OrganizedWisdom Health Blog

Online with Dermatologists: Formulating Products and Taking to the Airwaves

 It shouldn’t be surprising that so many dermatologists have created their own line of skin care products. Some also write articles or host Internet shows to help educate viewers looking for more information about specific issues. See the dermatologists featured below and other dermatologists making an impact in social media, elsewhere on the Web, and in their communities in our Top Dermatologists profiles.

1. @jkvedar Joseph Kvedar, MD, is director of the Center for Connected Health and is internationally recognized for his leadership in the application of communications technologies to improve health care to patients. He has authored more than 70 publications on the subject. “I enjoy questioning assumptions about healthcare delivery, particularly those that involve the assumed need for a patient and provider to meet face to face for healthcare to happen.” He received the 2009 Individual Leadership Award from the American Telemedicine Association. He is also an associate professor of dermatology at Harvard Medical School. He writes his “musings on Connected Health” on his blog.


2. @drbilumartin Donna Bilu Martin, MD, practices in Miami Beach and is “dedicated to the detection, early prevention, and treatment of skin cancers.” She is editor of the “Make the Diagnosis” column for Skin & Allergy News, an online news site about dermatology, and she has co-authored numerous articles for medical and dermatologic journals.


3. @drelaines Elaine Cook, MD, is president of Dr. Elaine’s Advanced Skin Treatment, a cosmetics business where she developed and sells a skin care product line, and is medical director at the Advanced Skin Treatment Center. She is also a clinical assistant professor at Texas Tech University School of Medicine. She blogs about skin at Daily Skin Fix.


4. @dermdoc Jeff Benabio, MD, is a founding member of, and the skin care expert for, Livestrong.com, a health and wellness Web site. He is author of numerous scientific articles and abstracts and wrote a book chapter on lasers in dermatology. He lobbies for the American Academy of Dermatology Association in Washington, D.C., and has been interviewed for numerous national publications. His Web site, The Derm Blog, has had more than one million unique visitors.


5. @_Dermatologist Edward Seaton, MA, DM, MRCP, is a consultant dermatologist and skin and skin surgery specialist at a London teaching hospital. He is one of the few dermatologists in the UK trained in Mohs surgery and was a member of the team of London dermatologists that reported the world’s first successful use of a laser treatment for acne.


6. @DrJodi Jodi Ganz, MD, joined Olansky Dermatology Associates in Atlanta in 2006, after working in private practice in Virginia and teaching at the University of Virginia. She has written several articles for an academic journal and is active in community outreach programs.


7. @DrPerricone Dr Nick Perricone, is a healthy-aging expert who concluded that cellular inflammation may be responsible for skin-related problems such as wrinkles, loss of firmness, and breakouts. He created a program of diet, supplements, and cosmeceuticals, featuring his skin care line, to help fight inflammation. He is the author of several best sellers on the subject and has been featured on national television and print media interviews. He writes about health and food at his blog, Daily Perricone, and you can watch many videos of him at his Web site.


8. @docdano Dan McCoy, MD, interviews physicians and other specialists on topics related to health care reform and the health care industry in videos on his blog, DocDano.com. He practices at Texas Dermatology Associates and is active in the Texas Medical Association and other organizations. He's also a chocolatier, helicopter pilot, and scuba instructor.


9. @CBaileyMD Cynthia Bailey, MD, has been in private practice in California for more than 20 years. She screens and tests products in the skin care market to find the best ones for herself and her patients, and she incorporates them into a collection of products she recommends. She offers skin care advice on her Web site, DrBaileySkinCare.com, and writes articles on anti-aging skin care, acne, skin problems, sun protection, and nutrition at her blog.


10. @drvandyke Susan Van Dyke, MD, founded her Arizona practice in 1985 and 10 years later became one of the first exclusively cosmetic dermatology practices in the world. She trains physicians in the use of Botox Cosmetic, is an advisor to Botox’s parent company, Allergan, as well as to Medicis, and is an instructor for Lumenis, which manufactures cosmetic lasers. She’s a guest expert for television, radio, print, and e-magazine features; has served on national committees focusing on treatment safety; and is active in various community groups. Her blog features videos and articles on all kinds of procedures.


11. @DermTV Neal Schultz, MD, is a cosmetic-medical dermatologist in private practice in New York City who hosts DermTV, a daily skin care show on the Internet. He talks about “real solutions for real skincare issues” on his show, including at-home techniques and new technology for facial rejuvenation, sun damage issues, breaking news in dermatology, and general skin care topics, and you can email him with topic suggestions. He is an assistant clinical professor at Mt. Sinai Hospital and has created a line of skin care products.

