So what happens when we apply creativity + technology to health and healthcare?
It can best be described as "Tedmed" a conference that recently took place in Philadelphia. In the words of Richard Saul Wurman the conference founder, "people know more about their cars than their bodies. I also believe they spend more effort studying all the details (hotels, flights, museums, restaurants, etc.) to plan for their vacations than they do to understand their own bodies, and the options and alternatives of healthcare, including testing, diets, exercise programs, and multiple treatment and surgery specifics. I see the growth of huge new business opportunities to help people understand their bodies better than ever before possible with the combined efforts of scientific and medical researchers, engineers, and information architects. Knowing all we can about our bodies is necessary to enhance our greatest journey, that of designing our lives. "
This 3 day conference which has become a braintrust of imagination applied to medical technology has brought together such world class 'thought leaders' as Marvin Minsky (MIT), Walt Mossberg (WSJ), Kary Mullis (Nobel Laureate), Steve Case (Founder of AOL), Oliver Sachs (Neurologist) and many more scientists, business executives, artists, and musicians.
As described in a New York Times article, "Richard Saul Wurman's personal medical data was discussed and dissected, portrayed in multicolored graphs and 3-D images before an audience... The data did not come from any standard physical exam. Its sources included an analysis of Wurman's genetic profile, an armband that monitored his physical activity, a "life shirt" that recorded his stress level, and a full-body scan taken last month." People want to know," Wurman's refrain went, and one of the main themes of the four-day gathering that he organized focused on exactly that: With the aid of a growing number of technological tools, people can now know far more than ever before about the state of their health."
Stephen Case, the founder of America Online, remarked about Tedmed, "I have the same instinct I had when I got involved with the Internet world 25 years ago, which is that something is bubbling. And it's pretty darn interesting."
In a recent Forbes article, Wurman pointed out, "It's a missing multibillion dollar industry," He figures that he's a good person to remedy the situation. "My only business is making what interests me understandable. Other people sell their expertise. I sell my lack of expertise. I take information from the undecipherable to the decipherable category."
In the very near future, he predicts, all your past blood tests and other medical data will be stored in a handheld gadget, allowing you or your doctor to access them at a moment's notice and spot early signs of disease. When you get sick, you will simply enter your symptoms and test results into a laptop and get a customized survey of treatment options, with listings of good doctors who can perform the treatment.
 A number of these technologies were demonstrated and discussed including a SenseWear wearable body monitor that enables accurate, wireless, free-living data collection. Worn on the back of the upper arm, it utilizes a unique combination of sensors that continuously gather the following data: movement, heat flow, skin temperature, ambient temperature, and galvanic skin response.
With this level of interest and cast of characters, Tedmed will be a conference that can change our approach to medicine and health.
History of Tedmed.
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