Past events we’ve coordinated and attended:

March 13th: The Role of Social Media in the Healthcare Industry

The role of social media is the healthcare industry is both convoluted and ever changing. How do we utilize useful tools of communication responsibly? How do we navigate pitfalls like privacy and misinformation? Come to learn about the many benefits and complications of social media in healthcare from our panel. We strive to create a dynamic conversation about how to develop the healthcare industry both now and in the future, encouraging entrepreneurs to take ideas and produce solutions. We want to encourage participation from all aspects of the Healthcare world and will have time before and after the panel for both formal questions and informal networking. Follow @bostonpainpoint and use #bostonhealth4 – help us make this event even more of a success!

Dr. Kalyan Kalwa, CEO of Cultivated Solutions and Patient Audit, will moderate the discussion. Confirmed speakers include Lora Kratchounova, Principal of Scratch Marketing + Media, and Alicia Staley, cancer survivor and co-chair of the Tufts Patient and Family Advisory Council

February 26: Elevate Your Social Pitch: Best of LinkedIn and Professional Photo Shoot.

The flash of a camera could be seen as attendees arrived for the LinkedIn panel discussion and professional photo shoot event. Hosted by IBM at their Innovation Center in Waltham and sponsored by Covidien, a global healthcare products company that has their own Women’s Technology Network, the evening began with beverages, appetizers and pictures. The photo shoot was courtesy of Wallwork Curry and McKenna (WCM), an innovative marketing agency in Boston and the sponsor of our beverages. The first speaker of the night was Steve McManama, VP and CIO of Covidien, who gave a presentation on the company and their mission. Next up, the panelists included Lora Kratchounova of Scratch Marketing and Media, Richard McKenna of WCM, and Alison Duncanson, of WITI Boston’s own Leadership Team and Sponsorship Chair. The LinkedIn topic attracted a large crowd and is known as the world’s largest business networking site. Read the full event recap here.

December 5: Let’s Talk HIT with Joanne Kamens and Adam Laughlin.

Much has been written about having it all, finding a work-life balance and maintaining a healthier lifestyle. And within that, health awareness and prevention – the best frontline defense against poor health and cutting costs – will continue to be a priority in 2013. Businesses and organizations from employers to providers to patients will continue to institute wellness programs to encourage better health and prevention. But what role do work-life balance and career happiness play in achieving wellness? How do we incorporate practical, helpful adjustments into our own lives? And how can technology help?

Joanne Kamens, Executive Director of Addgene, and Adam Laughlin, Web Developer for the Lifelong Kindergarten Research Group at the MIT Media Lab will join us to explore these questions in an interactive discussion.

October 25^th: Are Brands Becoming Media Houses?  Panel discussion hosted by FutureM. Join leaders from Skyword, IBM, Resolution Media and Thomson Reuters to discuss the new media landscape and the impact on brands, retail companies, agencies and publishers. The social web and search technologies have empowered all businesses and organizations to connect directly with their customers—a place once reserved for publications. This change in power has led to well-known journalists pursuing careers on the brand’s side of the fence, and has motivated brands to rethink their approach to content creation. Speakers will discuss the key drivers of success within the shifting media landscape and offer best practices in content marketing, production and management. Tom Gerace, CEO of Skyword, will moderate; panelists include Leslie Reiser of IBM, Heather Molina of Resolution Media and David Woodrow of Skyword.

October 24^th:XX in Health
The XX in Health group is a cross-generational, “continuing conversation” of accomplished women in healthcare with broadly divergent perspectives. XX in Health hopes to foster ideas and friendships that enable reciprocal learning, generate new partnerships, and ultimately coalesce a network of women working together to transform healthcare.

Don’t miss the first event in Boston, October 24, 2012 at the Boston Park Plaza Hotel 5:30- 8:00 pm in partnership with the Connected Health Symposium. An exciting evening is promised, with a keynote speech by Rock Health co-founder Halle Tecco and breakout sessions led by thought leaders from Rock Health, Mad*Pow, PwC, Choate, Care.com, Happier, Boston Children’s Hospital, Eliza, Ubiqi Health, CommunicateHealth, Scratch Marketing+Media, Polaris Ventures and more on healthcare topics important to women today.

