Dr Paul Wicks, PhD, is Research and Development Director at PatientsLikeMe, an online community for people living with medical conditions.
Specialising in the conduct of clinical research using the Internet, Paul is responsible for shaping the scientific validity of the PatientsLikeMe platform. His team generates insights from the personal health data shared by members.
This sharing of online medical data has led to over 30 peer-reviewed publications, including a patient-led observational trial of lithium in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), new patient-reported outcome measures in neurology, and a ‘dose-response’ curve for the benefits of friendship between epilepsy patients.
Prior to joining PatientsLikeMe, Paul worked at the Institute of Psychiatry (King’s College London) studying cognition and neuro-imaging in rare forms of ALS, and the psychological consequences of Parkinson’s disease. In 2011, he was awarded MIT Technology Review’s TR35 ‘Humanitarian of the Year’ and was recognised as a TED Fellow in 2012.