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: TEDMED Day #1, Light on Medicine, High on Inspiration
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 > Technology > Medical Innovations > TEDMED Day #1, Light on Medicine, High on Inspiration
BusinessMedical InnovationsNewsTechnology

TEDMED Day #1, Light on Medicine, High on Inspiration

Robin Carey
Robin Carey
Share
4 Min Read
SHARE

EXCLUSIVE POST – I’m attending TEDMED this week at the Kennedy Center in Washington as the guest of our sponsor, Siemens, and it is my first.  These posts aren’t intended to provide an Aristotlean whole view, but a running diary of the events, the people and the proceedings

EXCLUSIVE POST – I’m attending TEDMED this week at the Kennedy Center in Washington as the guest of our sponsor, Siemens, and it is my first.  These posts aren’t intended to provide an Aristotlean whole view, but a running diary of the events, the people and the proceedings

 Day 1 started at 5 pm, with an entertaining (the “E” in TED stands for “entertainment”) performance by Urban Acrobats from the Montreal-based troupe, 7 Fingers.  Literally a stretching exercise to behold, and in keeping with the TED tradition, we were introduced to each of the performers by a rule of three: three words to describe each person, like flirtatious, romantic, passionate, etc.  I couldn’t help thinking of the ancient Jewish king, Saul, the tormented ruler whose broodings were soothed by David’s lyre.  Would many of the assembled leaders, who spend their days pondering the scourge of cancer or infectious disease or poverty, welcome the opportunity for a bit of levity?

 Bryan Stevenson, the leading public advocacy lawyer from the Equal Justice Initiative who has defended many of his incarcerated clients to the Supreme Court, made a stirring speech invoking the “eyes on the prize” social justice movement, which is no less relevant today for all that the goals have changed.  With 35% of black men disenfranchised in Alabama because of felony convictions, with hundreds of under-age young people being incarcerated for life, our country, according to Stevenson, is still facing the judgment of history for its treatment of those who are marginalized.  Using the rhetoric of the church and applying it to the TED brand, Stevenson declared, “We will not be judged by our technology, we will not be judged by our entertainment, we will not be judged by our design, we will be judged by the things around the shadows.”  His call to action was more Biblical than scientific, but such is the breadth of the TED approach.

More Read

Image
Concierge Care for the Masses
Minute Clinics Threaten Doctors: Who Wins?
What Keeps Top Healthcare CEOs Up at Night?
The Most Effective Instagram Features and Apps for Your Successful Healthcare Video Marketing
Health Start-Ups! – FDA-Cleared iPhone App Measures Balance As a Part of Concussion Screening

 The most innovative “talk” came from Rebecca Onie, founder of Health Leads, which marshals college student volunteers to help poor people access the services that are essential to health, like food, home heating and safety, in the form of a “prescription.”  Administered by the doctors themselves, these prescriptions are then “filled” by the volunteers who connect the patients with available services, navigate bureacracies and help with paperwork .  A simple, well-conceived case of using available resources (college students with extra time on their hands) matched to under-served need (sick people whose cures involve more than drugs), Health Leads has about 1,000 volunteers and presumably has some significant room to grow – a kind of healthcare Teach for America.

(For you parents out there who are sorry that your college student is either insufficiently mature or committed, Onie has an answer: “March Madness.”  Any college student that can commit 39 hours a week to basketball can be a model for a student to contribute a couple of hours a week to helping the poor who are their college neighbors.)

 More to come….

 

 

TAGGED:TedMed2012
Share This Article
Facebook Copy Link Print
Share

Stay Connected

1.5kFollowersLike
4.5kFollowersFollow
2.8kFollowersPin
136kSubscribersSubscribe

Latest News

Epidemiological Health Benefits
Personal and Epidemiological Health Benefits of Blood Pressure Management
Health
October 13, 2025
Traumatic Brain Injuries
Understanding Traumatic Brain Injuries: What Families Need to Know
Policy & Law
October 10, 2025
Remote Monitoring touchpoints
Remote Monitoring Touchpoints Patients Will Actually Follow
Technology
October 9, 2025
dental care
Importance of Good Dental Care for Health and Confidence
Dental health Specialties
October 2, 2025

You Might also Like

health insurance
BusinessFinanceHealth ReformMobile HealthPolicy & Law

Evidence Mounts That Health Insurance Is Necessary, But Not Sufficient for Good Health

August 11, 2014
Hospital Administration

How Health Facilities Can Prepare For Natural Disasters

September 30, 2019
telehealth
Health ReformMobile HealthTechnology

Why Telehealth of Tomorrow Belongs in Your Marketing Plan Today

March 9, 2016

Rent a Grandma

October 19, 2011
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?