Lizzie's Jacket: Steampunk Health 2.0

I met Lizzie Dunklee at Health 2.0 in June of 2010.  She was orchestrating Health 2.0 Goes to Washington on behalf of Mathew Holt.  It seemed like she was spinning, as hurried from task to task.  I was concerned that they might not have my power point so I was trying to give her my USB.  She stopped her speedy movement and focused her fiercely intense gaze on my problem.  I felt about as comfortable as a high school student trying to turn a term paper in a day late.  

Lizzie uploaded my slide set Patients 2.0.  I was so glad to show that power point.  I was happy that Health 2.0 gave me avenue to speak.  Susannah Fox came up to me afterwards and told me to upload it to slideshare.  I wasn’t sure what slideshare was.  But I went home figured it out and uploaded the set.  Thanks to Lizzie, Susannah and the audience at Health 2.0 Goes to Washington that slide set soon had over 3,000 views.  

Patient 2.0

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In October of 2010, I met Lizzie again with a little less intensity on her home turf, but I was still feeling a little uncomfortable as I took her away from her planning time with requests about where to set up my easel to paint onsite. I talked with Lizzie off and on for the days during the conference, and got to know her much better.  She may have seemed slightly scary, but she is a really necessary whirlwind that gets things done.  She is part of that wind of change that is Health 2.0. and this is Lizzie’s Jacket Steampunk Health 2.0.

In this painting the background sky shimmers a faint green.  I grew up in Oklahoma and I remember, when the tornado approaches the skies seem green.  In this painting a series of gears are stacked one upon the other each spinning with great force in opposite direction to its nearest partner.  This is the Health 2.0 tornado.  It spins with great gyrations, often opposing itself to create the best outcome.   It wipes out old structures and ways of doing business.  The work of health 2.0 with its conferences, blogging and local chapter meet ups, may seem like an ephemeral breeze, but I know what a strong wind can do.  I have seen straw imbedded into wood, by the force of a tornado.

A ticker tape machine, a telegraph set and a stethoscope circa 1863 rotate at the top of the vortex .  



The tickertape coils around the spinning funnel and lists several Health 2.0 chapters.  In front of this frantic spinning energy stands Lizzie Dunklee.  She is dressed in Victorian garb with geek chick glasses.  She is part of a steampunk code-a-thon.  She pointing at the computer screen with a commanding stance as Alan Viars is diligently working at her side.

And this is Lizzie, and this is Health 2.0.  They are part of the oncoming storm that is health IT and social media,  new innovations, new aps, new ways of communication.  They do this because it is good business, but they also put the patient front and center.  They put the patient on the panel and invite them to the code-a-thon, and so doing are changing the way industry values patients.