Although I didn’t get a chance to attend in person, I was able to keep tabs on what was going on at the AIDS 2010 conference this year through one of my favorite social tools: Twitter.

By dropping in the hashtag for the conference (#AIDS2010) you can see the real time updates of what folks are saying about the event. Here are 11 great resources that stood out to me – hopefully they are useful to you:

1. KFF’s Global Health Policy Report lists AIDS 2010 Interview Videos:

2. Review article of Bill Clinton’s Plenary Speech: (here is the actual video)

3. The official AIDS 2010 blog

5. UNAIDS Today website: new multimedia resource created in time for the Vienna event. Features blog posts covering relevant AIDS2010 material including videos, photos and commentary on the conference.

6. Bill Gates’ thoughts on the breakthrough treatment for female HIV prevention

7. Reuters article on President Obama’s dedication to the HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment efforts through new global health initiative.

8. Born HIV-Free campaign: The campaign put on by the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria to continue research in preventing the transmission of HIV from mother to child. Great videos on their Youtube channel.

9. CNN article with stories from 3 men living with HIV and their historical points of view. Including a highlight on Phil Wilson, founder of the Black AIDS Institute, whom I got a chance to talk with earlier this year. See video below of an interview I did with him during a CDC sponsored college event for Act Against AIDS campaign.

10. The Numbers Game: Infections, Deaths and Treatments for HIV/AIDS around the globe

11. Interview with Regan Hoffman, Editor-in-Chief of POZ Magazine

Update: Mark S. King from My Fabulous Disease points out his excellent coverage of the Vienna meeting complete with video interviews!

  Awesome news just floated my way yesterday! First of all, I’m pretty excited about the upcoming 2010 mHealth Summit being held in Washington, DC again this November. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) really did some nice upgrades to the website for this second go-round and have some distinguished speakers on the roster to discuss the advancement around mobile health.

Now onto the great news! Students interested in attending the mHealth Summit now have an opportunity to go free of charge. A special Student Pass has been developed and it’s available on a first come, first served basis. So if you are a student in the field of public/community health or related field – please feel free to apply and/or spread the word!

I’m hoping to attend this year since I missed it the first time. And if you’re new to the concept of using mobile technology for health – check out a presentation I did last year introducing the possibilities.

This is a repost of my article on the Ashoka Changemaker’s Social Media Blog regarding their new competition.

With the advancement of an increasing set of social tools, better ways to stay connected and the growing spotlight on better health care options – a movement is getting into full swing to empower patients and individuals to live better, healthier lives. You’ve heard of power to the people, well things are moving to give power to the patient.

• Accessing your medical records on your sleek new smartphone.
• Doctors chatting with you over an instant messenger platform to help with your questions on a sore throat.
• Organizations specifically concerned with the interaction of patients and physicians in the connected world.

Don’t wait for the Jetsons theme song to start playing. This is more real than you think and it’s actually happening right now. We’ve all heard that age old phrase “knowledge is power” – well that phrase comes into play now more than ever! It’s so important now that patients get equipped with the data and best practices that will help them the most – no more blanket diagnoses that may or may not be relevant. Even better, we are taking advantage of technologies to positively affect lives.

Some smart people are on top of this movement and with their leadership and effective collaborations, I have no doubt that beneficial changes will be seen in the health care world for all of us. The way I see it patient empowerment has a lot in common with the public health world – specifically with health communications where the goal is to equip the public with the information they need to make better choices for their health. Check out this great video from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation giving an overview of the patient empowerment initiative:

One of the great collaborations that I’m excited to see getting kicked off is a new competition with the folks from Ashoka Changemakers and the Amgen Foundation. The initiative kicks off today and invites those movers, shakers and thinkers who are interested in tackling health issues around the globe and elevating the voices of patients. The Patients | Choices | Empowerment competition is seeking solutions that tap the medical experience, knowledge, and wisdom of current and past patients, health care practitioners, advocates and other key stakeholders to ensure that patients have an active role in their personal healthcare. When it comes to our health, it only makes sense that the ideal solutions are those that empower the patient and provide ways for them to make informed decisions.

Onto the good stuff:

The three winners of this competition – the finalist individuals or organizations that receive the most votes online – will each receive a cash prize of USD $10,000. Early entries, received by 5PM EDT on August 25th, will be considered eligible to win one early entry prize of USD $1,000, and will remain eligible to win the competition. Following the competition, selected entries may be invited to submit proposals to the Amgen Foundation for future funding consideration. The Amgen Foundation will consider awarding up to USD $1 million in grants to support promising innovations in patient empowerment submitted by qualifying nonprofit organizations.

I’m really looking forward to looking at the competition entries – I love new ideas and innovation. What better use for those ideas than to make the world a healthier place?

I’ve seen various versions of this concept but I thought it was particularly awesome to see BJ Fogg giving us a peek into his own Work ‘n Walk desk system. Looking at ways to introduce public health 2.0 really has to do with integrating better health in small ways to things we are used to doing. In this case, typing away at our computers.

