First-of-its-kind certification program will promote responsible patient leadership and complementary social health, participatory medicine movements
PHILADELPHIA — March 29, 2023 — Health Union, the leader in social health, and the Society for Participatory Medicine (SPM), the preeminent organization in promoting true collaboration among patients, caregivers and healthcare professionals, announce today that they are working together to develop initiatives that combine the organizations’ shared mutual interest in responsible patient engagement and patient leadership.
Health Union and SPM will collaborate on the development and launch of a certification program that educates patient leaders, increases their credibility, differentiates their roles (and impact) from celebrity and lifestyle influencers and amplifies their voice among fellow patients and within the larger healthcare industry.
“As Health Union continues to strengthen its reputation as the leader in social health and the model for responsible patient leadership, it is imperative for us to work with people who have like-minded goals,” said Dr. Amrita Bhowmick, Health Union’s chief community officer. “The Society for Participatory Medicine is unmatched in its ability to effectively bring together the patient and HCP voices in a credible and impactful way.”
This collaboration will enhance patient leaders’ skills and knowledge in providing support in two important, complementary concepts:
- Social health – the dynamic, real-time action people take to find meaningful connections and share information that impact their health journey
- Participatory medicine – a movement in which patients and healthcare professionals actively work together and encourage each other as full partners in healthcare
“We are thrilled to work with Health Union on addressing this important unmet need for patient leaders,” said Dr. Danny Sands, co-founder and chief advocacy officer of the Society for Participatory Medicine. “Because of their health conditions, patient leaders must learn how to most effectively collaborate with their health care professionals to manage their health, and they must teach their networks how to do the same.”
About the Society for Participatory Medicine
Created by a passionate group of professionals, caregivers and patients with a vision to start a movement to transform the culture of healthcare, The Society for Participatory Medicine (SPM) is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit membership organization devoted to promoting the concept of participatory medicine, a movement in which activated empowered patients engage as drivers of their health, and in which providers encourage and collaborate with them as full partners in their care. SPM does this by stimulating dialogue, influencing policy, advocating research, and educating patients, health care professionals, and others. SPM members include stakeholders from across the healthcare continuum.
About Health Union
Health Union is the proven industry leader driving and amplifying social health. As the premier social health company, only Health Union encourages the dynamic, real-time action people take to find meaningful connections and share information that impact their health journey. The company reaches millions of people through the largest portfolio of condition-specific online health communities (e.g., Migraine.com, MultipleSclerosis.net, LungCancer.net) and health leaders – addressing virtually every condition and providing the information, connection and support they need.
