Seeking Non-Traditional Innovation in Tick-Borne Diseases

Lyme Innovation Roundtable

US Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Chief Technology Officer (HHS-CTO)

Healthcare 

Tick-borne diseases are severely overlooked and underfunded, and the current resources available fail to adequately communicate the appropriate prevention, diagnostic, and treatment for identifying and alleviating these illnesses. As a result, the tick-borne disease community is seeking nontraditional forms of innovation to combat these shortcomings. Alongside the HHS-CTO, The Steven & Alexandra Cohen Foundation, Bay Area Lyme Foundation, and The Center of Open Data Enterprise, we assisted in the coordination and facilitation of the Office's first-ever Lyme Innovation Roundtable. 

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We organized a roundtable event featuring diverse series of speakers including clinicians, academic researchers, policymakers, patients and patient advocates, biotechnology companies, and philanthropic organizations united to eliminate tick-borne diseases. Additionally, to foster greater public-private collaboration amongst the attendees, the day included three ‘breakout’ sessions to facilitate structured and inclusive discussions for all participants surrounding specific areas: prevention, diagnosis, and treatment.

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• Event Planning and Execution 

• Social Media Management

• Communications Planning  

• Web Development

The Lyme Innovation Roundtable produced numerous invaluable conversations and insights centered around how the community can better leverage data, new technologies, and public-private collaboration to defeat vile tick-borne diseases. Some of the takeaways from the event include enhancing public education; adopting cross-disciplinary practices for better preventing, diagnosing, and treating these diseases; and prioritizing public-private partnerships to fuel innovation.