BJ Fogg is a noted mobile health and behavior change technology thought leader. He recently designed this year’s Mobile Health 2010 conference out in Stanford, CA and heads up the Persuasive Technology Lab. Read more about him at his site.

Despite the high visibility of women’s cancers in cause marketing, heart disease is the number one killer of women over 55. It’s one of those health issues that seems to fly under the radar until a high-profile case enters our consciousness.

That was what happened during the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games, when Canadian figure skater Joannie Rochette lost her mother to heart disease just two days before she was scheduled to compete. Joannie went on anyway, in honour of her mother, and earned a Bronze Medal as well as achieving a personal best.

Joannie continues to campaign for women’s heart health, and from last week her “iheartmom.ca” campaign to raise awareness and funds is online.

The call-to-action of the campaign is to visit the “iheartmom.ca” site where you can either donate or raise funds via Facebook.

Some facts on heart disease in women:

• Heart disease is the #1 killer of women aged 55 or older
• Women of all ages represent 50% of heart disease deaths in Canada
• In 2005, more than 25,000 Canadian women died from heart disease
• More than one-third of women aged 45 and over have high blood pressure
• Heart disease risk in women increases with age and the onset of menopause
• Heart attack is not uncommon in women in their 30s
• Women’s heart attack symptoms can include unusual fatigue, trouble sleeping, indigestion and anxiety up to one month before a heart attack

Agency: Acart Communications

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Crosspost from Marc van Gurp and Tom Megginson from Osocio which examines the world of advertising in the social change/non-profit landscape.

“Je tue plus que le Cancer, Je tue plus que le Sida, Je tue plus que la Guerre, Je tue 15 personness chaque minute.”
“I kill more than cancer, I kill more than AIDS, I kill more than war, I kill 15 people every minute.”

Great installation made for World Water Day by Solidarités International for which water was the medium. This special event was held from 17th to 22nd March 2010 at Place du Palais Royal, Musée du Louvre in Paris.

“I am the leading cause of death in the world, I am unsafe drinking water. Unsafe drinking water kills 8 million people per year.”

This is Solidarités International’s major combat in over 15 countries.

Webbanners:

Agency: BDDP & Fils
Artistic Director: David Derouet
Designer-Writer: Emmanuel de Dieuleveult
Production: COSA, LES JANDJ
Technology: Use/Aquascript

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Marc van Gurp is the founder of Osocio which examines the world of advertising in the social change/non-profit landscape. Marc resides in Amsterdam.

The ‘Public Health Awareness’ segment will be a recurring feature here on the Pulse + Signal blog where we highlight relevant public health focused observances (e.g. cancer awareness, heart disease awareness, etc). The purpose of this feature is to continue to spread the word around specific health awareness dates to spur increased understanding and prevention.

Health awareness events happening this April:

National Autism Awareness Month: Here in the States the oldest organization dedicated to autism is the Autism Society of America located in Bethesda, MD. They even have a section devoted to finding autism resources in your state. Also, Autism Speaks, “the nation’s largest autism science and advocacy organization, dedicated to funding research into the causes, prevention, treatments and a cure for autism” – has been making use of Twitter to get the word out this April for their awareness month. Don’t forget to check out the Interactive Autism Network, a massive online community of autistic individuals and researchers searching for answers.

National Public Health Week (April 5-11): THE week for public health professionals!  This week we get the word out on the field and why health promotion is important – time to make an even bigger splash by highlighting health awareness initiatives. With the American Public Health Association leading the way, National Public Health Week has returned with a message of improving community health – one neighborhood at a time. You can catch up with activities through APHA’s Twitter account. Check out this video they did outlining some very important reasons why we need to get back on track developing successful public health programs:

World Health Day (Today, April 7, 2010): The World Health Organization, one of the foremost leading authorities on global health, is behind this year’s World Health Day event today which is focusing on the theme of “1000 cities, 1000 lives”. There is a Ning group devoted to this campaign as well as dedicated Facebook and Youtube pages for further interaction.  The amount of energy that goes into global health campaigns is phenomenal.  Watch these videos to get ideas on how to improve your local public health programs.

It seems that the days of hard-hitting campaigns about Aids/HIV are over. In this post three recent examples from Europe. Keywords: User Generated, Flashmob and Responsibility.

The video above is about a project from Milan Italy: World of Mouth against HIV.
Aim is to make people aware of the need to use condoms in order to limit the spread of HIV.
It is user generated. Visitors are ask to send a picture following the theme of the campaign, a condom has to be placed on your tongue.
Photo’s will be published on the campaign website and the best photo’s will be part of a traveling exhibition.
WOM against HIV on: Twitter, Facebook, Flickr.

