MedHelp is a web-based online health community that has big user numbers, big name partners and lots of organic growth with no bought traffic. In recent years they’ve included trackers for multiple conditions and now have over 4 million people contributing data from them. Khaled will show us a great visualization of the data collected from their initial results.

The advent of a new analytics for real-time data streams begs the question of how self tracking and sensor data integrate with the wider clinical evidence base and the implications for managing population health.

John De Souza, CEO, MedHelp
John is the Ethiopian-born CEO of MedHelp, the online health community that has big user numbers, big name partners and lots of organic growth with– as John often points out – no bought traffic. John has been on GE’s HealthyMagination Advisory board and MedHelp has worked with GE on developing several tracking apps, including I’m Expecting. He’s been in Health 2.0 so long that when he was at Goldman Sachs, they were still good guys!

We brought back our popular Fireside Chat session from the 2011 San Diego Spring Fling! Each discussion is linked to the next.  You’ll get 15 minute bursts of thought provoking, and possibly controversial conversations!

John de Souza, CEO, MedHelp

Jane Sarasohn-Kahn interviews John about his sixteen-year-old company, MedHelp. The company has quietly and organically seen its communities and Q&A forums with institutions like Cleveland Clinic & Vanderbilt grow to around 10 million monthly visitors. MedHelp has also added the ability for patients to track many aspects of their health, and now is working with GE on developing more tracking apps, including I’m Expecting, and John is on the HealthyMagination Advisory board.

MedHelp is an ideal subject for a Health 2.0 case study due to its spectacular growth. CEO John de Souza spoke  at Spring Fling: Matchpoint Boston (May 14-15, 2012), a conference focused on Health 2.0 partnerships and growth strategies, about his company’s successful partnership with GE.

Communities are evolving from simple support mechanisms to becoming personalized platforms for disease management, behavior change and data analytics. We took a look at the themes of peer and professional support, self-tracking, information sharing and delivery, competition, real-time data streams, and carrot vs. stick – and saw the Health 2.0 tools and unplatforms that are driving consumer engagement and testing leading behavior change models to make the greatest real-world impact.