Big news happening. I was fortunate to be part of the selection committee for the Health Justice CT Challenge that got kicked off at the end of 2011. Basically Connecticut is growing leaders and innovators to reshape how health makes an impact in their communities.

The purpose of the challenge was to open the idea dialogue for those working to provide health equality in the state and give voice to the initiatives that would be sustainable/successful with the boost of the $10,000 prize. After months of entries, voting and selections – we are pleased to announce the winner: The Summer of Solutions Hartford!

A little bit about the initiative:

An initiative of Grand Aspirations, the Summer of Solutions Hartford project aims to address the food desert issue in Frog Hollow, a Hartford, Connecticut neighborhood, where 71% of residents are of Hispanic descent. The project is designed to engage residents in urban farming and to create a community garden that will provide residents access to fresh fruit and vegetables.

We have been delighted with the response to this challenge. All of the projects were inspiring and creatively proposed to address the state’s most pressing health issues,” said Heang Tan, Health Justice CT project manager. “This challenge provided an opportunity for people to share their ideas, stories and solutions with us. We’re excited to hear these ideas and stories, and look forward in continuing to make these projects possible.

I absolutely love when projects like this get the boost they need to become sustainable and continue to create the impact that the community needs around health and wellness. Here’s a word from Jennifer Roach, Summer of Solutions Program Leader:

I am so excited for the work we get to do this summer. With this $10,000 we will be able to expand el Jardín de Zion Street by building 50 new raised beds. We can provide need-based stipends for our program participants so 15 young people can experience a life-changing summer of change-making and personal growth,” said Jennifer Roach, Summer Solutions Hartford Program Leader.

Grassroots level changes will lead to macro level results and impact. Keep it going.

If you’ve ever smoked, and tried to quit, chances are you know how much fun quitting, and quit attempts, aren’t. The cravings, the mood swings, the weight gain – ugh! What if quitting smoking was fun instead?

Game Mode: Relax

Funded by a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Pioneer Program grant, Lit2Quit is a mobile game that aims to help smokers reduce or quit smoking. This promising technology is being developed and studied by a group of researchers, developers, and health professionals at Teachers College at Columbia University. I caught up recently with Azadeh Jamalian, a Ph.D student at Teachers College, and one of the lead researchers and developers on the Lit2Quit initiative. She graciously agreed to answer my many questions, and share them with Pulse + Signal readers.

BC: Lit2Quit attempts to match the effects of smoking through game play, either relaxation or receiving a “rush” – are there really only two states in which a smoker may find themselves?

AJ: Yes, research shows that smokers perceive smoking as a sedative or stimulating experience depending on their state of mind (Donovan & Marlatt, 2007). However, there may be different motives for smoking. According to Kassel, Paronis, & Stroud (2003), the most commonly reported motive is stress reduction (hence, perceived sedative effects of nicotine); other cited motives include perceived stimulant effect of smoking (specially when drinking), socialization, addiction, habit, and sensorimotor aspects of smoking (see Donovan & Marlatt, 2007).

In addition, research shows that nicotine enhances memory and focuses attention (Hahn, Ross, Yang, Kim, Huestis, & Stein, 2007; Lawrence, Ross, & Stein, 2002, Vossel, Warbrick, Mobascher, Winterer, & Fink, 2011). Although you cannot target everything in a single project, and different products may be suitable for different people, we tried to have all these motives in mind when designing Lit2Quit.

Game Mode: Rush

Mirroring the perceived stimulating and sedating effects of nicotine, Lit2Quit is designed in two modes, RUSH and RELAX. These modes use specific breath patterns and game design challenges to excite or relax the player. Depending on his/her state of mind, the player chooses which mode he/she wishes to play. For the future releases of the game, we are planning to integrate social aspects in which players could collaborate and play together, or they can invite their friends to see the world they created. In addition, we believe that since the players control both versions of the game with their breath, the gameplay mimics the behavior of smoking and help smokers to control their urge through engagement of their sensorimotor habits. Further, to enhance player’s attention and memory, the players need to memorize certain patterns to succeed in the higher levels of the game.

BC: The aim of Lit2Quit is smoking reduction through replacement of the stimulus with game play. Can you say more about how this plays out? In other words, are participants switching “cold turkey” to Lit2Quit, or is there a gradual change over time?