If you know of dermatologists who are worthy of attention on these pages, please nominate them. See how to Request a Profile.

Other blog entries featuring health professionals and patient experts:

Featured Doctors: Psychologists
Featured Pediatricians, Part 1
Featured Obstetrician-Gynecologists, Part 1, Part 2
Featured Chiropractors, Part 1
Featured Neurologists, Part 1
Featured Cardiologists, Part 1, Part 2
Featured Dietitians, Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6
Featured Nutritionists, Part 1, Part 2
Featured Nurses, Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6
Featured Nurses, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10, Part 11
Featured Oncologists, Part 1, Part 2, Part 3
Top Nephrologists on Twitter
Top Gastroenterologists on Twitter 
Gluten-Free Diet Feature 
Type 1 Diabetes Patient Experts, Part 1, Part 2

By Julie Bohlen, MBA-HCM, ELS

Online with Family Medicine Practitioners

Family medicine practitioners run the gamut from primary care physicians to a researcher on racial and ethnic disparities in the health care system. One of the practitioners, who serves in the U.S. Navy, was even on ABC’s The Bachelor! See the family medicine practitioners featured below and other family medicine practitioners making an impact in social media, elsewhere on the Web, and in their communities in our Top Family Medicine Practitioners profiles.

1. @andybaldwin Andrew J. Baldwin, MD, is a humanitarian worker and a U.S. Navy doctor in a family medicine residency program at Camp Pendleton’s Naval Hospital. He is an ardent supporter of military families and founded Got Your Back Network, providing services to families of fallen soldiers. A marathon runner and Ironman triathlete, he serves as an advocate for Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move! campaign, which targets childhood overweight and obesity. He also starred on the 10th season of ABC’s The Bachelor, which he described as “physically and emotionally challenging” and told an interviewer, “I feel so fortunate to have made it out of the experience with my sanity.” You can read and watch interviews with him, and follow his blog, at his Web site, AndyBaldwin.com.


2. @drlindalee Linda M. Lee, MD, focuses on office primary care and helping patients achieve “physical, emotional, and spiritual health.” She calls her solo private practice, which is in Rochester, New York, part of a growing trend of practitioners who are “attempting to recapture the traditional values of the doctor-patient relationship in our ailing medical system.” She posts medical information, updates, and articles on her Facebook page.


3. @myfamhealth Richard Saint Cyr, MD, is an American family medicine physician working at an expat clinic in Beijing, China. He has worked in rural community clinics, urgent care centers, and private clinics in California and Beijing, and he is working toward a masters degree in public health. He posts his articles at A Family Doctor’s Guide to Good Health.


4. @Mamad Norman Oliver, MD, is an associate professor at the University of Virginia and a founding member and current director of the university’s Center on Health Disparities (CHD). He has extensive experience in the area of racial and ethnic disparities in health, particularly in cancer health, and his research focuses on these disparities. He is currently conducting a study “to assess the effect of unconscious racial stereotypes and biases on physicians’ delivery of clinical services.” His blog postings reflect serious health care issues affecting minority populations.


5. @drcindyhaines Cindy Haines, MD, is s chief medical officer of HealthDay, managing editor of HealthDay’s Physician Briefing, which provides summaries from peer-reviewed medical journals, and is president of Haines Medical Communications, a consulting firm. She is a family physician and adjunct assistant professor at Saint Louis University’s School of Medicine. She has extensive experience in medical journalism, is a fitness expert, and hosts the syndicated HealthDayTV. Her first book, The New Prescription: How to Get the Best Health Care in A Broken System, will be released May 2011 by HCI Books. 


6. @davisliumd Davis Liu, MD, has been a family physician in Northern California since 2000. He gives educational presentations, has penned opinion pieces, and been quoted in national publications. He wrote Stay Healthy, Live Longer, Spend Wisely, a book that explores “both the medical and financial perspectives of staying healthy.” He posts his in-depth opinion pieces at his blog, “Saving Money and Surviving the Healthcare Crisis.” 


7. @EllenMD Ellen H. Kim, MD, works as a primary care physician at Wrightstown Family Medicine in Newton, Pennsylvania. She writes about pregnancy, children, health, and fitness on her “mommy journal with a medical and Christian perspective.” 


8. @doccottle Peter Beck Kim, MD, is a medical director, primary care physician, and health care IT consultant for electronic health records. He writes about food, dieting—“Wheatgrass juice … actually starting to taste good”—and health at his blog.


9. @DrKateAtkinson Katherine J. Atkinson, MD, juggles practicing full time family medicine (including alternative modalities as indicated), and mothering 4 active kids. In her free time she is passionate about health care reform and is a national spokesperson on the plight of primary care in the US. Dr Kate uses twitter on her office website, Atkinson Family Practice, to keep patients and the community informed of healthcare and political topics. If she had more time she would blog more (if only there were more hours in the day!). Additionally she hosts a Facebook of happenings from the office and local news.


