Partnership marks the first between the patient network and an academic health center
CAMBRIDGE, Mass (Dec. 4, 2014) — PatientsLikeMe and the USF Health Internal Medicine Department have partnered to improve health outcomes for multiple myeloma patients. People living with multiple myeloma and other cancers will be directed to PatientsLikeMe to access patient-reported symptom and treatment information and connect with others to guide their treatment discussions and decisions.
The partnership is PatientsLikeMe’s first with an academic health center. The companies will exchange and publish information on multiple myeloma on their websites and work collaboratively with PatientsLikeMe members to continuously enhance the health and education of people living with the condition. The organizations also expect to collaborate on specific research initiatives in the future.
USF Health, an integral part of the University of South Florida (USF), is a partnership between USF’s health-related colleges and schools and the USF Physician’s Group. “It is an honor as a cancer physician and scientist to become part of a larger community of patients with multiple myeloma,” said Damian Laber MD, Hematology/Oncology division chief at USF Health and senior member at Moffitt Cancer Center. “This partnership enables patients and their families worldwide to receive the most relevant and current medical information, and will enable us to learn as much as possible from patients so that we not only support them, but improve outcomes for others.”
Dr. Damian Laber
The agreement is the newest in a series of oncology-focused partnerships for PatientsLikeMe designed to ensure that the patient voice guides cancer research, said Executive Vice President of Marketing and Patient Advocacy Michael Evers. “Every day, thousands of people learn they have cancer. More and more of them are joining our site to not only get information and support, but to contribute their health data for research. We’re excited to help USF Health members improve their day-to-day lives, and to partner with such a distinguished research and educational institution so that we can have an impact on people’s lives longer term.”
USF Health members interested in joining PatientsLikeMe can sign up at www.patientslikeme.com/join/usf.
About PatientsLikeMe
PatientsLikeMe® (www.patientslikeme.com) is a patient network that improves lives and a real-time research platform that advances medicine. Through the network, patients connect with others who have the same disease or condition and track and share their own experiences. In the process, they generate data about the real-world nature of disease that help researchers, pharmaceutical companies, regulators, providers, and nonprofits develop more effective products, services and care. With more than 300,000 members, PatientsLikeMe is a trusted source for real-world disease information and a clinically robust resource that has published more than 50 peer-reviewed research studies. Visit us at www.patientslikeme.com or follow us via our blog, Twitter or Facebook.
About USF Health
USF Health’s mission is to envision and implement the future of health. It is the partnership of the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine, the College of Nursing, the College of Public Health, the College of Pharmacy, the School of Biomedical Sciences and the School of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Sciences; and the USF Physician’s Group. The University of South Florida is a Top 50 research university in total research expenditures among both public and private institutions nationwide, according to the National Science Foundation. For more information, visit www.health.usf.edu.
Media contacts:
Kristy Andre, USF Health Department of Internal Medicine
kandre@health.usf.edu or 813-300-9006
Margot Carlson Delogne, PatientsLikeMe
mcdelogne@patientslikeme.com or 781-492-1039