AJ: The aim of Lit2Quit is smoking reduction through replacement of the stimulus with game play. Since we haven’t done any field studies yet, we cannot know for sure how smoking behavior changes as the result of the gameplay. However, our hypothesis is that the game will help smokers to gradually reduce their smoking over time, as they become more expert in the gameplay, and hence can perform the advanced breath patterns in the game more successfully. Our initial studies have shown that these advanced breath patterns more closely mimics the perceived and physiological effects of nicotine.

BC: Are there preliminary data you can share with us yet?

AJ: We have compared the physiological and perceived emotional effects of gameplay to smoking through various measurements such as Self-Assessment- Manikin (SAM) survey, Electroencephalography (EEG), electrocardiography (EKG), and skin conductance (SC). Although smoking is perceived as either a stimulant or sedative, physiologically it stimulates the body. Therefore, in order to compare effects of playing the game to smoking, we analyzed both perceived and physiological effects. Overall, results show that on average subjects perceive playing either modes of the game as an enjoyable experience, and that Lit2Quit partially mimics perceived and physiological effects of smoking. We also learned that since breath is a novel game mechanic (as evidenced by the fact that in 100+ subjects, none of them had experience using their breath as a control mechanic for a mobile game), the initial difficulty levels of the game should be set low to allow players to grasp how to play the game using their breath.

At this stage of the project, we don’t have behavior change data to share. Efficacy trials are the next contemplated step for the project pending funding.

BC: After learning about the game, I wondered if the game is able to match the effects of smoking, is there any danger of addiction to the video game?

AJ: Your question reminds me of a recent article, “Saving Education Through Games Addiction.” I personally like the possibility of “saving health through game addiction!”

BC: What else should we know about the Lit2Quit research?

AJ: We have successfully finished the first stage of the project and are publishing our results in tandem with providing peer review opportunities at presentations at notable gaming and health care conferences. Our plan is to enrich the design of the game by adding a layer of social and community aspects to the game as well as explore platform agnosticism and body sensor networking for input monitoring. Most critical to the game’s success and impact are new collaboration and partnership opportunities with developers,
nonprofit foundations, educational institutions and industry. In particular, we are in the process of designing efficacy trials to study short-term and long-term patterns of smoking behavior change as the result of gameplay intervention. You could follow our progress and contact us via our Facebook page or www.Lit2Quit.com.

BC: Do you think Lit2Quit could be played for any other purposes aside from smoking reduction?

AJ: Yes! The game is fun to play and in fact anyone could enjoy playing the game without even knowing that it’s a smoking reduction game. In addition, since there is no direct reference to smoking in the game, the Relax mode in particular could be played for any type of stress reduction. if you gain expertise in the “Relax” version of the game you could train yourself to self-relax through meditative breathing patterns, and therefore self-monitor your stress through breathing slower than your usual rate. The game has other health benefits. It could be used in clinics for treating asthma and chronic inflammatory diseases of the airways.

–

To learn more about Lit2Quit watch this video:

Lit2Quit Video by Advance from Dan Rabinowitz on Vimeo.

Bridgette

Bridgette Collado, MA, RD, is a health communication consultant and registered dietitian, and a contributor to Pulse + Signal. Follow Bridgette on Twitter: www.twitter.com/bcollado.

References:
Donovan, D.M. & Marlatt, G.A. (Eds.). (2007). Assessment of addictive behavior (2nd ed.), The Guilford Press.

Hahn, B., Ross, T.J., Yang, Y., Kim, I., Huestis, M.A, Stein, E.A. (2007). Nicotine enhances visuospatial attention by deactivating areas of the resting brain default network. Journal of  Neuroscience, 27, 3477?3489.

Kassel, J.D., Stroud, L.R., & Paronis, C.A. (2003). Smoking, stress, and negative affect: Correlation, causation, and context across stages of smoking. Psychological Bulletin, 129(2), 270-304.

Lawrence, N.S., Ross, T.J., Stein, E.A., (2002). Cognitive mechanisms of nicotine on visual attention. Neuron, 36 (3), 24, 539?548.

Vossel, S., Warbrick, T., Mobascher, A. Winterer, G. , & Fink, G.R. (2011). Spatial and sustained attention in relation to smoking status: behavioural performance and brain activation patterns, Journal of Psychopharmacology, 25(11) 1485?1495.

