JFK’s Spirit Alive at the MassTLC unConference

November 2013 marks the 50^th anniversary of the death of John F. Kennedy—a sad occasion for Massachusetts and for all who admired his example of vigor, intelligence and dedication to the greater good.

While President Kennedy is not here to see it, I believe he’d be proud of how Massachusetts has evolved into a world-class beacon for innovation and entrepreneurship by embracing and adapting enduring traditions, while setting a course for the new century.

Attending the 2013 MassTLC unConference last week, it struck me that JFK would have been impressed by the creative thoughts and ideas, diversity, optimism and generosity shown by the gathering’s 800+ enthusiastic attendees.

As a native Californian and Silicon Valley refugee who first came Boston for a college education and who’s lived in Massachusetts for 30+ years, MassTLC’s exceptionally excellent #unCon reassured me more than ever that …

Massachusetts is the best place in the world in which to live and work-- to start, run, and grow a technology business!

Interestingly, the current and future state of Massachusetts was presaged in how Kennedy perceived our Commonwealth a half-century ago.

John F. Kennedy, U.S. Representative and Senator, President of the United States
and unapologetic booster of Massachusetts leadership and innovation 

In his oft-quoted 1961 “City Upon a Hill” speech, then-Senator and President-Elect John Kennedy spoke eloquently about the state he called home, evoking the memory of John Winthrop and other courageous pilgrims who came to Massachusetts in 1630 in search of freedom and opportunity.

Kennedy commented “we are setting out upon a voyage in 1961 no less hazardous than that undertaken” by Massachusetts’ first migrants and quoted Winthrop’s exhortation to his fellow Massachusetts residents:

"We must always consider, that we shall be as a city upon a hill
—the eyes of all people are upon us."

Kennedy’s eloquence stands the test of time, with words that ring as true today as when he spoke them some five decades past. 

Consider these excerpts from his address:

“The enduring qualities of Massachusetts—the common threads woven by the Pilgrim and the Puritan, the fisherman and the farmer, the Yankee and the immigrant…. are an indelible part of my life, my convictions, my view of the past, and my hopes for the future.”

“Courage—judgment—integrity—dedication these are the historic qualities
of the Bay Colony and the Bay State.”

"For what Pericles said to the Athenians has long been true of this commonwealth:
'We do not imitate—for we are a model to others,' "

From Plymouth Rock to Kennedy’s New Frontier; and from the industrial revolution born in the mills of Lowell and Waltham to the thousands of 21^st century knowledge workers who now contribute to what Boston Globe HIVE and Globe columnist Scott Kirsner describe as Massachusetts’ “Innovation Economy”-- our Commonwealth truly does set a good example for others around the world to follow.

Pam Burton, Partner at Accelent Consulting (who recently returned to Mass from CA)
ponders which sessions to attend at @MassTLC 2013 unConference

And while Big Papi’s “F&$@g” eloquence doesn’t compare to Kennedy’s, our world champion Red Sox deserve to be included in Wikipedia definitions for teamwork, endurance and spirit.  Similarly those of us who work in the local tech sector would do well to imitate the New England Patriots’ example of guts, hard work and collaboration.

Two other JFK quotes fit this theme and point us where we need to go:

“Change is the law of life.
And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future.”

“Things do not happen. Things are made to happen.”

Massachusetts: Together, let’s keep making it happen!

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Click here to listen or download an MP3 recording
of JFK’s 1961 "City on a Hill Speech" in its entirety

Tags: 

MassTLC, unConference, innovation, entrepreneurship, Massachusetts, technology, Boston, Silicon Valley, John F. Kennedy, Red Sox, New England Patriots, Scott Kirsner, Innovation Economy, Boston Globe, Patrick Rafter

**This original Patrick Rafter article was initially published as a "guest' post on the blog of the Mass Technology Leadership Council on 1 November 2013, online at

http://www.masstlcuncon.org/innovation/jfks-spirit-alive-and-well-at-the-masstlc-unconference/ **

Boston: The HUB of Patient-Centered Healthcare?

This is the first post in a series on patient-centered health and wellness 
 

Correspondents + Co-Authors:  

Bill Fleming/extrovertic (Cambridge, MA) and
Patrick Rafter/Valuecasters (Wellesley, MA)

A cross-section of 50 of the “who’s who” of Boston-area healthcare gathered on June 25 for a spirited discussion around a rallying call to “Make Boston the Nexus of Patient Centered Healthcare.”  The evening provided an exciting perspective on how patients are managing their health outside of the formal healthcare system.

Extrovertic co-sponsored the event with North Bridge Growth Equity Ventures. Organized by Future Forward, the evening centered on a panel moderated by Scott Kirsner, Innovation Economist of The Boston Globe, comprised of entrepreneurs and policy-makers leading the trend in self-directed health and wellness:

David Dickinson, Zeo, an online sleep management company

Jason Jacobs, FitnessKeeper, focused on tracking, measuring and improving fitness

Joe Kvedar, Partners Healthcare's Center for Connected Healthcare, research in technology-enabled healthcare delivery  

Frank Moss, MIT Media Lab, new media medicine

David Rose, Entrepreneur and founder of Vitality, devices to improve medication adherence

Sonny Vu, AgaMatrix, the first iPhone blood glucose monitor

Ctr. For Connected Healthcare’s Joe Kevedar (l) catches up with David Rose (r)

The audience included representatives of the major players in patient-centric health:

• Digital and mobile health startups and later stage companies, such as OhmUniverse, PrescribableApps, Healthrageous, Humedica
• Payers and employers, including BC/BS of MA and AthenaHealth
• Academic medicine and policy, such as BU and MIT Media Lab’s New Media Medicine group
• Pharma, including Biogen-Idec and extrovertic
• Investors, including Rock Health and North Bridge Venture Partners
• Many others who deserve to be mentioned (but aren’t here/now)

The discussion focused on the opportunity to make Boston the hub of patient-centered healthcare, just as Silicon Valley is the nexus of technology-based innovation. Boston’s advantages in supporting this trend include:

• A strong digital technology community, including entrepreneurs and developers.
• World-class medical expertise and data, such as researchers, practitioners and Big Data from research and clinical trials.
• An active venture finance presence that has a strong track record in funding therapeutic, device and diagnostic companies.

Scott Kirsner/Boston Globe (l) and Bill Fleming/extrovertic (r) compare notes 

Participants also pointed out some barriers to continued growth for the Boston area, including limited access to medical researchers, clinicians and data; a shortage of technical talent; and a lack of experience in funding digital startups.

A sense of the eco-system that has developed in the Boston-area over the last several years emerged from the conversation, and was depicted in this graphic, drawn during the event: 

Graphical representation of the dialog. Scribing courtesy of Marsha Dunn of Collective Next   

For a sense of “Who Said What” we invite those who were present at the event to weigh-in with your comments:

• Which themes stood out for you?
• What/Who was most interesting and inspiring?
• What concerns were voiced or now come to mind?
• What take-away ideas do you have?

Let’s keep the conversation going.

We plan to do our part by publishing some related upcoming posts on The Extrovertic Blog which will focus on the substance and implications of patient-centered health:

1. What’s Goin’ On?   Who is managing their own health?
2. Rage Against The Machine:  Giving consumers healthcare control + independence
3. Love the One You’re With:   Opportunities for providers, payers and pharma

Editors' Note 
If you’re interested:

Feel free to volunteer to write a “Guest Blog” post on some aspect of the event.