The 2011 mHealth Summit Summed Up in 5 Quotes, Words and Companies, Plus 1 Jacket

A Light Shining in the Darkness: Kevin Ado’s Jacket (Senegal). Painted by Regina Holliday at the mHealth Summit, as part of The Walking Gallery.

This year’s mHealth Summit was very, very large (more than 3,600 people from 50 countries), and very, very diverse (researchers, policy makers, health care providers, developers, entrepreneurs). There was a bit of something for everyone, and numerous outstanding summaries have been written from several perspectives (see list below). Here’s a quick snapshot of what stood out.

5 Great Quotes

“There’s 5.6 billion people using wireless today in the world. To put that in a health care context, that’s more people using cell phones than toothbrushes.” – Paul Jacobs, Ph.D., CEO, Qualcomm

“A smart phone is a cognitive prosthetic.” – Anthony Sterns, Ph.D., iRx Reminder LLC

“If you’re an entrepreneur or venture capitalist, I would look at how you begin to prepare for an infrastructure-independent health care world, and focus on basically three questions: What problem am I solving? Who is going to pay for that? What is unique?” – Don Casey, CEO, West Wireless Health Institute

“There’s more pilots in mHealth than in the Navy.” – Jay Bernhardt, Ph.D., MPH, University of Florida

“My hospital parking garage has better technology than my hospital.” – Unknown panelist

5 Major Themes (or most overused words, depending on your perspective)

Ecosystem
Disruptive
Personalized
Dashboard
Immersive

5 User-Centric Companies / Projects to Watch

These five ‘Get’ the context angle. They understand their specific audience’s needs, wants, nightmares, and dreams. As a result, they are going to greatly impact their health and/or healthcare by harnessing the power of mobile technologies. (Summaries are abbreviated versions of what appears on the company sites.)

Asthmapolis Dedicated to improving the management of asthma for patients and healthcare professionals. Asthmapolis is using medication sensors, mobile applications, advanced analytics and feedback to help physicians identify those patients who need more help controlling the disease before they suffer a severe and costly exacerbation.

BodiMojo Short for Body + Motivation + Journey, this research-based platform for teens, ages 13-18, offers a personalized, judgment-free zone that promotes healthy body image, fitness, nutrition and wellness through powerful, inspirational teen-driven content.*

Chronology.MD A PHR application for patients with Crohn’s disease. This project, funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, seeks to help patients create and communicate an effective patient narrative that can be used to increase the quality of the patient’s life and health over time.

Eyenetra.com A combination of a mobile phone and a clip-on eyepiece that allows anyone to quickly measure their own eyes for glasses. Through mobile connectivity, the system allows users to easily access back end service providers and caregivers for consultation and treatment, enabling a complete solution from awareness to treatment.

Sotera Wireless A wireless platform for continuous vital signs monitoring that keeps clinicians connected to their patients, whether in transport, in the emergency room or in general inpatient units.

5 Great Resources

What words, quotes, or companies caught your attention at the 2011 mHealth Summit?

What others are saying about the 2011 mHealth Summit