The following guest post is by Elizabeth Krause, Senior Program Officer and Director of the Health Leadership Fellows program, and Jenn Whinnem, Communications Officer and Class of 2012 Fellow at the Connecticut Health Foundation.

Every Connecticut resident should have access to quality health care. But it’s not that simple. Because of language and cultural barriers, inherent societal bias, and other factors, health disparities exist in racial and ethnic populations, even when there is ready access to health care.

Because the Connecticut Health Foundation (CT Health) is committed to ending health disparities, every year, we select up to 20 diverse individuals to participate in our Health Leadership Fellows program to build public will for health equity.

While there are many leadership development programs across the country, what makes our program unique is our commitment to developing the leadership skills of people of color who are working on this issue in Connecticut. The focus on health equity provides a real-world context for skill development for a group whose leadership contributions have historically been under recognized.

Let’s face it: the rising tide does not lift all ships. Connecticut needs strong potential leaders of color to advance the issue of health equity. Our network includes 140 fellows who are ready, willing, and able to act as opportunities arise. We cultivate our leaders by providing opportunities where they can:

• Learn from state and national health leaders, policy-makers, trainers, and their peers
• Develop an understanding of the theory behind systems change as part of realizing health equity (rather than addressing equity issues one person at a time)
• Discover their own personal leadership style and how to work with other styles in multi-disciplinary coalitions
• Communicate with strategic, values-based messaging to effectively influence others around this issue
• Expand their professional network across sectors and industries.

We’re interested in leaders from all walks of life – healthcare, education, business, community. Our strongest requirements are a passion for achieving health equity and commitment to learning whether you are an emerging or seasoned professional.

Don’t just take it from me. Our Principal Consultant Heidi Brooks shares what you can expect – even on the first day! – as a participant in the program:

Hear the Class of 2012 talk about what drew them to the program, and read about some of the projects from the 2011 Class.

Are you excited yet? If yes, your written application form and a third-party recommendation letter are due by April 2, 2012. Visit this page to learn more!

It is a fairly simple concept that has been coming back into my mind especially after reading The Blue Sweater – a book about the journey of Jaqueline Novogratz, CEO of the Acumen Fund. If we don’t make public health integrated into people’s lives and sustainable – we will continue to fail.

Let me make it even more clear: for public health initiatives to be anywhere near effective in the coming years, the phrase sustain or die will need to ring loudly.

Sounds a bit morbid right? Well, unfortunately that’s exactly what we are dealing with these days. A deadly lack of effectiveness. According to an August study published in the Lancet – there will be an additional 65 million more obese Americans by the year 2030. That’s pretty staggering number in the next 18 years. How long do we need to look at these numbers and hear these reports before we realize that if we don’t do something drastic, effective and sustainable, the world of public health will lose out on the premise that the discipline is aimed at prevention and saving lives.

No more time for failure. Sustain or Die.

Double Meaning?

To “sustain” (according to Mirriam-Webster): to give support/relief to, to supply with sustenance, to support the weight of (no pun intended?)

To “die” (according to Mirriam-Webster): to pass out of existence

Campaigns do not sustain themselves. Multi million dollar HIV/AIDS campaigns that say the same thing to the same “troubled communities” do not sustain themselves. People who are passionate and invested in their own communities, however are sustainable. Partnerships with credible local leadership is sustainable. Building neighborhoods that encourage health is sustainable.

Coming into a community with a celebrity poster on a bus stop? Not sustainable. The celebrity gets paid and the citizens? They have something to look at briefly while waiting for a bus to take them to a job where they don’t get paid enough and gives them little time to think about getting more fruits and vegetables in their diet. Marinate.

Oh yeah. Sustain or Die.

The Death of Public Health?

Now for the morbid part. Two fold death. The field of public health in which we work to prevent disease/death is on the chopping block. Funding is constantly disappearing and professionals are a) burning out b) switching industries c) losing the passion and interest we so desperately need during these times. Terms/issues like obesity, diabetes, and heart disease have become buzz words in the media (not in a good way). Oh and culinary abominations like the triple stack Whopper continue to thrive in place of real food.

Where does that leave us? If we fail at growing sustainable new ideas for public health – the communities/populations/people that are supposedly in our care are doomed (there’s that DIE part again). Also the field of public health itself will become a shell of its former accomplishments and too, will perish for being a slow moving, ineffective, timid, business-as-usual, aging, just-get-me-to-retirement field.

