National Disabled Veterans Winter Sports Clinic
Miracles on the Mountainside I recently volunteered with my colleagues at the National Disabled Veterans Winter Sports Clinic (NDVWSC) at Snowmass Village, Colorado, where I interviewed and filmed participants and captured images. More than 400 disabled veterans participated in approximately 12 adaptive winter sports using a variety of custom-crafted adaptive devices. It was so inspiring to see veterans who have returned from war to face new challenges finding ways to overcome their disabilities. The event was successful due in part to the overwhelming financial support and volunteerism of corporations, organizations and individuals, as well as the sponsorship of the Disabled American Veterans and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). An estimated 200 certified ski instructors for…
Bi-weekly Roundup: The Top 5 Stories in Digital Health
Greetings health communicators! We’re instating a new bi-weekly wrap up of the top news in the health and digital space – take a look and let us know what you find most useful. 1. Facebook Timeline for brands is here! And it’s coming for your page…. Are YOU ready? Seriously, don’t panic. Here’s what you need to know about the format changes and how it will affect your strategy: How to prepare your new page Tips and cheat sheets for implementing changes from Beth Kanter A study on how eyes view Timeline vs. the old profiles For inspiration on building out your page’s history: 7 Facebook pages with killer Timelines Facebook: Now complete with pinning! Facebook’s design specs 2. From Social Media Week DC – get organized and…
DHCX Day Two – Go Do!
Over the next few days, we are going to provide our impressions of the Digital Health Communications Extravaganza held in Orlando, February 15-17. Lisa Torphy provides her thoughts on Day Two! Digital Health Communications Extravaganza (DHCX) started the second day with a Keynote Session from Vic Strecher from the Schools of Public Health and Medicine, University of Michigan. Using inspiration from Jonsi’s song “Go Do” and examples taken from data-driven research, Strecher discussed where our field of health communication is at this point, where we seem to be hitting walls, and where we may be opening new doors. With new information and new technology we can examine new ways to “go do” that can improve health outcomes and change…
DHCX Day One: Inspiring the Next Wave of Health Communications
Over the next few days, we are going to provide their impressions of the Digital Health Communications Extravaganza held in Orlando February 15-17. Up first, Lisa Brown provides her thoughts on Day One! The Glee song and dance number was my first clue. This was not your average conference. The inaugural day of the inaugural Digital Health Communications Extravaganza (DHCX) did not disappoint. Conference organizer, Dr. Jay Bernhardt from the Center for Digital Health and Wellness at the University of Florida made it clear that this conference was different for two reasons—it’s for advanced users and it had no theme. They used the word “extravaganza” because they wanted this conference to be fun, creative and…
Live Coverage of the Digital Health Communication Extravaganza in Orlando!
In addition to sunshine and warmth in the middle of winter, the 2012 Digital Health Communications Extravaganza (DHCX) has a lot to offer. It’s no surprise technology is revolutionizing healthcare, but the question is, how will we stay in front of this technology so we can effectively and efficiently apply these resources in health settings to improve outcomes? The University of Florida’s Center for Digital Health and Wellness hopes to address this question at DHCX, taking place Feb. 15-17 at the Peabody Hotel in Orlando, Fla. DHCX 2012 from Dr. Jay Bernhardt on Vimeo. I, and many of my colleagues, will be on-site at the conference. You can join the conversation virtually by following my…
National Veterans Affairs Summer Sports Clinic – Surfing With Octavia
Surfing in La Jolla is only one of the challenging events that Veterans experience when they come to a National Veterans Affairs Summer Sports Clinic. Other sports include track and field, kayaking, sailing, rowing and cycling, plus more. The event this year was held in San Diego, California from September 18-23, 2011. The theme, “Setting Your Course for the Future,” solidifies the experiences and opportunities Veterans are given to learn about adaptive recreation to complement their traditional therapies, and to gain both physical and mental confidence. It was on the shores of La Jolla beach where we met Octavia Mitchell, a US Army Veteran. Octavia suffered a stroke that left her paralyzed on her left…