The second campaign is from the French Sidaction. Sidaction started as a public event in 1994 in France for raising awareness and collecting charitable funds for AIDS. They donate important sums to AIDS charities, AIDS research, institutions specializing in medical care and social aid for those suffering of HIV/AIDS in France and internationally.

The French organisation Sidaction is doing it’s fundraising campaign this year guided with the video above. And at the online donation form visitors can see what is happening with their donation (see below).

Un jour, nous vaincrons le sida. Soutenons la recherche.
Faites un don au 110 ou sur www.sidaction.org, du 3 mars au 11 avril
One day, we defeat AIDS. Support research.
Donate to 110 or www.sidaction.org, March 3 to April 11

The third campaign is called The Condom Mob. It is from CESVI, a humanitarian, solidarity NGO from Italy. A enormous condom was placed in front of the university of Milan and Genoa in the beginning of December 2009.
It was a bet, CESVI wants to get more than 100 students into the condom. And it was successful. With this bet the raised funds for the fight against aids/HIV in Zimbabwe.

The choice of doing this mob in front of a university was on purpose: approximately 45% of newly infected with HIV are young people between 15 and 24 years.

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Marc van Gurp is the founder of Osocio which examines the world of advertising in the social change/non-profit landscape. Marc resides in Amsterdam.

Recently I had the privilege to attend the 3^rd annual Sex::Tech conference hosted by ISIS, inc. The conference was held in San Francisco, CA which is appropriate given the amount of work they have done in the area in regards to sexual and public health. For those of you who aren’t familiar, Sex::Tech (now, now – don’t blush too hard) is a meeting of the minds surrounding issues related to sexual health, technology/new media and young people. It was absolutely mind blowing to listen to the current state of sex education and related issues straight from the mouths of the young people that are being affected. Not from adults who think they know what’s going on – definitely a difference there. I mean seriously, I just turned 28 and I felt like I was a senior citizen with the things I was hearing. With all due respect, no 300 page CDC report could touch this kind of community/demographic insight.

Day one of the conference kicked off with a panel discussion consisting of college age students discussing their experiences with sex education growing up and relevant issues of how to reshape sex education in the classrooms of the future. Topics ranged from mixing boys/girls together for classes to incorporating attention to the growing number of openly identifying LGBT teens. No matter where you sit on the spectrum of acceptance – you cannot ignore the statistics and the issues taking place with our young people today regarding HIV/AIDS and other STD infections. The mere fact that many young people don’t consider oral sex as…sex….is a problem. As my college human sexuality professor would tell us: “Anything you can put something, you can get something”.

The rest of the day consisted of breakout sessions and a plenary session from sponsoring organizations discussing what they do and the relevant issues they are working hard diligently on. One of the organizations I was really proud of was MTV for becoming part of the engagement and conversation surrounding an issue that affects their core audience. Jason Rzepka, VP of Public Affairs at MTV Networks, (who also won a PopTech award that morning) was there to discuss their collaboration with the Kaiser Family Foundation (also in attendance) on their GYT (Get Yourself Tested/Talking) campaign. The day ended with an awesome wine tasting meet and greet at the Press Club in downtown SF. I hung out with one of my favorite people, Amy Jussel of Shaping Youth for most of the conference – this is definitely a relevant conference for her as she focuses on the effects of marketing and media on young people. Check out her three part interview with Deb Levine, Director of ISIS, Inc.

Alongside my friend Leslie Bradshaw, I gave a presentation looking at online engagement strategies for public health:

I was also really excited to get Deb on camera as she closed out the conference with some great thoughts.

And finally an interview with ISIS’ Youth Marketing Manager who is very into public health and new ideas, Margaret Lucas:

I thought the event was well organized with great opportunities to learn about fantastic campaigns and projects that are impacting the landscape of public health through sexual education innovation. I’m glad that this conference is moving forward because for alot of sexual health education and prevention initiatives, we have not been paying attention to the people that are in the middle of the problems. Sex::Tech allows an opportunity for those working in the field to hear about the experiences of young people and how to better shape programs for the future.

From RWJF’s Pioneer Portfolio:

In a world with abundant, actionable health data – both from electronic medical records and our everyday observations – we will be empowered to make better decisions and our relationships with doctors may significantly change.

I really appreciate this video for a variety of reasons. Not only do I think the way these conversations were visualized is cool but it really points out the key words and ideas that are forming this e-Patient movement. When I first started reading about about the ideas to transform the healthcare system, I got excited because it began to focus on the patient, the individual, as someone taking responsibility for their health; as someone who actually wanted to understand what was going on. For me that resonates with the public health sector in which large groups of people are observed.

If a few individuals began leading this charge and spreading the idea of a balanced patient-provider relationship, then maybe this movement would be something of substance. Not only spreading to health policy and empowering those who readily have access to health information but also changing the landscape for those who get the folded arms and shaking heads from the healthcare system. Public health is about people, it’s about reducing health disparities and giving people the chance they need to lead healthy lives. Often times there are walls and barriers preventing that – it’s time to break them down.