Instead of waiting until the end of the week where I may or may not have the time to wrangle up various links, I’ve decided to put them together in a bundle whenever I come across a few great resources!

New York Focused On Curbing Salt Intake: “Now Mr. Bloomberg has called on restaurant chains and food producers to lower the amount of salt in their products by 25 percent over the next five years. The goal is to reduce the incidence of high blood pressure, a major contributor to heart attacks, strokes and kidney disease.” [NYTimes]

What’s the Point of Health 2.0?: Susannah Fox of the Pew Internet Project brings up an important conversation topic surrounding the Health 2.0 movement (make sure and read the comments!) [e-patients.net]

Communication Focus in Healthcare 2.0: Great video illustrating the evolution of what’s been happening at the nexus of social media and healthcare

Good friend and fellow better health advocate, Chris Parks, co-founder of change:healthcare explains how the company began and various aspects that make it revolutionary as it is helpful.

An Interview with the Co-Founder of change:healthcare from change:healthcare on Vimeo.

Really love what these guys are doing. Follow them on Twitter as well.

Well folks, I am coming up on my third year of writing here on Pulse + Signal. Since my first post I have not only learned alot about how innovation intersects with population focused health, I have also learned about the importance of creating/maintaining great relationships. The social media world can sometimes be daunting with the information overload but it can also be a great place to interact with very smart and like-minded individuals. I can truly say I’ve experienced the latter in a very real way.

2009 was spectacular for me as I mentioned earlier this month, I am planning on 2010 begin even more awesome. While keeping in mind my three words to live by this year (Educate, Collaborate, Ignite) and going through some tough personal issues – I’ve had clarity of mind surrounding a decision that has been marinating for quite some time. Many people still are figuring out what they are passionate about (Public Health 2.0, innovation, relationships) and even what their talents are  (connecting people to resources, creative ideas, people person) – I believe I’m at a point where I have a better sense of what those are for myself and how  I can help change the world we live in.

I’m going out on my own – entering the consulting world.

A big leap? You bet. Necessary for me at this time? I really think so.

So now I will begin the journey of working with people and on projects that for the most part will involve a public health angle and will have opportunity to incorporate new media, new ideas and the building of effective partnerships to collaborate for a healthier world. The new venture will be named after this blog since I believe it embodies what I aim to accomplish. As I begin to work on some fantastic projects, you will see various changes to the site as it takes on a fresher look. I can’t wait to share those changes with you!

Feel free to contact me in the meantime with any questions or comments. Thanks again for reading Pulse + Signal and I look forward to highlighting and discussing more innovations in the public health space.

This is a guest post by David Van Sickle of GlobalHealthIdeas – a global health blog focused on solutions, problem solving and finding the latest innovations

I’m currently in the United Arab Emirates, attending a conference sponsored by the UAEU in Al-Ain to raise awareness of global health problems in the Middle East and neighboring Asia, and to draw attention to the region and its populations and health problems among the global health community. As a result, I’ve been thinking about the scope of attention in global health, and about populations and settings that are, for some reason, out of focus right now; one group in particular has come to mind.

This group is among the poorest in their country. Just under one in three lives in poverty (more than twice the overall rate).

• They have, on average, the lowest per capita income, earning less than half the average income of the general population.
• Nearly a quarter of their households are food insecure and as much as half of the population is unemployed.

Their families inhabit some of the most substandard housing in their country.

• Nearly 40 percent of households are without electricity.
• More than 30 percent lack a safe and adequate water supply and waste disposal system.
• Households are often crowded. The risk of death from tuberculosis is 600 percent higher compared to the general population.

Populations are often geographically isolated, living many miles from communities, employment and health care facilities.

• More than 60 percent of households have no landline telephone with most individuals relying on cell phones for routine communications.
• Migration to distant urban centers for employment is growing.

Overall the group experiences a major mortality disadvantage and significant burden of chronic diseases.

• The group shoulders considerable decrements in life expectancy and significantly higher rates of infant and maternal mortality.
• They suffer from increasingly high rates of debilitating chronic diseases tied to negative social and economic determinants of health.

Given this set of circumstances, I have long expected that the attention of the global health community would land on this group. The problems are compelling and the potential value of existing and promising social and technological interventions are obvious. For example, with widespread access to mobile phones networks, mobile phones could be used to deliver education, raise incomes, or improve health and health care. There are a host of applicable technological interventions that could mitigate poor housing or provide electricity.

Yet, very few academic or applied global health organizations include the group in their research focus or activities. I’m ready to see global health efforts applied to aid Native Americans.

Last week I had the distinguished honor to be interviewed by the always inspiring Rosetta Thurman – a prominent voice around the issue of Gen Y leadership. Rosetta picked out four “Now Generation” Gen Y leaders who she felt were going to be making waves this year.

During my interview, I talk about my background in science/engineering/public health as well as my passion around Public Health 2.0 – which looks at social technologies and cross disciplinary collaboration. I get a chance to talk about how I got interested in the social media landscape and highlight a few organizations that I think are doing it well (AIDS.gov, CDC, Playnormous and HopeLab).

Stay tuned for the next three leaders as they are similarly profiled throughout the month!

If you get a chance to listen, I would love to hear your thoughts on how I did.

Photo Credit: Timmy Faust

Today is the birthday of one of the most awesome people to grace the Web on nonprofits using social media – the fantastic Beth Kanter.

Beth is turning 53 this year, but she isnt asking for a new iPhone or a Snuggie…she is asking that folks help her send Cambodian children to school. Here is the link (Facebook Cause) to where you can help her out.