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What Facebook Timeline Means for Hosting Live Events
In the last year, more and more health brands and government social media accounts have adopted strategies to communicate with stakeholders and patients through live events and real-time chat features. In the last few months, CVS Pharmacy hosted an online Facebook chat to connect health consumers with a pharmacist, Todd Park engaged in a live Twitter chat for Big Data Week and the Suicide Prevention Lifeline teamed up with Facebook to launch a “chat” messaging system to help users find immediate help when suicidal comments show up. As brand pages have been adapted for the new Facebook timeline environment, I can’t help but ponder: what does the new layout mean for hosting online events and live chats? In short, we need to…
The Fundamentals of Recruiting Remain Constant in a Digital World
Rick McCallum, who is a retired active U.S. Army and Army nurse corps recruiter with more than 20 years of experience in recruitment, states that there are three fundamentals of recruiting – Interact, Listen and Inform. His statement was made in the context of recruiting health professionals at events and conferences but technology has enabled digital mediums, particularly social media, to be viable platforms for staying true to the three core activities in recruitment. Just a couple years ago, statistics showed that only a small percentage of healthcare professionals used digital technology such as social media to find new professional opportunities. Anecdotally, we’ve seen a shift in this trend to where more and more health…
National Disabled Veterans Winter Sports Clinic
Miracles on the Mountainside I recently volunteered with my colleagues at the National Disabled Veterans Winter Sports Clinic (NDVWSC) at Snowmass Village, Colorado, where I interviewed and filmed participants and captured images. More than 400 disabled veterans participated in approximately 12 adaptive winter sports using a variety of custom-crafted adaptive devices. It was so inspiring to see veterans who have returned from war to face new challenges finding ways to overcome their disabilities. The event was successful due in part to the overwhelming financial support and volunteerism of corporations, organizations and individuals, as well as the sponsorship of the Disabled American Veterans and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). An estimated 200 certified ski instructors for…
Bi-weekly Roundup: The Top 5 Stories in Digital Health
Greetings health communicators! We’re instating a new bi-weekly wrap up of the top news in the health and digital space – take a look and let us know what you find most useful. 1. Facebook Timeline for brands is here! And it’s coming for your page…. Are YOU ready? Seriously, don’t panic. Here’s what you need to know about the format changes and how it will affect your strategy: How to prepare your new page Tips and cheat sheets for implementing changes from Beth Kanter A study on how eyes view Timeline vs. the old profiles For inspiration on building out your page’s history: 7 Facebook pages with killer Timelines Facebook: Now complete with pinning! Facebook’s design specs 2. From Social Media Week DC – get organized and…
Q2 Digital Health Outlook: 5 Trends to Watch in 2012
Looking back, 2011 certainly left an imprint on the field of health communications, with many exciting new tools, technologies, and uses of digital media inexorably changing the way organizations reach and engage with their target audiences. Based on what we’ve been seeing in Q1 of 2012, it looks like the rest of 2012 will be dominated by a maturation of some of the familiar trends from 2011 as well as some exciting new ones. Below, we discuss five trends to watch as well as their implications for communicators. Overview Today, individuals are perpetually “mobile” and “social.” They are always connected and are often using their mobile devices to search for information while simultaneously engaging in…
DHCX Day Two – Go Do!
Over the next few days, we are going to provide our impressions of the Digital Health Communications Extravaganza held in Orlando, February 15-17. Lisa Torphy provides her thoughts on Day Two! Digital Health Communications Extravaganza (DHCX) started the second day with a Keynote Session from Vic Strecher from the Schools of Public Health and Medicine, University of Michigan. Using inspiration from Jonsi’s song “Go Do” and examples taken from data-driven research, Strecher discussed where our field of health communication is at this point, where we seem to be hitting walls, and where we may be opening new doors. With new information and new technology we can examine new ways to “go do” that can improve health outcomes and change…