So Then What?

In November of last year I brought an idea to life by co-founding the first public health innovation film festival - FastForward Health. It was a fantastic experience, not only for seeing the amazing turnout and getting some cool press, but also seeing the inspiration that was cultivated during that short time with all sorts of people interested in making positive impact in the health space. There are opportunities out there folks! Technology, food/water, the built environment – these are just a few of the main places where fresh ideas are being put into place by people who may or may not have an MPH (marinate) or a traditional health background. Urban gardens, mobile health, video games for health – it’s all very real and it’s all very necessary. This is what this blog is about and this is what I am most definitely advocating for and wakes me up in the morning!

Disagree with me? Agree? Let me know. Stay tuned for something else I’m cooking up around this that I’m hoping will add value to the next iteration of public health.

Welcome to 2012.

I recently had the opportunity to head out to San Francisco to attend the Health 2.0 conference – I was pretty jazzed since this would be my third time out there since first attending as a volunteer in 2008. I think as the Health 2.0 field has matured over the past few years, there have been some pretty interesting initiatives and companies popping up. Being interested in covering this sort of innovation, I was pleased to see a company catch my interest – Health eVillages.

From what I initially gathered, the Health eVillages initiative works to integrate technology into healthcare systems around the globe. It looks like mobile is the main focus. The site’s landing page has a video to give you a glimpse into who is behind the program as well. Through press connections at the conference, I got a chance to catch up with Health eVillages’ co-founder and CEO of Physicians Interactive, Donato Tramuto – in order to get some thoughts on the history and inner workings.

P/S:  What prompted the creation of Health eVillages?

DT: I am a firm believer that healthcare is a right for every single individual on this earth. It’s not just the access to care that is so important but it’s the quality of care- every person deserves good, adequate healthcare. As CEO of Physicians Interactive, we strive to make healthcare more efficient and adequate through the use of mobile technology. A few years ago my sister-in-law died in childbirth due to a medical error so I’ve become very passionate in working to provide safer care– mobile information technology can significantly help make this possible. In an age where advancements in technology are surpassing all expectations, it is unimaginable that today there are areas in the world, including here in the U.S., where people continue to suffer and die due to a lack of access to sufficient healthcare. This is what prompted me to start Health eVillages- I wanted to make an impact.

About a year ago, I was fortunate enough to meet Kerry Kennedy through my involvement with her wonderful organization, the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights. She, along with her father, is a great hero of mine and her work has been inspirational. With her incredible commitment and passion to human rights and my expertise in the mobile medical technology field, we created Health eVillages to bring technology to areas where people often have no access to clean water, much less modern medical care.

P/S: How does education for community health workers/physicians take place regarding use of mobile phones?

DT: Because the clinics in most of the areas where these Health eVillages mobile medical devices are being implemented do not have the facilities to hold medical references or have the money to buy new editions and stay updated with the most current medical conditions, the mobile phones allow physicians to access information through the touch of a button. Doctors can easily find medical references, resources and solutions to a medical question or issue on their phone. These mobile devices are easy to use and is something that they can have on them at all times without having to go through medical books that they might not even have.

P/S:  Have the results from the pilot programs been received yet? If so, where can that information be found?

DT: To date, the organization has conducted pilot programs in several regions, including in Haiti, Uganda, the Greater Gulf Coast, and Lwala, Kenya. Because Health eVillages is new, we’re still in the process of collecting detailed feedback and data on the outcomes of these phones. We’ve worked with volunteer nurses at the Angels of Hope Clinic in Mattuga, Uganda, providing them with a number of mobile devices and mobile technical support in an area without basic electricity. Based on their successful use of the mobile technology, the organization has requested additional devices and applications as they begin their expansion into Northern Uganda.

P/S:  Is there a process to how Health eVillages receives the donated phones? Is that a process the general public can get involved with like Hope Phones?

DT: Unlike Hope Phones, Health eVillages only distributes smart phones which better support the Skyscape medical application. However, we are similar in that we are resourceful by distributing refurbished phones. Since we’re still in the early stage, we have not reached out to the general public for donated phones- it is definitely a possibility….

P/S:  What is the process for ensuring that the software loaded onto the phones are useful for each of the communities in the pilot programs? Is there a sort of co-creation/development process in order to maximize effectiveness?

