The big news here is that we've just received a generous grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to help define key areas for online health research (see article for details). We are busy putting together a team to help RWJF-and other foundations, nonprofits, and academic research teams-zero in on the most useful and productive approaches to doing research in the emerging world of online health-a kind of a virtual thinktank for online health, featuring the new, empowered e-patient. We'll keep you posted. And we'd be interested in talking with other foundations, nonprofits, researchers, and other research and service-oriented organizations who might be interested in such services.

We've also recently launched our new Weblog at www.doctom.com. As many months sometimes pass between issues of The Ferguson Report (we publish, as advertised, "at unpredictable intervals") we're hoping that this new site can be an ongoing bulletin board for shorter notices and news items, meeting announcements, and pointers to interesting links on online health. Please send us an e-mail if you come across articles or studies on the Web that our readers might enjoy. Those who suggest items will receive online acknowledgement- and our grateful thanks.

Published in The Ferguson Report, Number 8, January 2002

back