Theranos has emerged as a cautionary tale in digital health. The darling of modern diagnostics, it turns out that things aren’t what they seem. Of course, Elizabeth Holmes was just trying to make a buck. That’s her job. But let's talk about the people who should have been asking the hard questions. The real story is about the media that built Theranos. On the ... Continue Reading about Theranos and the Media Hype Cycle
Silicon Valley Has a Health Problem Problem
Silicon Valley has a Problem Problem by Melissa-Riva Tev is the most important thing I've read in a couple of weeks. It seems that what Silicon Valley identifies as a problem typically isn't a problem. This is true when it comes to health. A onesie sensor that texts a parent when a baby rolls over doesn't represent the solution to a problem. Access to drinking ... Continue Reading about Silicon Valley Has a Health Problem Problem
Kardia Band as a New Class of Wearable
AliveCor today introduced the Kardia Band wearable, an Apple Watch band capable of a medical-grade EKG. This is the first FDA-approved technology for instant EKG analysis. Driven by a nickel-sized sensor that snaps into the watch band, patients can speak their symptoms into the app. This ultimately becomes part of a report transmitted to the cardiologist. While ... Continue Reading about Kardia Band as a New Class of Wearable
Fitbit as the Wang Laboratories of Digital Health
Technology’s history has a way of repeating itself. Consider Wang Laboratories. A 3 billion dollar a year operation in the 1980's, Wang built its empire on the idea that every office in the world would ultimately use a word processor - a freestanding word processor. Wang was right on the first count and wrong on the second. Ahead of its time in reference to ... Continue Reading about Fitbit as the Wang Laboratories of Digital Health
Announcing Medicine in the Digital Age on edX
I’m thrilled to announce Medicine in the Digital Age, a MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) focusing on health care's analog-digital shift. Over the past several months I’ve been working closely with my Rice University collaborator, Dr. Kirsten Ostherr, to coordinate and shape this unique online course. Over 4 weeks, Medicine in the Digital Age will map out out the ... Continue Reading about Announcing Medicine in the Digital Age on edX
Announcing edX Medicine in the Digital Age
In 2012, the Medical Futures Lab offered Medicine in the Age of Networked Intelligence, a powerful 50,000 foot view of medicine and its radical disruption. The course was huge success and drew the attention of the social health community well beyond the confines of Rice University and the Texas Medical Center. I was thrilled to co-teach and co-create this course ... Continue Reading about Announcing edX Medicine in the Digital Age