10. @kpedmonds Kyle P. Edmonds, MD, is a family medicine resident physician at St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center in Phoenix. He has executive- and committee-level experience in organized medicine and medical policy. He won two outstanding medical student awards in 2009. “My patients, technology, and my wife are my life,” he writes.

If you know of family medicine practitioners who are worthy of attention on these pages, please nominate them. See how to Request a Profile.

Other blog entries featuring health professionals and patient experts:

Featured Orthopedic Surgeons
Featured Doctors: Psychologists
Featured Pediatricians, Part 1
Featured Obstetrician-Gynecologists, Part 1, Part 2
Featured Chiropractors, Part 1
Featured Neurologists, Part 1
Featured Cardiologists, Part 1, Part 2
Featured Dietitians, Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6
Featured Nutritionists, Part 1, Part 2
Featured Nurses, Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6
Featured Nurses, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10, Part 11
Featured Oncologists, Part 1, Part 2, Part 3
Top Nephrologists on Twitter
Top Gastroenterologists on Twitter 
Gluten-Free Diet Feature 
Type 1 Diabetes Patient Experts, Part 1, Part 2

By Julie Bohlen, MBA-HCM, ELS

 

OrganizedWisdom Partners With Xtify to Offer Mobile Health Notifications and Close the Online Health Gap

NEW YORK, NY--(Marketwire - February 17, 2011) - OrganizedWisdom, an expert-driven platform for health and wellness, today announced a partnership with Xtify, Inc., a leading provider of smart notification technology for mobile applications, to build a series of mobile health applications. The ongoing initiative aims to close the 'Online Health Gap' by connecting the mobile phones of people interested in specific health and wellness information with the wisdom of vetted health practitioners and patient advocates.

The first application, titled "Healthy Bites," will deliver nutritious eating notifications from health experts directly to consumers' smartphones. Currently available on Android phones nationwide, the application will soon launch on other smartphone platforms. Similar applications relating to common health conditions such as exercise, diabetes, weight loss, heart health, healthy diets, and more will launch in the coming months. The applications are enhanced with exclusive push notification technology provided by Xtify, Inc., which delivers vetted content selected by health experts to consumers' smartphones at the time and place it is most useful, even when the application is closed.

"OrganizedWisdom is on a mission to close the 'Online Health Gap' -- the scary space that exists between a doctor visit and the Internet, where people are left alone with an empty search box and millions of computer-generated results," said Unity Stoakes, president and co-founder of OrganizedWisdom. "This mobile initiative represents an important step in advancing our mission of connecting patients, wherever they are, with the most credible health and wellness experts."

The number of medical professionals actively engaging online has been rapidly increasing, but until now there has not been a reliable method for organizing these contributions. OrganizedWisdom is building a comprehensive Expert Health Graph to collect, organize, and promote these online contributions of thousands of vetted health experts and advocates now actively sharing wisdom across the Web.

"We are so excited to partner with OrganizedWisdom because they fully understand the value mobile technology can bring to helping people get the information they need, whenever and wherever," said Josh Rochlin, Xtify CEO. "Xtify's smart notification technology makes it easy for OrganizedWisdom to deliver the most relevant, timely, and highly engaging expert wisdom to its users, ensuring a guided and helpful experience with each notification."

Xtify's smart notifications are visually rich messages sent directly to a consumer's smartphone based on rules that content editors and marketers define, such as time of day, user responsiveness, user location, and other criteria that ensures delivery of content when consumers are most likely to need and act on it.

About OrganizedWisdom
OrganizedWisdom is on a mission to close the "Online Health Gap" and elevate the standard of care by inspiring all doctors and health experts to embrace the power of digital media and share their wisdom. The company collects, organizes, and promotes online wisdom shared across the Web by more than 5,000 vetted health and wellness experts. The company's investors include leading health, technology, and business minds: Esther Dyson, Roger Ehrenberg, Jason Finger, Linda Holliday, Jerry Levin, Jeff Stewart and SeventySix Capital. Learn more at organizedwisdom.com. 

About Xtify, Inc.
Xtify, Inc. is a provider of mobile technology that helps brand marketers and content publishers deliver highly targeted information to their mobile customers based on users' preferences, behaviors and real-time physical locations. The company is based in New York City and founded by Silicon Alley serial entrepreneur Andrew Weinreich and Jeremy Levy. Backed by venture capital firms Acadia Woods Partners and SeventySix Capital, Xtify leverages a patent-pending technology to efficiently provide marketers and publishers with a unique platform for delivering geo-relevant messages to mobile users. Xtify's platform works worldwide on iPhone, Android, and BlackBerry operating systems, with Windows Phone 7 to come. Learn more at www.xtify.com.

