About Us

PatientsLikeMe is the first and only online data-sharing platform for people with life-changing conditions. Our groundbreaking Openness Philosophy — which promotes the open sharing of symptom, treatment and outcome data — benefits both patients and the healthcare industry in new and dramatic ways. We believe it’s the key to improving medical care, accelerating research and bringing new and effective treatments to market in record time.

With more than 40,000 patient members across nine disease communities, PatientsLikeMe allows patients to see what interventions are working for thousands of others. This unrivaled volume of data improves the lives of patients by informing treatment decisions, enhancing patient-doctor communication and creating new knowledge based on real-world experiences. Our forum is also where patients can get answers, advice and support from patients like them.

Based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, PatientsLikeMe was founded in 2004 by brothers James Heywood and Benjamin Heywood and their long-time friend and fellow MIT graduate, Jeff Cole. They were inspired to create PatientsLikeMe after James and Benjamin’s brother Stephen was diagnosed with ALS at the age of 29. The Heywood family’s fight to save Stephen has been chronicled in the book His Brother’s Keeper as well as the documentary “So Much So Fast.”

Our Team

The PatientsLikeMe team brings together a wealth of expertise in business, healthcare, research and technology. Despite our different strengths, we all share a passion for improving the lives of patients. Get to know our award-winning executives, research scientists and board members today.