[email protected]: Thomas Goetz

March 08, 2010 — THE DECISION TREE stems from Goetz's unique experience as an editor at WIRED and as a student working on a Masters in Public Health. Goetz was struck by the unfortunate disconnect between the public health world and the tech world. Wasn't there was a way to combine the promise of technology with the rigor of public health in order to engage people more predictably, strategically, and effectively with their own health, he wondered? In the book, Goetz looks at the tools and technology available to us now from DNA analysis that can predict future health issues, to social networks that can keep us abreast of the latest treatments. Goetz balances the science and ideas in the book with stories of real people who are utilizing these tools allowing us to see the opportunities and possibilities in action. The Decision tree is an organizational system that maps out our options, factors in all relevant info (family history, our habits, conditions, etc), and guides us toward the best possible health care choices. A Decision Tree has the power to turn the chaos of medical science into a system that makes sense by prioritizing facts and evidence over instinct and tradition. It puts the patient in the central role as decision maker not the doctor, insurance company, or hospital administrators.