DT: The new and refurbished mobile phones and handheld devices do not require Internet access and are preloaded with clinical decision support reference tools to ensure that caregivers and patients have access to updated medical references in remote locations around the world. All devices include drug guides, medical alerts, journal summaries and references from over 50 medical publisher resources powered by Skyscape.com, Inc. Health eVillages has had brainstorming sessions with healthcare workers during the pilot program to get feedback on the devices and how they could be improved to better fit the workers’ needs.

Big thanks to the Donato and the team over at Health eVillages for this look behind the scenes. I’m all about practical use of technology to change the infrastructure and processes for sustainable impact. Looking forward to following up when the initiative gets even more data on the pilot programs.

The following is a guest post from Whitney Zatzkin, Policy and Advocacy Manager at the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy. A member of the Coalition for Health Funding, she attended a Congressional briefing on the role of public health in disaster recovery on September 12, 2011. More information on this and future events is available through the Coalition for Health Funding.

Disaster Recovery – After the Cameras Leave

The public was captivated when news crews descended upon New York City for the September 11 attacks, the Gulf Coast for Hurricane Katrina, Joplin, Missouri for the tornadoes and, most recently, along the East Coast for Hurricane Irene. But what happens after the cameras leave?

On Monday September 12, 2011 the Coalition for Health Funding hosted its seventh annual Public Health 101 briefing. The event featured Dr. Isaac Weisfuse, Deputy Commissioner for the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, Clayton Williams, Assistant Secretary for Public Health for the State of Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals, and public health systems researcher, Dr. Jerry Suls, Professor and Collegiate Fellow at The University of Iowa.

“Gadgets only get you so far, staff is critical.”

So much of disaster response and recovery is fast adaptation and planning for the unanticipated public health response needs. Dr. Weisfuse spoke of the flames, days after 9/11, shooting 20+ feet in the air as workers moved beams for clean-up and of the health cleanliness recertification developed for restaurants and delis to address the places where breakfast was left on the table for weeks. Many anthrax scares followed 9/11 but the first case wasn’t confirmed until October 12^th 2011. This slide from Dr. Weisfuse detailed that confirmed anthrax case – tracing the letter through NBC studios in an investigation that revealed that the NYC subways were, in fact, that dirty. And who knew they used fax machines for cleaning exposed documents for disposal? He closed emphasizing the significance of training, education and multi-layer communication for all stakeholders and highlighted the critical role for public health staff saying, “gadgets only get you so far, staff is critical.”

“We need a solid base in public health. That means people, and that means money.”

Mr. Williams brought the conversation to the recovery tasks following the BP Oil Spill, establishing seafood safety strategies and creating “the MOST certified seafood out there!” through the work of his team in Louisiana. His efforts there focused on “Rescovery,” merging response and recovery programs so disaster recovery programs (exposure screenings) are hosted INSIDE the established local response facilities (community health centers or shelters). Furthering the comments from Dr. Weisfuse, Mr. Williams cited that protocols in New Orleans once detailed that only the Public Health Director was left in the government health offices in its disaster plan. That one person was not enough when response was needed particularly post-Katrina when many colleagues within the Department of Health met the Public Health team for the first time. Emphasizing the important investment needed to build solid relationships with key stakeholders before the disaster happens, not after the incident, he commented, “We need a solid base in public health. That means people, and that means money.”

“We need money for research, staff and for outreach [programs].”

Closing the panel, Dr. Suls reflected on the important research around mental health and the challenges of rebuilding feelings of positivity in a community following a disaster. Not surprisingly, the biggest sources of stress following a disaster are employment, parenting and finances. Research demonstrates that people become more pessimistic following a disaster and they turn to pessimism-boosters, like alcohol and smoking, to find quick stress relief. Dr. Suls further explained that when pockets of optimism exist post-disaster, the feelings are often rooted in the idea that something like that would never happen to the community again and result in an increased number of people that stop being prepared for future events. In some cases, the optimists will even go so far as to not respond to local alerts and warnings to evacuate during the next hurricane or ignore alarms to seek shelter during a tornado. “If you have an immunization for something and no one uses it, you didn’t make an impact,” he said, adding, “We need money for research, staff and outreach [programs]” to make an impact.