Read press release on Marketwire.com. 

 

Can We Harness The Power Of The Internet To Close The Healthcare Gap?

This opinion piece was authored by Jerry Levin and was also published today on Business Insider. Jerry Levin, former Chairman and CEO of Time Warner, is the Presiding Director of Moonview Sanctuary and a Board Member and investor in OrganizedWisdom.com. He is a tremendous partner, mentor and one of the most passionate and inspired people we know who are also on a mission to help people by improving health and wellness. It is an honor to work with Jerry and have him on our Board.

Can We Harness The Power Of The Internet To Close The Healthcare Gap?

 

by Jerry Levin

For all of us -- young, old, and those in the middle -- life is simply an interlude between doctors’ visits.

This perspective, while obvious, perennially stays beneath our consciousness since we are consumed by the daily pursuit of personal identity as if our mind-body-and-spirit were to function without incident and without end.  

More powerfully of late is the recognition that the explosive neglect of mental health issues has led to the horror of deadly violence—so massively played out recently in Arizona.  

In my own family, we have witnessed the tragic consequences of unattended drug addiction. On a national level, as we have engaged in a heated debate about legislating health care, my greatest fear is that we have lost focus on the ability of an individual to take control of his or her own health and wellness. Now is the time for us to transform the conversation from one about ‘healthcare’ to the far more personal issue of an individual’s own ‘health’.

Clearly we have reached an inflection point in our quest to improve healthcare.  Empowering people to control their own health and wellness destinies may be the most important way to create greater efficiencies in the healthcare system and help drive down the spread of excessive costs.  

In fact, one of the most important parts of a renewed personal investment in healthcare are the real benefits associated with preventive measures like sound nutrition, frequent exercise, stress reduction and regular medical visits. We can also see that the Internet is revolutionizing people’s ability to take charge of their physical and mental health.  

Sparkling advances in social media and mobile technologies have shifted the paradigm for consuming health information online and have created a “new bedside manner” for health practitioners.  Doctors and other medical experts now actively participate on Facebook and Twitter, on personal blogs and through many other online interactions—empowering patients with more knowledge and understanding at their fingertips than ever before.

While the number of health experts online is still relatively small, it is growing every day as more doctors view their online presence as an extension of their professional reputation.  A recent Manhattan Research survey of U.S. physicians showed an increase in Internet usage for professional purposes up from 2.5 hours per week in 2002 to 8 hours per week in 2010. This is reminiscent of the early days of television when we heard arguments that the new screen would deaden human emotion and personal connection.  We hear echoes of this same concern for the generation growing up with the Internet.  

Yet today’s children are still raised with a mother’s touch and a father’s care, and they play with each other with the same joy that we experienced; however, they also enjoy the enormous value of having the Internet in the classroom as digital technology is providing a gateway to greater learning and self-realization.  Rather than diminishing human connection, technological innovation and the Internet have the power to bring the world together and improve countless lives. Indeed the pace of change wrought by the Internet is breathtaking.  

According to Google’s Eric Schmidt, we now create as much information every two days as we did between the dawn of civilization up until the year 2003.  Moreover, Pew Research has reported that searching for health information ranks among the top three Web activities across generations.  The most significant way to utilize this wealth of available information is to encourage innovation in online health technology with the mission of elevating the standard of care and closing the gap that exists between a doctor visit and an Internet search—where people are left alone with only an empty search box and their own unmet anxieties. We are on the cusp of vastly improving the overall level of health and wellness knowledge in this country by using the Internet to cultivate a new generation of highly informed patients.  

It is clear that the more understanding patients have, both before and after a doctor visit, the more efficient our healthcare delivery system will be.  With a commitment to better understanding of ourselves and our own bodies, we can take control of our personal health, live a more fulfilling existence and advance in the pursuit of real happiness.

Online With Orthopedic Surgeons: Mending Bones, Joints, and Muscles

Many of these orthopedic surgeons have Web sites with detailed articles, including pictures, about the causes of aches and pains in hands, elbows, shoulders, knees, and ankles. See the orthopedic surgeons featured below and other orthopedic surgeons making an impact in social media, elsewhere on the Web, and in their communities in our Top Orthopedic Surgeons profiles.

1. @hjluks Howard Luks, MD, is chief of sports medicine and arthroscopy at University Orthopedics PC and Westchester Medical Center, focusing on shoulder, knee, elbow, and ankle disorders; he is also an associate professor of orthopedic surgery at New York Medical College. His Web site,HowardLuksMD.com, offers readers in-depth, evidence-based information to help them make treatment choices and “to help break the traditional paternalistic perspective” about patient care. His information-packed site includes videos of procedures and details about numerous conditions.