October 18: Join us for our next Let’s Talk HIT with David Harlow JD MPH founder and principal of The Harlow Group LLC. Our interactive discussion will center around Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) and how this model—which aims to instill greater transparency, accountability and efficiency into care delivery—will impact providers, health plans and patients beyond Medicare.

October 9: Innovation Series Event: Innovation in Innovation. Join us October 10th to discuss how innovation is being fueled by a focus on what the customer wants, not what the competition is doing – literally moving from competition to collaboration. Open source and open ideas drive fewer but better products at lower costs. What does this new world of innovation look like? How will the evolution of innovation affect future products and services? How are big companies as well as entrepreneurial startups approaching this new trend in innovation? What level of resources are needed and how does that change from traditional development tracks? A panel of experts on the front lines of this trend will discuss these changes and the strategic benefits to organizations of all sizes.

September 27: Lora will be presenting Marketing Tips for Start-ups at the Venture Cafe in the CIC. The event begins at 5:30. Guests are not required to register in advance. About the session: Today’s dynamic communications world makes it more difficult for start-up companies to get their messages heard above all the other noise. There are a multitude of traditional and social media marketing tools that can be used to tell a company’s story. The challenges are now selecting a focused mix of approaches, channels, and assets, and having a synchronized plan to execute them.

August 21: Developing a Social Media Game Plan. Join us August 21st at Intelligent.ly as Andrea teaches a course developing a on social media framework.

August 16: Wonder Women of Boston Meetup. Join us August 16th at Back Bay Social Club at 6pm for a fun-filled night of lady networking.

July 20: Boston’s Social Media Breakfast, organized by Bob Collins, brings together business leaders, marketers and entrepreneurs for a morning of networking and sharing of ideas and innovation. The next breakfast, #SMB28, will focus on Healthcare in the Social Media Era with Lora Kratchounova, Carissa O’Brien of Aetna, Kevin Green of Digital Influence Group, and Alicia Benjamin of MeYou Health.

July 10: Boston Startup School. Lora led the marketing track session on go-to market.

July 9: Boston Startup School. Drea led the marketing track session on social media.

June 19: Business Development/Licensing Professionals Meetup. Join Relay TM after BIO International for a informal meet-up of BD/L professionals.

May 22: Let’s Talk HIT with David Williams of MedPharma Partners. We’re back – and now with sponsorship! Free social HIT event at Scratch Marketing’s offices featuring David Williams. Big thanks to our sponsor, The RGL Group at Morgan Stanley Smith Barney. The RGL Group at Morgan Stanley Smith Barney guides successful healthcare professionals, executives, and entrepreneurs through personal and business financial life cycles.

May 3: DartBoston presents: TechStars After Party 2012. Boston is coming off a tremendous year filled with the emergence of some truly special companies, among which include the TechStars class of 2012. DartBoston has teamed up with TechStars again to throw an after party unlike any Boston’s tech scene has ever seen.

April 26: MIT Enterprise Forum of Cambridge 3rd Annual In-NOW-vation, Tech Showcase & Celebration. Join Scratch and Relay TM for a great evening of food and drink, plus innovative technology demos from cool companies!

April 4: Startup Clinic: Building Successful Niche Communities with Libboo & AltrUHelp: The Startup clinic features two pre-funded companies doing a dress rehearsal of their pitch, comments from a panel of experts, and small group discussions and feedback from the audience. The panel of experts will help then identify and fine-tune their business plans, presentations, and pitches before talking to potential investors, the audience gets to contribute too! Featuring Experts: James F. Boyle, President & CEO, Sustainability Roundtable Inc, Ben Coes, Managing Partner at the Mustang Group, Scott Henderson, Managing Director, CauseShift and moderated by Lora Kratchounova, (Social) Principal, Scratch Marketing + Media. Event Registration.

