A conference about Web 2.0 as it relates to medicine and health

Medicine 2.0™ is an international conference on Web 2.0 applications in health and medicine, organized and co-sponsored by the Journal of Medical Internet Research, the International Medical Informatics Association, the Centre for Global eHealth Innovation, CHIRAD, and others. (When I first saw the announcement, I squirmed a bit at the "2.0" modifier and its trademark notice--doesn't 2.0 seem to be overused these days?) Anyhow, here's how the conference organizers define Medicine 2.0:

Putting in context another newly-launched health-related social networking site

Trusera--a website that allows people to share their real-world health experiences--launched last month. Its tag is "Come experience the Power of Been There." When I first came across the announcement on the bbgm blog, I wondered what would set Tujera apart from similar sites, like Daily Strength or iMedix, which I blogged about here.

Another entry into the online health search engine/social networking platform space

iMedix bills itself as a new way to find and share health information. Its home page features quotes from various media sources proclaiming its greatness, including this one from the New York Times: "iMedix could revolutionize the way people take care of themselves."

Social networking comes to the life sciences

Last month, Collexis announced the launch of BioMedExperts.com, an online social networking site that is being billed as the MySpace for research scientists want to find and connect with others who share their research interests. The BioMedExperts website explains that it connects scientists

to each other through the display and analysis of the networks of co-authors with whom each investigator works to publish scientific papers.

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A new health social network comes online

The entertainment industry bible, Variety, announced yesterday that two Hollywood execs are launching a health and wellness website to help people improve their lives. PeopleJam, which is slated to go live in September, is backed by former AOL Time Warner exec Robert Pittman and TiVo chief exec Tom Rogers. It will provide opportunities for people to share life experiences and goals, and will feature original video programming from a variety of experts.

Pharma Marketing

The Pharma Marketing blog had an interesting piece the other day on "Rejiggering the Marketing Mix a la Merck."

Biocitizens and Medical Research

Yesterday's Wall Street Journal article on the "Informed Patient" echoes some of the themes discussed at our recent conference.