Previous Seminar

Peer-to-peer healthcare
Susannah Fox
Associate Director
Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project

Resources

• Watch an NIH videocast of this seminar.
• Read "Fox Shows How Internet Is Changing Health Care"—NIH Record

Tuesday, August 2, 2011
10:00 a.m. – noon
Building 45 (Natcher), Rooms E1-E2
NIH Campus | Bethesda, Maryland

About the Seminar
Pew Internet’s research consistently shows that doctors, nurses, and other health professionals continue to be the first choice for most people with health concerns, but online resources, including advice from peers, are a significant source of health information in the U.S.

As broadband and mobile access spreads, more people have the ability – and increasingly, the habit – of sharing what they are doing or thinking. In healthcare this translates to people tracking their workout routines, posting reviews of their medical treatments, and raising awareness about certain health conditions. One in four internet users living with a chronic condition say they have gone online to find other people who share similar health concerns, for example.

The internet provides access not only to information, but also to each other, and Pew Internet’s research documents how this has transformed the health communications landscape over the last 10 years.

About Susannah Fox
Susannah Fox studies the cultural shifts taking place at the intersection of technology and health care. She contributes to a health care blog, e-patients.net, and her research has documented The Social Life of Health Information as well as the role of the internet among people living with chronic disease . See her speech, The Power of Mobile .

Fox is the former editor of the website for U.S. News & World Report, winner of the 2001 National Magazine Award for General Excellence in New Media. She has also worked as a researcher for RealNetworks and for The Harwood Group. Fox graduated from Wesleyan University with a degree in anthropology.