Health 2.0: Behind the Scenes with the Team Behind the Event
Earlier today I hung around with the people behind Health 2.0, the 5 person company that’s put on 7 (or 8? Maybe 9? Even they have to count back) of the industry’s most talked about conferences. We were stoked when the team asked us for a free room leading up to their Health 2.0 DC conference Monday – and took full advantage of having them on the other coast and in our encampment in Arlington. Health 2.0 – Matthew Holt, Indu Subaiya, Hillary McCowen and Lizzie Dunklee – talked about their jobs, putting on events, what they are excited about in health 2.0, and more. They did this while taking a million customer service calls, managing incoming registrants, previewing demos, and analyzing the conference down to practically each second. “We really are a family,” Lizzie said, as she shot a look at a whispering Matthew across the room and asked, “Are you talking about me?” Matthew rolled his eyes. “Paranoid,” he answered.
So when you have a 5 person team (including Bianca Grogan, who is still on the West Coast), and you put on a ton of events, do you ever sleep?
“We work too hard,” Matthew admits.
“And skip many meals,” Indu chimes in.
But somehow, the team pulls it together. Matt is the first to tell you that what keeps him up at night is wondering what 
the conference can do better – not financially, but content- and impact-wise. There is a constant struggle in an ever-changing world to keep the speakers fresh and the presentations engaging. And staying on top of that means seeing the trends before they are trends – the next, as Matthew predicts, is that Health 2.0 will be fully integrated “inside the system” of healthcare. Because just 5 years ago, everything was in its own silo – patients feeling isolated; doctors dictating, not participating, in care; and technology as a vast field of one-trick ponies. Now, it’s all being combined, and the possibilities are stunning.
So who is up and coming? The team’s picks for the next influencers on Health 2.0 are:
- Technology that connects patients with providers – see AmericanWell
- Sites that are “turning the mess of yahoo groups and listservs” into more user-friendly support systems
- Mobile tools like Scanovert and Frontline, which are revolutionizing the way people interact
As usual, the team has prepped a great agenda for its 8th (or 9th?) conference this Monday in Washington DC. To register, click here. See you there!
Very well said, Krystle. Good example of engaging writing around a subject most of us “outsiders” probably feel a bit foggy about. Thanks-
These guys are appreciated. Health 2.0 is an initiative that is so desperately needed. I’m going into my 10th year of living with chronic pain. I cope and I live every day with the hope that breakthroughs are just around the corner. The more we can network communication between patients and professionals, the better off we’ll all be. The Internet is the platform and hopefully Health2.0 is one of the resources that will bring us all together.
Thanks for the comments, Steve and PJ! Steve, I could not agree more that communication between patients and professionals is vital. I think there are great strides being made, but the Health 2.0 community still needs to push for a patient-professional “copilot” scenario.
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