2. @thomasleemd Thomas H. Lee, MD, is in private practice in Westerville, Ohio. He received his surgery training at Columbia University in New York, where he also worked at Madison Square Garden and Yankee Stadium, providing orthopedic care to athletes. He serves on the editorial board for several peer-reviewed publications, has a number of research articles to his credit, and is active in humanitarian outreach programs. 


3. @ZehrCenter Robert J. Zehr, MD, was head of orthopedic oncology for the Cleveland Clinic Foundation before being sent to Naples, Florida, to establish the Cleveland Clinic there. After 20 years of orthopedic experience in complex joint reconstruction and rehabilitation, he opened a private practice, the Zehr Center for Orthopaedics, in Naples. Among the many honors he has received, he was listed among the Best Orthopedic Doctors in America 2009-2010, compiled from surveys asking physicians whom they would go to for treatment in their specialty. He blogsregularly on related medical topics.


4. @YourSportsMD Robert Klitzman, MD, is a sports medicine orthopedic surgeon “interested in promoting exercise, sports, and injury prevention.” He was assistant team physician for the Houston Astros, Houston Texans, Houston Dynamo, and University of Houston, and he is currently the physician for several Oklahoma sports teams. He posts detailed rehab protocols at his Web site, OKSportsDoc.com.


5. @shoulderMD Jonathan Levy, MD, joined Holy Cross Orthopaedic Institute in Florida with an interest in shoulder and elbow disorders and expertise in arthroscopic and complex shoulder and elbow reconstruction. He has authored more than 20 peer-reviewed publications, is a national and international speaker on shoulder and elbow disorders, and has been on the cutting edge of development and surgeon training of the newest shoulder replacement devices.


6. @SportzDoc Brian Shannon, MD, is with Colorado Joint and Sport Specialists, specializing in treating musculoskeletal injuries and diseases, including joint replacement. He has been involved in several research trials and has contributed to specialty publications.


7. @SWSPORTSMED Angelo J. Mattalino, MD, has been an orthopedic surgeon for more than 25 years, specializing in knee and shoulder injuries. He has a private practice in Scottsdale, Arizona, and has served as the head team physician for the Milwaukee Brewers, orthopedic consultant for both Major League Baseball and USA Baseball for the International Baseball Federation tournaments since 1998, and acted as team physician/orthopedic consultant for numerous other professional, college, and high school sports teams. He has written numerous articles and maintains a blog. However, his Twitter account hasn't been updated since September 2010.


8. @myorthodoc Steve Mora, MD, was inspired to become an orthopedic surgeon after his own experiences as a young patient requiring numerous orthopedic surgeries. He “firmly believes that these past experiences now allow him to empathize and bond with his patients in a very unique way.” He practices with La Veta Orthopaedic Associates in California, and in 2004 he received the CARE award from St. Joseph Hospital. In 2007, the Orange County Medical Association named him a Physician of Excellence.


9. @RayRavenMD Ray Raven III, MD, has clinical and surgical expertise in the management of musculoskeletal and neurovascular conditions of the elbow, wrist, and hand in adults and children. He is assistant clinical professor at the University of Southern California, where he teaches anatomy and state-of-the-art surgical techniques. In 2009, the American Society for Surgery of the Hand named him a Future Leader in hand surgery. His Web site, RayRavenMD.com, has detailed articles on numerous conditions.


10. @handarmdoc CN Henley, MD, is an orthopedic hand surgeon with specialized training in hand, wrist, elbow, and arm surgery. He has a practice in northwest Arkansas. He “enjoys combining his knowledge of physics and anatomy to help educate patients on their orthopaedic problems and potential solutions,” and he features educational articles on conditions related to hands and arms at his Web site, NoelHenley.com.


11. @kburnsmd Katherine Burns, MD, has a subspecialty fellowship training in sports medicine, and her medical interests include diseases of the shoulder, rotator cuff disease and arthritis, knee ligament reconstruction, cartilage resurfacing and arthritis, and problems of the female athlete. She provides care for athletes from high school to the professional levels, including NBA exhibition games, and is team physician for Lindenwood University. (Visit KBurnsMD.com.) She also teaches courses on diseases of the shoulder, knee, and hip, particularly in athletes, to physicians and physical therapists.

If you know of orthopedic surgeons who are worthy of attention on these pages, please nominate them. See how to Request a Profile.

