An Update from PopTech Fellow Deb Levine

Author: Deb Levine
Posted: 04/19/10 14:04 UTC
Info: Bio
Tags: Health, mhealth, isis, Mobile, youth, Fellows

It’s spring here in California, and there is a lot blooming at ISIS:

ISIS made it to the second round of the Social Impact Exchange Business Plan Competition. We were one of 14 organizations out of 42 applicants invited to continue, and we have applied for Mezzanine Stage Growth—for organizations that have successful service adoption, demonstrated positive outcomes, and defined strategies for scaling.

Also, the upcoming mHealth conference Mobile Health 2010 on May 24th and 25th at Stanford University is the third of its kind hosted by BJ Fogg. 2010 has a special emphasis on what’s working to change behavior today in the mHealth field, and in my talk, I am looking forward to highlighting our partnerships in this sphere. In preparation for my talk, I realized that ISIS has over 20 mobile health projects under our belt to date! (Other PopTechers involved with the conference include Robert Fabricant, of frog design, one of the mentors for PopTech Fellows, is speaking, and another 2009 PopTech Social Innovation Fellow, Josh Nesbit of FrontlineSMS: Medic, is on the Program Committee.)

ISIS staff will also be attending the 2010 Ypulse Youth Marketing Mashup. This is an important meeting for sexual health professionals, because as I’m wont to say; “Only those in the field can manage to make an interesting topic (sex) oh, so boring.” I learned quite a bit from the corporate marketers at the last two meetings about how to engage youth in an authentic and meaningful way – all the more important in our case because we’re not selling commercial products, but lifelong sexual health…

I will be moderating a panel at the Mashup pre-conference on May 24th about “Youth, Health and Social Media Marketing.” Jason Rzepka, PopTech Board Member, will be a keynote speaker at the pre-conference. The panel I’m moderating will feature:

Tom Subak, VP for Online Services, Planned Parenthood Federation of America

Jose Villa, Founder and President, Sensis

Whitney Smith, Founder and CEO, Girls For A Change

Chris Youngblood, Director of New Media, To Write Love on Her Arms

(Use the code “SEXTECH” for 10% off the conference registration.)

I’ll keep you posted on ISIS events, and I look forward to hearing what others in the PopTech community are up to this spring.