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Innovative Technology
Personal intelligent technologies enable self-quantification and modification of individual health and behavior. Examples include wearable tracking devices, embeddable sensors, and diagnostic testing. When combined with principles of behavioral economics that incentivize and nudge individuals into making healthier decisions, personal intelligent technology can address leading chronic disease risk factors. Nonetheless this application of technology may risk invasion of personal privacy and breaches of data confidentiality. Ensuring its safe uptake at scale necessitates a framework that evaluates ethical, social, and legal implications, akin to the Human Genome Project’s Ethical, Legal and Social Implications Research Program.
The Vitality Institute is engaged in evaluating leading practices and process to overcome ethical, legal, and social concerns associated with personalized health technology. It is also exploring methods to most effectively integrate health promotion and disease prevention with personal intelligent technologies.
The Evidence
From the Blog
Conclusions from the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2017
Each year in Davos-Klosters, Switzerland, the World Economic Forum hosts their Annual Meeting. This year’s Annual Meeting had the theme of Responsive and Responsible Leadership. Following my return, I wanted to share my conclusions with... More »Derek Yach | Jan 24, 2017
behavioral economics, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Bill Gates, China, Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, disease prevention, Edelman Trust Barometer, Health, technology, United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, Wellcome Trust, Willis Towers Watson, World Economic Forum, Xi Jinping
From the Blog
Redefining the unacceptable: Making prevention of disease and promotion of health priorities
Blog post is based on Derek Yach’s TEDx talk in Monte Carlo on November 26, 2016 Governments and businesses spend more than 95% of healthcare costs responding to the consequences of neglected disease prevention and... More »Derek Yach | Nov 26, 2016
business, chronic disease prevention, Daniel Kahneman, government, health promotion, healthcare, mental health, Monte Carlo, Nobel Prize, Nutrition, physical activity, productivity, TEDx, transparency, well-being
From the Blog
Canadian Leadership: The Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion After 30 Years
The Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion, which proposed an international effort to achieve better health for all by 2000, celebrates its 30th anniversary on November 21, 2016. The tactics espoused by the Ottawa Charter, largely... More »Gillian Christie | Nov 21, 2016
behavioral economics, Canada, Canadians, chronic disease prevention, health promotion, Ottawa Charter, private sector, technologies, World Health Organization
From the Blog
Healthy Aging in Action: The Surgeon General’s National Prevention Strategy for Older Adults
The US Surgeon General, Dr. Vivek Murthy, has released new recommendations to promote healthy aging in later life: “Healthy Aging in Action: Advancing the National Prevention Strategy”. The report highlights governmental policies and programs that... More »Derek Yach & Gillian Christie | Nov 17, 2016
Great American Smokeout, Health, healthy aging, home care, National Prevention Strategy, reduced-risk products, sensors, Surgeon General, wearables, well-being
From the Blog
Are Wearables Good For Your Health?
In a report to the United Kingdom’s House of Lord’s Select Committee on the Sustainability of the NHS, the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries (IFoA) proposed that “new technologies should be investigated to encourage healthier... More »Cother Hajat | Oct 31, 2016
Apple, biometrics, BMI, diet, FitBit, fitness, Health Tap, IFoA, medication adherence, NHS, physical activity, research, Vitality GP, wearables
From the Blog
Rounding Up the War on Cancer
On September 28, 2016, The Economist hosted its second annual “War on Cancer” event in Boston, Massachusetts. The one-day meeting featured influential speakers, including Greg Simon, the Executive Director of the Cancer Moonshot Taskforce; Kyu... More »Gillian Christie | Oct 7, 2016
alcohol, cancer, Cancer Moonshot Taskforce, CDC, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Congressional Budget Office, exercise, healthy diet, IBM, StartUp Health, The Economist, tobacco use, war on cancer, weight, World Health Organization
From the Blog
Improving the Health of Canadians: Vitality Enters Canada with Manulife
In 1946, the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Constitution outlined a comprehensive definition of health as: “Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.”... More »Gillian Christie | Oct 4, 2016
Canada, chronic disease, chronic disease prevention, health promotion, Manulife Vitality, Marc Lalonde, mental health, Ottawa Charter, physical health, social well-being, technology, World Health Organization
From the Blog
The number of people aged over 60 is set to double by 2050. Are we prepared?
By 2020, individuals aged 60 and older will be greater in number than children younger than five. By 2050, the world’s older adult population will have doubled to 2 billion. These numbers are striking. Cognitive... More »Derek Yach | Sep 9, 2016
age-friendly, aging, aging population, Bank of America, cognitive decline, financial services, Fourth Industrial Revolution, government, Health, health technology, innovative technology, Merrill Lynch, older adults, privacy, research and development, wealth, World Economic Forum
From the Blog
Apple’s Quiet Acquisition of Gliimpse
It has emerged that Apple quietly acquired Gliimpse earlier this year. Founded in 2013, Gliimpse is a personal health data start-up with a digital platform that enables the collection, personalization, and sharing of images of... More »Gillian Christie | Aug 30, 2016
Apple, CareKit, data, data protection, digital health, ELSI, Gliimpse, Guidelines for Personalized Health Technology, HealthKit, personalized technology, privacy, ResearchKit, security, transparency, wearable technology, wearables
From the Blog
Wearables Weekly
Wearables Weekly Brought to you by Sarah Kunkle and Gillian Christie, Wearables Weekly is a weekly newsletter highlighting noteworthy stories and leading insights into wearable tracking devices and other personalized health technologies. Please contact gchristie@thevitalitygroup.com... More »Gillian Christie and Sarah Kunkle | Jun 20, 2016
health technology, innovative technology, personalized health technology, technology, wearables
