Medblogs and Power of the Net
Thursday 13 December 19.00-20.30
The last five years have seen the rapid emergence of blogs or public diaries, confessionals and, more specifically, 'medblogs’. Who can resist these peep holes into operating theatres and patients' bedrooms? Often anonymous, frequently scathing, always heartfelt and highly informative, medblogs provide an unprecedented insight into contemporary health issues.
We ask: Why is this form of communication taking off? Does user-generated health content help people make better health decisions? What are the risks and rewards of blogging?
Join our guests as they take a fascinating look behind the scenes of the blogging phenomenon to discover how the digital age is changing the relationship between science and society. This unique event will go online to meet some of the founders, patients and players in the new global health community.
Speakers
Ann McPherson, doctor, writer and co-founder of DIPEx, multi-award winning health website
John Powell, psychiatrist and physician researching use of the internet and its relations to public health issues
Facilitator
Sophie Petit-Zeman, medical writer and journalist, author of "Doctor What's Wrong? Making the NHS Human Again", Head of External Relations at AMRC
This event is free.
The last in a series of four events exploring medicine and literature.
Other events:
• 'The Patient’s Tale', Thursday 13 September
• 'Doctor as Scribe', Thursday 11 October
• 'Books to Make You Better', Thursday 8 November
Ann McPherson
I set up the DIPEx group, which researches patients' experiences of illness. The research is published as a multimedia resource, linking a video and audio database of patients' experiences with high-quality information for use by patients, carers, medical students, nurses and GP registrars. I co-author books for teenagers with Aidan Macfarlane, including 'Diary of A Teenage Health Freak' and 'Stressed Out'. We also write the Teenage Health Freak website, which gives health information to young people in an innovative way.
John Powell
I took degrees in social and political sciences and clinical medicine before training as a psychiatrist, then as a public health physician. My PhD research explored how mental health patients use the internet for information. This led to an interest in the use of the internet in general and its relation to public health issues, virtual communities and public discourses.
I am now a public health doctor whose research is of particular interest to clients such as the NHS, who are changing the way they interact with patients through the internet and recognise that it is the people not the professionals who have taken the lead on the nature and shape of their own virtual communities.
Sophie Petit-Zeman
I am a writer and journalist specialising in health, science and social care.
I migrated from neuroscience and mental health research to communications and journalism. I have worked for all the UK broadsheets, a host of specialist journals, the NHS, and private and voluntary sectors in the UK and abroad.
I have published two books: 'Doctor, What's Wrong? Making the NHS Human Again' (Routledge, 2005) and 'How to be an Even Better Chair' (Pearson, 2006). I was Director of Public Dialogue at the Association of Medical Research Charities and am now Head of External Relations for the Association of Medical Research Councils.