Other blog entries featuring health professionals and patient experts:

Featured Doctors: Psychologists
Featured Pediatricians, Part 1
Featured Obstetrician-Gynecologists, Part 1, Part 2
Featured Chiropractors, Part 1
Featured Neurologists, Part 1, Part 2
Featured Cardiologists, Part 1, Part 2
Featured Dietitians, Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6
Featured Nutritionists, Part 1, Part 2
Featured Nurses, Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6
Featured Nurses, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10, Part 11
Featured Oncologists, Part 1, Part 2, Part 3
Top Nephrologists on Twitter
Top Gastroenterologists on Twitter 
Gluten-Free Diet Feature 
Type 1 Diabetes Patient Experts, Part 1, Part 2

By Julie Bohlen, MBA-HCM, ELS

 

Ex-TimeWarner CEO, Jerry Levin, Joins OrganizedWisdom

GigaOM featured this story on Friday announcing some big news that we have been excited to share for several months: Jerry Levin has joined OrganizedWisdom as a board member and investor.  Jerry is a tremendous partner and his passion and belief that "the highest application of digital media is to live happier, healthier lives" is truly inspiring to our entire team.  Together, we have big plans for how we will transform health and wellness on our mission to raise the standard of care for people everywhere. 

You can read the full article here but some highlights include:

• "the former executive has made a quiet return to the online world as an investor and board member of health information start-up OrganizedWisdom and now sees the power of channeling social media to help better the lives of people. New York-based OrganizedWisdom gathers and curates the knowledge of medical professionals who share online. Levin believes his original bet on digital will be even more powerful and meaningful when applied to health and wellness."
• "Upon retiring in 2002, Levin opened up the Moonview Sanctuary, a health and wellness treatment center in Santa Monica with his wife. Serving there touched on his interests in health and helped him recover from the rigors of his former work, which he described as “a 24-hour isolation booth,” that tried his soul. Health issues became even more personal when he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease three years ago. His passion prompted entrepreneur and investor Esther Dyson to suggest that he invest in OrganizedWisdom, a company I recently profiled. The start-up believes social media can bridge the gap in knowledge between medical professionals and consumers, who are often left to fend for themselves online. Impressed with OrganizedWisdom’s mission, Levin invested an undisclosed sum a year ago and now sits on the board."
• "health care in the U.S. is in desperate need of disruption and [Levin] sees social media as a tool for that. With heavy government regulations stifling the flow of information, Levin said social media has the ability to surface new data and understanding on health topics and build communities around health care. In essence, Levin believes there’s still more interactivity that needs to happen with online media."
• “The Internet is a disruptive technology, but we view it as disruptive to business models. But it’s also disruptive to our own health patterns and structures. I think the highest application of digital media is to live happier, more fulfilled lives.”
• “We’ve seen (what) community and crowd-sourcing can do, now let’s apply it to [health and wellness].”

Recent News From OrganizedWisdom and Our Mission to Close the 'Online Health Gap'

We've had a number of articles written in the past week covering lots of big news including Jerry Levin joining OrganizedWisdom as an investor and board member, our mission to close the 'online health gap', our partnership with Reader's Digest, and our plans to deliver content directly to doctors offices to help raise the standard of care.  Here is a quick recap:

From GigaOm: Ex-TimeWarner CEO, Jerry Levin, returns to the Web with Health Startup, OrganizedWisdom 

From NY Enterprise Report: A Healthy Bottomline: OrganizedWisdom

From Health2.0 News: OrganizedWisdom Storms the Waiting Room

From BusinessInsider (Marketwire news release) Reader's Digest Partners with OrganizedWisdom to Close the 'Online Health Gap'

From PaidContent: Reader’s Digest is expanding its health content and marketing offerings with an online/offline partnership with OrganizedWisdom

More at OrganizedWisdom 

 

Online With Neurologists: Innovators, Prolific Authors, and Medical Extraordinaires

Neurologists are headache specialists, Parkinson’s disease researchers, dyslexia experts, Alzheimer’s advocates, writers, and innovators. See the neurologists featured below and other neurologists making an impact in social media, elsewhere on the Web, and in their communities in our Top Neurologists profiles.

1. @pddoc Kathleen Poston, MD, is assistant professor in the Department of Neurology and Neurological Sciences at the Stanford School of Medicine, with a clinical focus on movement disorders and Parkinson’s disease and a research focus on functional neuroimaging. In 2009, Stanford awarded her the Lysia Forno Award for Teaching Excellence.


2. @Neuralgroover Eric Baron, DO, is the Stroke Medical Director at Cleveland Clinic - Medina Hospital and is a headache and facial pain specialist at the Cleveland Clinic. In 2007, he won the clinic’s Innovator Award for his invention of the Baron Rapid Lumbar Puncture Needle, designed to make spinal taps quicker and less traumatic; the patent for it is pending. The clinic also awarded him its Humanitarian Award in 2007. He has numerous publications and research projects to his credit.