Beth has been a shining example for me ever since I entered the world of blogging – her endless energy to crusade for the greater good has affected so many and I just wanted to make sure and say a big THANK YOU Beth for continually inspiring me.

Well, here we are with another decade under our belts – out with the old and in with the new as they say. But before I talk about 2010, I have to say that 2009 was an extremely fantastic year for me. Being kicked off with my first Mobile Tech 4 Social Change meeting in NYC and meeting Katrin Verclas of MobileActive as well as tons of other great minds, a spark was ignited within my entire being to live and be someone of impact. Since that day in February, I embarked on a journey of speaking opportunities, conferences and brainstorming of ideas with fantastic people who are passionate about making use of innovative tools and technologies to impact the health and wellness of the masses.

It was certainly the year you could say I “woke up” to things I want to do and accomplish. Not a bad way to end the first decade of the millennium huh? Now we all get to take inventory of what we have already done and how we want to see ourselves grow in this new year. With the help of some great people that I regularly keep up with (since they’re pretty smart and have some great things to say), such as Chris Brogan, Beth Kanter and Frank Barry – I’ve decided to think broadly about the words that I feel will be guiding my growth in the new year. I encourage you to do the same.

My words for 2010: Educate, Collaborate, and Ignite

Educate

During some self reflection I was doing towards the end of last year about my personality and things I enjoy doing – one of the things I settled upon was the joy I get from informing someone of something new. But education is not just about handing someone a piece of paper and saying “here, hope you can figure out something to do with it”. Last year I got to make this happen by speaking on mHealth at the North Carolina Division of Public Health and presenting on new media for public health at the North Carolina Society of Public Health Education Annual Meeting. I truly hope I continue to do that in 2010 – some great opportunities coming up so stay tuned. It’s about placing information into their hands and minds in the context of being relevant, otherwise it becomes a piece of trivia that may or may not be useful during game night.

Collaborate

This is where I get a real rush of excitement, mainly because for those of you who have met me or hung around me a while, you understand I really enjoy people. That is pretty much at the core of anything I do or will do on a large or small scale. Interacting with people enriches my life and makes life more enjoyable. So in 2010, I really plan on collaborating with like minded individuals to move things forward. Organizations such as Amy Jussel’s Shaping Youth and Playnormous have huge appeal for me! The way I see it, each of us has something to contribute that the other person can’t. That’s one of the main reasons why I try to surround myself with all sorts of people – smarter, more creative and funnier.

Ignite

Remember when I said that the meeting in NYC last year ignited a spark within me? Yeah, I want to help create that feeling for as many people as I can this year. Last year I got to help out with a new program mentoring students at Purdue University on social media. I also was able to go back to my alma mater (University of Maryland) and speak to the new class of public health students about the coming opportunities they will have to innovative and change the field. How cool is that? The world becomes more alive and full of opportunities when you feel purposeful, doesn’t it? No matter what path you take in life or whatever field you choose to grow your expertise – when you care about it, that’s when success arrives.

I would love to hear your own three words or your own thoughts about what you aim to focus on in 2010. I might even challenge you to create your own post about them and send em over to me or here in the comments section. Would absolutely love to hear them!

Photo by: Saxonfenken

This video is from the New Mexico Department of Transportation (NMDOT, USA). The video shows a reverse filmed accident caused by drunk driving.
I’ve seen that before. I found five other campaign video’s made with the same technique. See them after the break.

The NMDOT advertising campaign coincides with the SuperBlitz which runs throughout the holiday season, beginning on Friday, November 20, 2009 through January 3, 2010.
The Winter Superblitz is an important one because it overlaps with the holidays. Statistics show that alcohol is often a factor in holiday crashes; during last year’s Winter SuperBlitz, 54 people lost their lives in crashes, 19 of those involved drinking and driving.
During the Winter Superblitz the anti-drunk driving campaign will run on TV, radio and billboards.

Examples from the past

The used technique, reverse filming, is often used. The campaign from NMDOT isn’t very original but in this case I don’t mind. It is a good way showing that all traffic accidents have a cause.

TAC / 2008 (Transport Accident Commission Australia)

Rådet for større færdselssikkerhed / 2007 (Danish Road Safety Council)

Think! / 2006 (Department for Transport, UK)

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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.

Can you believe the year 2010 is just a few weeks away? I almost feel like I should be the owner of a hoverboard or something…

We make a living by what we get, we make a life by what we give – Sir Winston Churchill

• Best Buy Now Offering Personal Health Technologies
  • Best Buy announced today that 40 of its stores in the U.S. have begun offering personal health solutions devices like pedometers, Bluetooth-enabled weight scales and blood pressure monitors.
• How Healthy (or Unhealthy) is YOUR State?
  • Is Vermont healthy because of the awesome Ben & Jerry’s ice cream?
• Smokefree Wisconsin Debuts Report on Race and Menthol Cigarettes
  • I did a report on this in college and glad it’s still a topic of discussion. Interesting research and observations here.
• 5 Healthcare Ladies to Watch
  • So glad that these ladies were profiled as to what they are contributing to the health conversation. A few of them are good friends of mine and it’s always great to see your friends shine. Keep up the great work!

• FrontlineSMS Sets the Record Straight
  • I’ve talked about their impact on mHealth quite a bit but here is a post that clears up any question as to what these talented mobile pioneers are focused on doing
• Playnormous Nominated as Marketer of the Year
  • Really proud of the work (interactive health games) that one of my favorite companies has been doing – apparently so do others! Please spread the word if you’re in Houston to get them the award!