Don't Just Take Our Word For It. A Few Reasons Why Others Attend the Health Datapalooza
In the build up to 2016 Health Datapalooza (May 8-11th), which is fast approaching, you may have noticed that we are sharing quite a bit about it.
Can you blame us? As the birthplace of the Health Data Initiative and the Health Datapalooza, we at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and the IDEA Lab specifically, believe in the power of health data to improve health and health care. The Health Datapalooza represents a unique opportunity to engage stakeholders from across sectors and at all levels, in meaningful discussions as we explore the next big data-driven frontiers. One of the secret ingredients to the success of the Health Datapalooza (among others) is the diversity of passionate attendees and the richness and insight they bring to the conversation.
But don't just take it from us. We tossed up the following question to a group of awesome previous attendees:
What keeps you and others coming back to the Health Datapalooza?
Here's what they said:
I keep coming back to the Datapalooza because it brings the most imaginative thinkers from the public and private sector together to think about how to make healthcare better faster. It is two days of learning, idea sharing, and inspiration to help us all better understand how data and technology can transform the cost, quality and experience of healthcare.
Bob Kocher (@bobkocher)
Partner, Venrock (@Venrock)
It's not hard to think of examples of how awful our healthcare system can be. But if it's your mission to make it better, you've got to be at Health Datapalooza, where patients can speak truth to power, providing critical insights as ideas leap on and off the drawing boards, and where all stakeholders including clinicians, researchers, government and hospital systems can learn from and be inspired by each other's viewpoints, experience and vision. See you at #HDPalooza! I'll be the tall person in the front row commenting on gaps between perceptions and reality of patient and consumer needs and wants, inquiring as needed: How does this benefit patients and consumers?
Francie Grace (@FrancieGrace)
Patient and Consumer Representative on the Health Datapalooza Steering Committee,
Social Media Strategist, CatchAndHoldConsulting.com
I have regularly attended Health Datapalooza each year since 2013, and it has become a real highlight for me. I always enjoy the passion and energy to unleash the power of data to improve health care and our health care system, which is palpable at this event. I have seen ministers and cabinet secretaries discuss national policy, and I have seen young entrepreneurs showcasing exciting new technology. I always meet old friends, make new friends, and enjoy the traditions of the event, including the awards. This feels like a round-table venue where people from all corners of health care come together on equal footing to discuss proper and expanding use of data as one of the key drivers of health care improvement. I'm looking forward to the new changes this year, as I do every year.
Richard Dale (@rdale)
Chief Operating Officer, OptumLabs (@OptumLabs)
Events and conferences often "admire the problem," but the Health Datapalooza, full of content tracks worth watching and people worth meeting, guarantees interactions which help all stakeholders - entrepreneurs and investors, payers and providers, consumers and media - identify and make sense of solutions that are changing the healthcare industry.
Marshall Votta (@ydeologi)
Chief Market Officer, RowdMap (@RowdMap)
The Energy! It is inspiring to be with people who share a passion and vitality to liberate data to improve health care and people's lives. This event is truly outside the box thinking - with traditional and nontraditional players coming together to exchange ideas and to discuss execution strategy and achievements. It is the only event that equalizes all stakeholders - government, consumer advocacy groups, investors, for-profit and non-profit players. We were at the first DataPalooza and we will be at this one! If you want to make a difference, be at the Health Datapalooza.
Vicki Shepard
Senior Vice-President, Healthways, Inc. (@Healthways)
The open data movement is growing. Governments, both in the U.S and globally are among those leading the charge. The Health Datapalooza is where success is celebrated and challenges are articulated in a relatively intimate setting. The Health Datapalooza fosters an atmosphere where passion, vision, experience and expertise are vibrantly presented. It's a rare combination where business, science, technology and government colleagues seem to get that there must be a margin for the mission to be realized. As healthcare entities recognize they must become data companies to thrive, this is the place to gain the pulse. If you care about health and data, this is where you need to be.
Brent Gendelman
Founder, 5amSolutions, Inc. (@5amsolutions)
As an avid participant since the Community Health Data Initiative (CHDI) Forum, there is no better venue convening patients, government and industry innovators to tackle the significant challenge of harnessing big data for individual and population health.
Abdul R. Shaikh, PhD, MHSc (@abdulrshaikh)
Director, PwC