Innovation in Public Health and Recovery Response

New York City was overwhelmed by the outpouring of support after 9/11. Volunteers flooded the area and officials sent the volunteers to donate blood when they found themselves over staffed. Quickly, blood donation centers were overwhelmed with donors and volunteers were left standing. The public health community developed new strategies to inform national volunteer deployment strategies and created the Medical Reserve Corps, to verify medical volunteers and deploy them successfully following emergencies.

Evolution in Public Health and Recovery Response

In her Congressional Statement for the Record this past May, Heather Blanchard, co-founder of CrisisCommons, cited the findings of an American Red Cross report and new levels of expected disaster response, “during an emergency… 55% [of respondents believed] help would arrive in less than 30 minutes if they posted a request for help on a social media website.” At the hearing, those in charge of disaster response stated how tweets and other web reports were an unmet need during past responses and that staff training, as well as new communications and new solutions, were needed. The public health and first responder communities are testing tweet-based deployment response and HHS and FEMA worked with Health 2.0 to issue an Application Developer Challenge to create a Facebook application to track a community following a disaster, communicate needs and verify safety. The need is growing for mobile platforms and effective response after an emergency, yet many agencies not only do not have the staff to support new media use but often staff cannot even access the websites.

Despite funding reductions at federal and state levels in recent years, the federal expectations and demands for public health emergency preparedness and response has increased.

In a letter to federal appropriators on August 25^th, 70 member organizations from the Coalition for Health Funding asked Congress to recognize the needed investment in public health funding, detailing the 44,000 state and local professionals already removed from the public health workforce after recent budget reductions while citing the strong ROI of public health programming. Furthering the need, people in need are expecting and demanding more from government agencies and national response units to coordinate relief when disasters happen and turning to new resources and new communications to ask for help, expecting response.

We need to strengthen the capability of public health disaster preparedness and response now, before the next disaster, through staffing, training and research. Only then can we take efficient, effective programs to the places people are already turning to for help and offer recovery support.

Guest post written by Cristian Liu, recently involved in Dept. of Health and Human Services innovation projects. His passions surround entrepreneurship, technology and healthcare.

Get ready to be blown away (hopefully). After last years official debut of a health track, the quality of entries seems to have picked from a quick analysis of 99 submissions in the health category at SXSW. Now is a great time for health to be on the docket at SXSW because of the massive shifts taking place in the sector.

Stripping out common terms like “health” and “SXSW,” a Wordle cloud of the tags show a couple of trends that healthcare is moving toward.

Wordle cloud generated from Wordle.net and Tags scrapped from the SXSW site.

The themes clearly popped out from the tags and while they are common to other sectors, the health sector is still in it’s pre-infancy stage when it comes to social, mobile and innovation:

1. Social Media:  Social Media has exploded over the past few years but healthcare has yet to effectively leverage its benefits at scale.  With the growth of social networking between patient groups, doctors, and specialists, one should expect to see the healthcare industry leveraging social media even more effectively.
2. Mobile: “Mobile is the new social.”  Picture the wave of social media over the past few years.  Now picture a new surge that’s coming up right behind it.  That surge is mobile technology and the unfathomable data capture that comes along with it.  The increased adoption of smartphones has opened the door to new services that can bring information, services, and doctors to patients’ fingertips.
3. Innovation: Disruptive innovation is the key to transforming healthcare and it is no surprise seeing this theme pop up.  Innovation is all the rage not only in the private sector (there are at least 4 health accelerators that launched within the last year – HealthBox (@health_box), RockHealth (@Rock_Health), StartupHealth (@startuphealth), BlueprintHealth (@bphealth)) but also in the government . It’s clear that the status quo isn’t going to work.  SXSW is the epitome of innovation.  By linking healthcare to the startup technology world, the opportunities are endless and as some VCs believe there has never been a better time to be an entrepreneur and innovator in this sector.

There are a lot of usual suspects from the health world and it is refreshing to see some new faces. For example, check out the Food related submissions as compiled by Food and Tech Connect here. One thing, though, is clearly missing, view from emerging markets and global health. This blog of course has some bias because @mindofandre and @jaspaldesign submitted one of the very few that take a global view.  Check out a SXSW panel on global health issues here.

