By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
  • Health
    • Mental Health
  • Policy and Law
    • Global Healthcare
    • Medical Ethics
  • Medical Innovations
  • News
  • Wellness
  • Tech
Search
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: Online Communities a Prevailing Theme at Medicine 2.0 Boston – A Surprise?
Share
Notification Show More
Font ResizerAa
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
Font ResizerAa
Search
Follow US
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Health Works Collective > eHealth > Online Communities a Prevailing Theme at Medicine 2.0 Boston – A Surprise?
eHealth

Online Communities a Prevailing Theme at Medicine 2.0 Boston – A Surprise?

Colleen Young
Colleen Young
Share
4 Min Read
SHARE

The room was packed. I had been fretting about giving this talk since my abstract was accepted back in March. How I was going to deliver something meaningful in 10 minutes? But, much to my surprise, the standing-room-only crowd was calming.

It would appear that people at Medicine 2.0 wanted to know about community management and how to build and sustain thriving online communities. The importance of this topic was revealed by the sheer number of presentations and posters about online community at the congress.

The room was packed. I had been fretting about giving this talk since my abstract was accepted back in March. How I was going to deliver something meaningful in 10 minutes? But, much to my surprise, the standing-room-only crowd was calming.

It would appear that people at Medicine 2.0 wanted to know about community management and how to build and sustain thriving online communities. The importance of this topic was revealed by the sheer number of presentations and posters about online community at the congress.

More Read

Driving Your Healthcare Marketing Further in 2016
Portals, Access, and Engagement: Patients Are Demanding It [INFOGRAPHIC]
How Startups Are Bringing Healthcare To Rural Areas
Multi-Screen Marketing: 17 Things You Need to Know
EMR Designers: Borrow From the Titans of Technology

Medicine 2.0 2012 Congress program at a glance

Knowing that I had quoted Susannah Fox in my opening slide fortified me:

“PewInternet Project data shows that if you can enable an environment in which people can share, they will and the benefits will entice others to join.”

Surprise number 2: Susannah Fox was in the room in real life, as were so many others, like Gonzalo Bacigalupe, who until then I had only known as avatars. The smiling faces encouraged me. I put my notes aside and talked about the importance of the enabler – the community manager.

Surprise number 3: I won the 2012 JMIR Award, which is given for the best presentation of unpublished research presented at Medicine 2.0. Thank you, Gunter Eysenbach and the JMIR editorial board for awarding me this honour. I look forward to fleshing out evidence-informed community management practices for publication.

Surprise number 4: Presenters like Osman Hassan Ahmed, Jackie Bender, Pam Ressler and Alex Djuricich made impromptu reference to my talk during their presentations.Hallway conversations with Raphaelle Laubie, Ari-Matti Auvinen, Paul Wicks, Catherine Heilferty, Mike Massissmi, Rob Fraser, and so many more, further underlined the interest and necessity of effective community management. The conversation even continued in the air post-conference when I found myself seated next to Trevor D Van Mierlo, Founder of Evolution Health, developers of customizable community platforms.

A community is defined by its members and the relationships they build, regardless of platform. It was encouraging to see many research initiatives that had built close-knit groups of people who share a profound sense of community.

But, do you have an adoption plan? What happens to your community when the research project is no longer able to maintain the management of the community or the platform is no longer supported? When starting a community, I encourage you to develop a plan for sustainability, mitosis and adoption. The health and well-being of real people may depend on it.

TAGGED:Medicine 2.0
Share This Article
Facebook Copy Link Print
Share

Stay Connected

1.5kFollowersLike
4.5kFollowersFollow
2.8kFollowersPin
136kSubscribersSubscribe

Latest News

a woman walking on the hallway
6 Easy Healthcare Ways to Sit Less and Move More Every Day
Health
September 9, 2025
Clinical Expertise
Healthcare at a Crossroads: Why Leadership Matters More Than Ever
Global Healthcare
September 9, 2025
travel nurse in north carolina
Balancing Speed and Scope: Choosing the Nursing Degree That Fits Your Goals
Nursing
September 1, 2025
intimacy
How to Keep Intimacy Comfortable as You Age
Relationship and Lifestyle Senior Care
September 1, 2025

You Might also Like

Facebook Portal “RegisterPatient” Allows for Secure Patient-Physician Communications

June 8, 2012

Who is responsible for patient engagement within pharma?

November 10, 2015
Social Media

Social Media in Health Care: It’s Happening … It Works … It’s the *Message*

June 6, 2011
Dr. Ryan Greysen, pictured on right, in a hypothetical photo demonstrating what type of online physician behavior could prompt state boards to investigate. (Image used with permission by Dr. Ryan Greysen.)
Social Media

Doctors and Social Media – Two Photos Which Could Prompt State Boards to Investigate

January 24, 2013
Subscribe
Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!
Follow US
© 2008-2025 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Username or Email Address
Password

Lost your password?