Open Source Stories: The Open Patient

What happens when two brain cancer patients decide to take their futures into their own hands?

From the film

Steven Keating

Engineer

Steven Keating, Ph.D., passed away July 19, 2019, at the age of 31. He was an engineer and an unflagging champion of greater transparency in healthcare. After learning that he had a brain tumor, Steven applied his passions for data and transparency to his treatment. He pushed for more sharing between doctors and patients, posted his own brain scans for others to investigate, and raised awareness nationwide of the healing power of openness.

Learn more about Steven Keating

Liz Salmi

Healthcare communications professional

Liz Salmi is a healthcare communications professional based in Sacramento, CA who dubs herself "the open source patient." After a powerful seizure, Liz learned that a mass was growing in her brain, and she was diagnosed with Gemistocytic astrocytoma. She created her blog The Liz Army to share her experiences with brain cancer with the world, to support those going through similar experiences, and to advocate opening up health data.

Join the Liz Army

OpenNotes

National initiative

OpenNotes is a national initiative to give patients access to the visit notes written by their doctors and nurses. Since 2010, it has grown from 100 doctors to thousands, and from 20,000 patients to 10 million.

Find participating hospitals and doctors

Healthcare Made Human

What happens when the U.S. government backs your big idea? The team at OpenNotes, a group advocating for greater transparency in healthcare, is finding out.

Watch their conversation