Silos

February 17, 2013

In the world of medicine a physician is either academic or private.  In academics you are clinical or bench.  In gastroenterology you are lumen or liver. In medicine we love our silos.  For many of us, they’re all we know.  We see discreet, defined paths in our areas of interest.  It’s rare that we see [...]

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LinkedIn Endorsements and a Physician’s Cloud

February 16, 2013

I’ve been thinking about LinkedIn’s new recommendation feature.  Those of you who use LinkedIn probably understand that you can ‘endorse’ the activities of those in your network.  It’s a social vote in favor of a certain skills.  Initially I wasn’t sure about it but as time passes I wonder if it may get us closer [...]

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Capture

February 15, 2013

Information is becoming a huge part of my world.  All day it comes at me like a stream through a growing number of channels.  Scraps, stories, bits of language, quotes, weird angles, pictures, unique human tensions, links and concepts.  These can be virtual, IRL, or in my mind. Perhaps the most important things are the [...]

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When a Doctor’s Note Goes Viral

February 14, 2013

It’s the doctor’s note that everyone’s reading.  A woman in the final stages of cancer made a visit to the New York Presbyterian Hospital ER and subsequently passed away.  The patient left such an impression with the treating doctor that this letter of condolence was sent from the doctor to the surviving husband.  You can [...]

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You Can’t Stop Public Conversation

February 13, 2013

I hear occasionally of medical schools that prohibit students from blogging or using tools like Twitter.   But those trying to legislate the conversation don’t realize how fragmented our channels of dialog have become. And the rules that are created never really make sense. Blogging is prohibited but long comments are fine.  Twitter is verboten [...]

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Join me on April 26th at Rice University for Millennial Medicine

February 12, 2013

This is the most amazing time to be in medicine.  Everything we understand about medicine and the care of patients is changing faster than we can keep up.  And how we prepare the next generation of providers to meet these challenges is something deserving of real conversation. Join us for Millennial Medicine: Knowledge Design for [...]

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A Piece of Paper as a Personal Health Record

February 11, 2013

I live in a world looking for digital solutions to some of health’s biggest problems.  I love watching this all play out. So yesterday Seth Godin tells the world that a piece of paper could save your life.  He’s advocating that everyone write down their history and carry it around with them.  Yes, your personal [...]

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The Cloak of Anonymity Stifles Respectful Debate

February 10, 2013

Anonymity aint what it used to be. The Miami Herald announced today that it is outsourcing its comment function to Facebook.  Concluding that ‘the cloak of anonymity stifles respectful debate,’ we must assume that they’ve had enough of those who can’t stand behind their own words.  Perhaps they should have referenced the ‘cloak of pseudonymity’ [...]

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Embracing Our Transhuman Future

February 9, 2013

As time passes, pieces of us will be replaced by artificial elements. Insulin pumps, pacemakers, artificial joints and limbs, exoskeletons, and cochlear implants.  Neurochemical enhancement represents another way that we transform ourselves.  Technology has made us transhuman. This is from The Techno-Human Condition by Braden Allenby and Daniel Sarewitz: Until now, some are saying, our application [...]

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Why IBM Watson is Important

February 8, 2013

First he won at Jeopardy.  Now he’s helping treat cancer. IBM, WellPoint, and Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center today unveiled the first commercially developed Watson-based cognitive computing breakthroughs.  This is transformative stuff.  IBM Watson is using evidence-based treatment models to individualize care and improve the speed and quality of treatment.  Doctors from Memorial Sloan-Kettering have spent [...]

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