3. @drseide Fernette Eide, MD, shares a clinical practice with her husband, Dr. Brock Eide, and co-authored two books with him, most recently The Dyslexic Advantage (2011). She has been on the neurology faculties of three universities, and she has lectured widely and published extensively in the areas of gifted education, learning disabilities, and “twice-exceptionalities,” such as giftedness and dyslexia. The couple’s blog is geared to those living with dyslexia and is “a place where successes, personal triumphs, and challenges can be shared, and we can continue to discover and be inspired about the positive sides of dyslexia.”


4. @nbusis Neil Busis, MD, is chief of the division of neurology and director of the neurodiagnostic laboratory at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and president of the Pittsburgh Neurology Center. He created and maintains Neurosciences on the Internet and is the practice and technology editor of the American Academy of Neurology Web site. He develops Web sites and serves on advisory and editorial boards and committees for various medical groups.


5. @doclarryrobbins Lawrence Robbins, MD, is an expert on management of headache medications. In his two books on the subject, he discusses nonmedication strategies and alternative treatments such as herbs, exercise, acupuncture, and physical therapy. He has a practice in Northbrook, Illinois, and writes detailed articles on the subject in his blog.


6. @Darylrs Daryl Story, MD, is in private practice at Neurology Associates of Norwalk, Connecticut. He edits a quarterly newsletter on common neurological issues and maintains a blog “with selected news regarding the biotechnology companies I follow” along with information on “progress in neurological therapeutics.” New blog entries are announced via Twitter.


7. @thealzcenter Anil Nair, MD, directs the Alzheimer’s Disease Center at Quincy (Mass.) Medical Center and is the medical center’s chief of neurology. He specializes in geriatric neurology and neurocognitive disorders and dementias and is site director for clinical trials in neurology. He served as the honorary medical chair of the South Shore Memory Walk, a fund-raising event for Alzheimer’s, in September 2010.


8. @btdaniel Britt Talley Daniel, MD, is a Dallas-based neurologist with 36 years’ experience who has specialized in migraines for the past 10 years. In 2010, he published the textbook Migraine, and he writes migraine articles as the Online Migraine Doctor.


9. @Zozika1 Zoltan Mari, MD, is assistant professor of neurology at Johns Hopkins Hospital. His clinical practice focuses on movement disorders, clinical neurophysiology, and interoperative monitoring; his research focus is on neuroprotection in Parkinson’s disease and the neurophysiology of dystonia. He writes articles at his blog on all sorts of topics.


10. @stokesdickins Quentin Stokes Dickins, MD, practices neurology with Southeast Iowa Neurological in Ottumwa. He is also a sleep doctor. He maintains several Twitter lists related to his interests, which include “meditation, iPhones, Macs, and consciousness.”


11. @Cytowic Richard Cytowic, MD, is known for “rediscovering synesthesia” (the automatic joining of two or more senses) in 1980 “and returning it to the scientific mainstream, where it is now recognized as important to how we perceive.” Author of Wednesday Is Indigo Blue, about synesthesia, and four other books, he has also written chapters, book reviews, journal articles, columns, and essays—including many on the topic of dating and romance—and has been featured in television and radio interviews as well as print articles. He is an associate professor of neurology at George Washington University. See his The Fallible Mind blog on emotion, perception, and other tricks of the brain. 


12. @DrBjornKrane Bjorn Krane, MD, practices with Seattle Neurology, PS, managing all forms of neurological illness, and is board certified in clinical neurophysiology. He is a clinical instructor for the University of Washington, director of the neurophysiology lab at Northwest Hospital, and provides emergency and consultative care at three hospitals in the Seattle area. He also writes a blog.


13. @judywillis Judy Willis, MD, is an authority on classroom strategies derived from brain research. She practiced neurology for 15 years before returning to college to obtain her teaching credentials. She has taught in elementary, middle, and graduate schools. The author of books for educational professionals, she also writes extensively for educational journals, and she recently published a book on children’s learning for parents and caregivers. You can find links to articles she has written at her Web site, RadTeach.com.


14. @RCGriggs Robert C. Griggs, MD, is president of the American Academy of Neurology (AAN), which has more than 22,000 members. He is professor of neurology, medicine, pathology, and pediatrics at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry and has received numerous awards for teaching. He was editor in chief of the journal Neurology for 10 years. He specializes in neuromuscular diseases with a focus on experimental therapeutics and has published more than 300 scientific papers. He and other professionals post articles at the AAN blog.


