of buzz is what the X-Prize Foundation is doing. Being well known for their competitions to drive innovation, the Foundation decided to start something with health, thus unveiling their Healthcare X Prize that a few of my colleagues have been writing about. This is an organization that has no ties to health initiatives but decided that what they do with competition could benefit the health care industry. That’s key.

Finally, an organization that is widely known for their work in public health – the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation – will soon be choosing a winner for their Design for Better Health competition (in conjunction with Changemakers). The competition is geared toward ideas that will help people make healthier choices. Two big “do-good” organizations teaming up to foster innovation.

What Does It All Add Up To?

• Many aspects of the health spectrum are being opened up to the minds of many to help create new and better tools/ways to improve lives
• Public Health especially is a field ripe for introducing new ideas from a variety of sources, including design, user experience and the increasing tool belt of new media
• Challenges and competitions will help shake many public health professionals from what may have been a long sleep with dreams of simply going through the motions; those who see opportunity may jump at these chances
• Support from non-traditional organizations hold the key to expanding the effectiveness of public health initiatives and innovation
• A new generation, a new guard of public health leaders and innovators will most likely emerge using these tactics and the ones who do not begin to at least attempt to get on board with a cursory knowledge will be shipwrecked on the SS Obsolete

Let me leave with you two quotes from Henry J. Kaiser:

I make progress by having people around me who are smarter than I am and listening to them. And I assume that everyone is smarter about something than I am.

Live daringly, boldly, fearlessly. Taste the relish to be found in competition – in having put forth the best within you.

Folks, in THIS race for healthier lives and improved lifestyles, there are no losers…only winners.

I have to say that I am VERY excited to spread the word about an awesome project taking place courtesy of Josh Nesbit (didn’t I tell you he would be doing big things?) and the team behind FrontlineSMS:Medic.

Have you ever wondered what you could do with the cell phone you are no longer using? With the sheer amount of choices and upgrades that occur in the cell phone world, it’s no wonder people go through several in a few years’ time! Of course, instead of throwing away your old phone you have some options for recycling it. But what if you knew of another option beyond recycling…actually knowing that your old cell phone would not only be used again but used to help save lives.

That’s where this wonderful new project comes into play.

Today, FrontlineSMS:Medic launched HopePhones.org and Hope Phones, a nationwide mobile phone collection campaign supporting mHealth programs at medical clinics in over 30 countries. The campaign will make use of old cell phones in the US to provide phones for clinics and health care workers in the developing world. I am a huge proponent of mHealth and truly believe it will play a large role in the future success of public health.

Hope Phones will make use of the nearly 450,000 cell phones discarded every day in the US. HopePhones.org allows donors to print a free shipping label and send their old phone in to The Wireless Source, a global leader in wireless device recycling. The phone’s value allows FrontlineSMS:Medic to purchase usable, recycled cell phones for healthcare workers.

Hope Phones lets you give your old cell phone new life on the frontline of global health. That’s powerful,” said Josh Nesbit, Executive Director of FrontlineSMS:Medic. “Just one, old blackberry will allow us to purchase 3-5 cell phones for healthcare workers, bringing another 250 families onto the health grid via SMS. Old phones can help save lives.

Personally, I plan to donate 2 unused old cell phones that I have laying around. I knew I held onto them for a good reason! I challenge you to do better and find as many colleagues/friends/neighbors as possible to help get their old phones that they would just either throw away or simply recycle and use them for this project.

Can’t wait to see the number of phones donated at the end of this week!

Josh and the team have also put together a Hope Phones widget that can be used to help spread the word and continue the good work that this program is doing:

My good friend and brainstorming buddy, Josh Nesbit, was recently featured on CNNMoney.com to discuss his work with mobile technology and impacting health in rural Africa. Josh briefly tells the story of how he used a copy of FrontlineSMS, a free program that he installed on a laptop, 100 donated cell phones and an unmatched determination to see change in Malawi.

Mark my words, this young guy is a world changer in the making. He’s already done quite a bit and shows no signs of stopping. I first met Josh at the NYC Mobile Tech 4 Social Change event a few months ago and it was there that my mind got opened up to the many advances of technology in public health.

Check out his story:

This morning I had the awesome opportunity to present at the North Carolina Division of Public Health on a relatively new passion of mine – mobile technology in public health (mHealth). The presentation went very well and I have my colleague and friend, Mike Newton-Ward to thank for creating the opportunity. The folks over there are really interested in emerging technologies and how to effectively use them for public health.

Obviously it’s always nice when you don’t have to really convince people on technology’s usefulness. Prior to my visit, I let the group chew on my recent post on the importance of technology in public health - I think that helped as well, to let them know where I’m coming from. Pretty much that I’m focused on useful applications of these advances – because after awhile if the gadgets that we are using can’t really lend a hand to some of the problems going on in the world, they just become toys to babble about and fight over which one is shinier.

So without further ado – my presentation on mHealth: