Apr 22, 2013, 8:30 AM, Posted by Steve Downs
Sometimes the best ideas come from unexpected sources – beyond technology, beyond research, beyond clinical trials. Sometimes, the future of health and health care lies somewhere else: in the people who will bring it about.
And sometimes, those people are children.
Mar 4, 2013, 3:14 PM, Posted by Christine Nieves
Christine Nieves
“Smart” phones are rapidly becoming ubiquitous; almost half of all American adults own one. Every one of those phones has the potential to be a health companion for its owner, providing reminders about pills to take or tips about healthier foods to eat. Phones can also collect valuable health data—such as the quality of the air we breathe or the number of steps we walk. For people with a chronic disease such as diabetes, a smart phone can track the kinds of meals that spike their blood sugar or the side effects of their medications; it can even relay that information back to a doctor, who can then help patients better manage their health.
To date, the major tool for harnessing the power of mobile technology has been the app. Just like there are apps for weather, news, or restaurant reviews, there are apps for health. They can do amazing things, from measuring and monitoring, to imaging and predicting. But, there aren’t just a handful of them—there are thousands! And, that’s where the Heritage Open mHealth Challenge comes in.
Jan 3, 2013, 12:53 PM, Posted by Al Shar
Al Shar
Before retiring, Al Shar, vice president and senior program officer, reflected on his time with Pioneer and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
Along with a few others here, I’ve been on the Pioneer team since it began in 2003. What makes my case somewhat unique was that I didn’t have to be on the team. I had a “day job,” and no one asked or told me to join; I was there exclusively because I wanted to be. Looking back, what’s interesting about that is how little I, and others, understood about what Pioneer should be.
Dec 18, 2012, 9:39 AM, Posted by Pioneer Blog Team
On December 3-5, 2012, Pioneer grantee Open mHealth spread the word about their work at the annual mHealth Summit in Washington, D.C. by hosting a panel session and engaging attendees at RWJF’s exhibit booth. Follow along with this Storify chronicling Open mHealth’s activities at the summit, and learn why their work to integrate apps through an open architecture is what’s next in mHealth.
Dec 6, 2012, 9:30 AM, Posted by Pioneer Blog Team
Al Shar
For the fourth year in a row, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) is proud to sponsor this week’s mHealth Summit. We see the mHealth Summit—attended by about 4,500 leaders from 50 countries—as an important gathering of thought leaders to source new ideas and learn about innovations in mobile health and the future of wireless medical connectivity. While there is no shortage of private sector investments in these technologies and businesses, we want to help identify investments that ensure that the mHealth space creates the greatest social good.
In advance of the summit, we caught up with Al Shar, vice president and senior program officer, to talk about his vision for mobile health, as well as the role the Foundation can play moving forward.