It’s clear that the health technology space is ripe for disruption.  The introduction of consumer web technology like social and mobile allows for patients to access services more directly, but business models here still need maturation. Additionally, similar groups are better able to connect with one other, leading to more effective knowledge sharing.  There is no time for small social media and mobile health stories at SXSW.  We should be well beyond that, moving into evidence and impact.  You can shape the future of this conversation and ensure the chosen panels reflect the true cutting edge.  Head over to the SXSW Panel Picker and be prepared to be blown away by the tremendous amount of health activity.

The following is a guest post from Jayme Hummer, associate at The Path of the Blue Eye Project, an innovative health marketing/communications initiative.

In 2009, we launched a very special initiative designed to aid collaboration and knowledge sharing/acquisition in health marketing communications called the Path of the Blue Eye Project.  Since then, we have been living the philosophy of the Project by producing a number of online and offline initiatives that have aided a diverse community of health communications experts, including public health communicators, social marketers, digital designers and others.

One of the most successful parts of the Project has been unNiched(micro), a series of breakfast events designed to provide health marketing communications pros with opportunities for deep learning and networking.  To date we have hosted two unNiched(micro) events focusing on mobile health and the health data movement (in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services).

Our third unNiched(micro) event is designed to provide attendees with hands-on experience with some of the most imaginative and impactful innovations in health marketing communications today. And, we need your help.  We plan to feature between six and eight innovations in the areas of mobile, public health communications, design, media relations and other topics during the event.  Attendees will have the opportunity to test drive each innovation during the event, which will hopefully spark ideas and new innovations.  Currently, we’re looking for innovations to highlight and we want to feature yours. In addition, after the event, case studies on each innovation will be published on the Project’s globally recognized wiki and featured on our podcast, fyi: healthmarcomms.

Will you submit an innovation?  You can learn more by visiting the unNiched(micro) website. The submission deadline is September 26. If you have questions or comments, please get in contact.

We’d like to thank Andre for his continued and enthusiastic support of the Project and for providing us with a space to highlight the unNiched(micro) event.

My news feeds have been much abuzz with talk of the newly announced journal, Games for Health: Research Development, and Clinical Applications. Gaming for health is a topic we’ve been covering here at Pulse + Signal, so when we heard the news, we caught up with the journal’s Editor-in-Chief, Bill Ferguson, for a Q & A.

Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., the publishers of the anticipated journal, hope to bring greater cohesion to the field of health games with its launch in early 2012. In addition to peer-reviewed articles, the journal will feature product news and reviews, as well as reports from the field. Read on for more detail…

BC: Why launch an academic journal for games for health?

BF: Health games are perhaps the most powerful new tools for the prevention and treatment of health issues.  I was asked by Mary Ann Liebert, the founder of our company, to attend the most recent games for health conference in Boston this past May to see if the field of health related games had matured to the point where the researchers, game developers, therapists, end users and so on would benefit from a dedicated journal.  I was very impressed by the depth and breadth of research going on in universities as well as the many very practical uses of games to improve the well-being of people with many different challenges.  Many of the key people I met including Debra Lieberman of the University of California at Santa Barbara, Paul Tarini of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and Ben Sawyer, the organizer of the conference, enthusiastically supported the idea of a journal dedicated to games for health.

BF: Robert Wood Johnson Foundation has been a powerful force in health games research. At present, they have no official role in the journal although many of their grantees are on our editorial board.

BC: Who’s brain child is the new journal?

BF: If you take a moment to look at the history of Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. you will see that she and our colleagues have been the pioneer publishers in some seventy health and human wellness fields including Diabetes Technology and Therapeutics in which we have worked closely with Sanofi.  Our peer reviewed journals often precede public awareness of emerging health sciences as is the case with Games for Health:  Research, Development, and Clinical Applications.

BC: Published articles will be peer reviewed, is that correct? With the diverse mix of developers, clinicians and researchers working in the field, how will reviewers be chosen? 

BF: Yes, in addition to field reports, product reviews and news from the field, our content will feature peer reviewed research papers.  Two of our key editorial board members, Dr. Lieberman, whom I mentioned, and Tom Baranowski, PhD of Baylor University will help me to determine and enlist appropriate reviewers for each submitted paper.  We are currently putting together our website and I will be issuing a call for papers very soon.

BC: Are there plans to make the journal open source? If not, how can we gain access?

