Hacking Health: An Organization You Should Know
Have you ever wanted to change the health care system, but felt overwhelmed or like you couldn’t make a difference? Or, have you had an idea for a health care product or solution, but simply didn’t have the time or IT “connections” to bring it to life? If so, Hacking Health might be what you’ve been looking for.
Hacking Health is a Canadian-based organization that is bucking the health care system by bringing together key players from across disciplines to collaborate and solve problems through exciting weekend-long “hackathons.” Hackathons have occurred across Canada, are branching out to New York and Paris, and can potentially occur in any city. Supported by Hacking Health, but primarily run by volunteers from the health care and IT fields, and other key stake holders, hackathons are intense, creative working sessions designed to bring ideas to life and/or create prototypes. In addition to hackathons, Hacking Health also offers “cafes,” which are more informal meetings “where ideas and people mingle.”
If you are a clinician (or an IT person) with an idea that you’d like to explore and/or bring to fruition, a Hacking Health “clinic” might be a great place to start. Because Hacking Health understands that collaborations can sometimes be hard, due to entrenched beliefs and perspectives, lack of a unified language and/or lack of understanding of another field of expertise, clinics are designed to help get professionals on the same page and lay the groundwork for a successful hackathon.
Finally, if you are a clinician and would like to get involved, start a group or see if a group is near you, fill out the Get Involved with Hacking Health form. Get hacking!