March 27: Social Media 202 What’s Next! #smwn202: We all know we need to engage customers, but between email, LinkedIn, Social Networks and Geo tools how do we do it effectively? Boston’s best, including Lora Kratchounova, will be on hand to share how to effectively use these tools to build brand, attract customers and loyally support them.

March 21: Real World Outcomes: Reshaping Healthcare for Key Stakeholders: Free webinar on real-world outcomes. ‘Real world outcomes’ is quickly becoming a hot topic. In this webinar, executives and key opinion leaders will discuss the topic of real world outcomes in healthcare. We’ll explore the definition of real-world outcomes, how panelists see it impacting their strategies, and how real-world outcomes will affect patient outcomes, healthcare costs and the healthcare system at large. Moderated by Carol McCall from Puneet Sapra from Pfizer, Ian Duncan from Walgreen Co and Dr. David Bates from Brigham and Women’s Hospital.

March 22: Let’s Talk HIT with Janice McCallum and Scratch Marketing: Free social HIT event at Scratch Marketing’s offices featuring Janice McCallum.

March 8: WITI presents How To Navigate the New Social Relationship Era: Learn how you can leverage social media to build a strong personal brand, while boosting your professional expertise. Our own Lora Kratchounova is the featured speaker.

February 28:Wonder Women of Boston Meet-Up. A great networking event – Wonder Women of Boston is an opportunity for ambitious, accomplished women of all ages to mix and mingle. PS – This is where we met Jenn Reilly last February!

February 16: An Evening of Thrills
Join us for an “Evening of Thrills” with our favorite thriller writers: father and son Michael and Daniel Palmer and Lisa Gardner. At Scratch, we have been lucky to work with Michael and Daniel—both talented and kind people with huge imaginations that have—literally—made us faint (ask Krista).

Michael Palmer, the author of multiple NYT best-selling novels, will introduce his 17th medical and political thriller “Oath of Office” while Daniel will be reading from his second book, “Helpless”. Lisa Gardner, the author of fifteen crime novels, (including the best-selling D.D. Warren mysteries) will showcase “Catch Me”, in stores February 7th.

February 8: MIT Enterprise Forum Innovation Series Event: The Future of the Personal Genome: This event from the MIT Forum will explore how cheaper genome sequencing is driving a surge in personalized medicine opportunities and startups. The all-star panel will include George Church of The Personal Genome Project, as well as entrepreneurs from GNS Healthcare, PatientsLikeMe, and Foundation Medicine. Event details and (closed) registration are here.

February 7: Health Tech Meetup Group: The first Tuesday of every month, join 100+ professionals and thought leaders in Massachusetts HIT community. The event ‘Overview of Social Media in the Care Continuum’ featured Dr. Adam Sharp, Sermo, Par8o, Jeremy Gilbert, PatientsLikeMe, Dr. Bradley Crotty, HMS, BIDMC , Dr. Arash Mostaghimi, HMS, BIDMC.

January 26: WITI Girls Night Out.

January 17: Leveraging Viral Marketing Strategies – Making your new venture buzz with customers and investors!: An exciting and interactive discussion on Social Media and going viral led by a panel of social media experts..

December 13: Let’s Talk HIT with John Moore and Scratch Marketing: Free social HIT event at Scratch Marketing’s offices.

October 28: MassTLC unConference 2011: don’t miss the opportunity to meet and share ideas with the all the great folks  who drive innovation in Boston – entrepreneurs, apply to meet one of the many experts joining this great event

October 22-23: Hacking Medicine at MIT: Hacking Medicine’s purpose is to bring together the most excited and innovative thinkers in the Boston area and come out at the end with actionable projects and passionate teams. Apply now to participate.

October 20: Let’s Talk HIT with John Lynn and Scratch Marketing: free social HIT event at Scratch Marketing’s offices

October 17: Exploring Social Media Business Summit.

October 6: The New Face of Personalized Medicine webinar.
View the slides.
Listen to the audio recording.
Read the transcript.