BF: The journal will be available by subscription in print and online.  The Games for Health:  Research, Development, and Clinical Applications website www.liebertpub.com/g4h will feature complimentary sample issues and articles and clear instructions on how to submit articles and information of interest.

BC: How often will the journal be published?

BF: Initially, we will print bi-monthly with the hope that the volume of papers, news, activities and demand will drive us to monthly publication.

BC: Is there anything else you’d like our readers to know about the journal?

BF: I’d like your readers to know that they now have a forum to share their advancements, developments and interests in the field of games for health as well as a single source for leading edge news.  It is our goal to be a powerful vehicle for sharing and shaping this important new field.  Your contributions are welcome in Games for Health:  Research, Development, and Clinical Applications.

–
Bridgette Collado for Pulse + Signal

Follow Bridgette at twitter.com/bcollado

On June 9, 2011, sanofi-aventis U.S. announced the “sanofi-aventis U.S. Innovation Challenge: Data, Design, Diabetes” at the National Institute of Health’s Health Data Initiative Forum. The challenge integrates open data with a human-centered view into diabetes, and will award $220,000 in total prize money.  Guest blogger Michele Polz provides details on how this challenge came to be, and the future of similar challenges to change the face of healthcare. 

The room was packed and there was a buzz in the air. It was June 9, and I was at the Health Data Initiative Forum, an effort to accelerate momentum for the public use of data and innovation to improve health. Hosted by the Institute of Medicine and Health and Human Services, the event brought together hundreds of entrepreneurs, technologists, data mavens, and government officials driving innovation in health and healthcare.

As the Head of Patient Solutions, Diabetes, Sanofi-Aventis U.S., I couldn’t think of a better place to announce the “sanofi-aventis U.S. Innovation Challenge: Data, Design, Diabetes.”

For those who might not be familiar, diabetes is a chronic, progressive disease that has reached epidemic proportion in the US and at current rates the CDC estimates that by the year 2050 1 in 3 Americans will have diabetes.  It is known as a “self-managed” disease, requiring people with diabetes to frequently check their blood sugar levels, administer treatments, and keep track of a lot of numbers. In one sense, people living with diabetes are the epitome of the quantified self movement.

“Innovation” has many definitions, so for this challenge we are looking for a solution that brings together the strength of insight enabled by open data sets and the empathetic connection provided through human-centered design to meaningfully help people living with diabetes in the US.

We were equally interested in ensuring that the best data-driven and human centered solutions receive more than a token award. We want to see solutions come to market to complement the treatments and devices that are currently available. It is also important to note that as an open innovation challenge, all intellectual property and equity will remain the property of its creators throughout the entire competition.

sanofi-aventis U.S. Innovation Challenge: Data Design Diabetes from Data Design Diabetes on Vimeo.

These principles helped shape the staged approach that we feel is necessary to change the face of healthcare:

July 1, 2011 – July 31, 2011: The competition is open and submissions are accepted via entry form on the website: www.datadesigndiabetes.com. Note that the submission is a concept only with potential to be prototyped within 4 weeks.

August 5, 2011: A panel of esteemed judges will select 5 semi-finalists, who will be awarded $20,000 to build a prototype.

August 8 to September 2, 2011: The 5 semifinalists will take part in a “virtual incubator” where they will be provided advice and mentorship from industry leaders in topics such as user experience, business modeling, and technology architecture. The areas of mentorship will be determined by the semi-finalist concepts.

September 2011:  The 5 semi-finalists will take part in a “Demo Day” to pitch their concepts. The event will be live-streamed.

October 1, 2011: Two finalists will be announced and awarded $10,000 to conduct a community uptake exercise. The community uptake exercise consists of engaging with a real community of people living with diabetes gather responses to their prototype. Finalists will determine the community uptake location and format with the Sponsors. The exercise will be one month long.

December 15, 2011: 1 winner will be announced and awarded $100,000 and a 1-month stay at the Rock Health accelerator to develop their concept.

So at this point, I’d like to issue a personal appeal to the Pulse + Signal readers who may be considering this challenge. Your interest in health and technology has the potential to improve the experience or outcome for the millions of people living with diabetes today. To learn more:

• Visit the Website: www.datadesigndiabetes.com
• Watch our Video: http://vimeo.com/25434364
• Follow us on Twitter: @DDDiabetes
• Like us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Data-Design-Diabetes/129625740449604