15. @DCPottsMD Daniel C. Potts, MD, founded Cognitive Dynamics, which “employs traditional and innovative therapy techniques facilitated by nationally known experts in the expressive arts.” Therapies are offered to those in dementia daycare facilities, assisted living, nursing homes, mental health centers, and private homes. He is also a partner in Alabama Neurology and Sleep Medicine and an associate clinical professor at the University of Alabama. An Alzheimer’s caregiver, author, lecturer, and educator, he is a “champion of the cognitively impaired and their caregivers.”

If you know of neurologists who are worthy of attention on these pages, please use our contact form to let us know. See How to Become an OrganizedWisdom Expert Curator and Curator Benefits.

This post is part 2 in the Featured Neurologist Series. See the neurologists featured in part 1.

Other blog entries featuring health professionals:

Featured Obstetrician-Gynecologists, Part 1, Part 2
Featured Chiropractors, Part 1
Featured Neurologists, Part 1
Featured Cardiologists, Part 1, Part 2
Featured Dietitians, Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6
Featured Nutritionists, Part 1, Part 2
Featured Nurses, Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6
Featured Nurses, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10, Part 11
Featured Oncologists, Part 1, Part 2, Part 3
Top Nephrologists on Twitter
Top Gastroenterologists on Twitter 
Gluten-Free Diet Feature 
Diabetes Feature: 5 Type 1 Diabetes Patient Experts
Diabetes Feature: 10 Type 1 Diabetes Patient Experts

By Julie Bohlen, MBA-HCM, ELS

Reader's Digest Partners With OrganizedWisdom to Close the "Online Health Gap"

Partnership Offers Solution to Medical Information Overload by Connecting Doctors, Health Experts and Consumers Online

NEW YORK, NY--(Marketwire - February 4, 2011) - OrganizedWisdom, an expert-driven platform for health and wellness, and Reader's Digest, the world's largest global editorial brand whose name is synonymous with "getting to the heart of the matter," today announced a partnership aimed at improving consumers' search for health information. Under the agreement, OrganizedWisdom will power a new search-driven, consumer-facing health program that will aggregate, organize and promote high-quality Web resources, medical journal articles, and other vetted health content shared online to give millions of people the right information at the right time.

"Our goal is to do everything we can to close the 'Online Health Gap' -- the scary space that exists between a doctor visit and the Internet, where people are left alone with an empty search box and millions of computer-generated results," explains Steven Krein, CEO of OrganizedWisdom. "By partnering with trusted content curators like Reader's Digest, we can help elevate the standard of care as we guide millions of people to discover valuable health information contributed by experts."

In addition to search, consumers will also be able to access the program's content at OrganizedWisdom.com and at the newly relaunched RD.com, now known as the Reader's Digest Version. The program will also consist of additional online and offline initiatives, including inserts in print editions of Reader's Digest and pamphlets distributed to up to 300,000 doctor waiting rooms. Multiplatform sponsorship opportunities enable health marketers to interact meaningfully with consumers at the most critical moment -- during their search for information.

"This is a year of tremendous growth and innovation for the Reader's Digest brand with a return to our roots as expert content curator and the launch of a range of new, digitally-driven products, ensuring that consumers can experience Reader's Digest however they choose," said Dan Lagani, President of Reader's Digest Media. "The partnership with OrganizedWisdom extends our ability to deliver trusted, time-saving insights beyond the Reader's Digest Version website and mobile platforms."

About RDA
The Reader's Digest Association, Inc. (RDA) is a global multi-brand media and marketing company that educates, entertains and connects audiences around the world. The company builds multi-platform communities based on branded content. With offices in 44 countries, it reaches a customer base of 130 million in 78 countries. It publishes 92 magazines, including 50 editions of Reader's Digest, the world's largest-circulation magazine, operates 78 branded websites and sells 40 million books, music and video products across the world each year. Further information about the company can be found at www.rda.com.

About OrganizedWisdom
OrganizedWisdom is on a mission to close the "Online Health Gap" and elevate the standard of care by inspiring all doctors and health experts to embrace the power of digital media and share their wisdom. The company aggregates, organizes, and promotes online wisdom shared across the Web by more than 5,000 vetted health and wellness experts. The company's investors include leading health, technology, and business minds: Esther Dyson, Roger Ehrenberg, Jason Finger, Linda Holliday, Jerry Levin, Jeff Stewart and SeventySix Capital. Learn more at organizedwisdom.com.

Read the press release on marketwire.com.

Examples, of two of the "information prescriptions" as a small embedded object that will appear online at RD.com, in search and on OrganizedWisdom and also be distributed in over 300,000 doctors offices in print to be handed out to patients who have questions. This is just one of the many aspects of this program: