To Gather Drug Data, a Health Start-Up Turns to Consumers

SAN FRANCISCO — For years, Thomas Goetz had been a spirited armchair advocate of the use of digital technology and data to improve health care. At Wired magazine, where he was executive editor, Mr. Goetz assigned and wrote articles on the subject. He organized conferences, lectured and wrote a book in 2010, “The Decision Tree,” which hailed a technology-led path toward personalized health care and better treatment decisions. In early 2013, just as he was leaving Wired, Mr. Goetz met Matt Mohebbi, a Google engineer who shared his interest in technology and health. Their conversations continued for months, and prompted an epiphany.

“It struck me that I could help make it happen, not just write about using data to personalize and improve health care,” said Mr. Goetz, who has a master’s in public health from the University of California, Berkeley.

Originally Published in the New York Times

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