PatientsLikeMe for Partners Blog

About PatientsLikeMe

PatientsLikeMe is the first and only online data-sharing platform for patients with any condition. Our products and services offer industry partners unprecedented access to real-world data, custom research capabilities, and patient participation in clinical research. Our team has deep expertise in utilizing patient-reported data to solve industry problems and achieve research and commercial objectives.

With more than 115,000 patient members and over 1,000 conditions reported, 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.

Leadership

Benjamin Heywood
Co-Founder, President
James Allen Heywood
Co-Founder, Chairman
Michael Evers
Executive Vice President, Marketing
Sebastiaan Foppema
Executive Vice President, Business Operations
Jeremy Gilbert
Head of Product
Robert Palladino
Chief Financial Officer
Paul Wicks, Ph.D.
R&D Director

Research, Clinical & Analytics Team

Tim Vaughan, Ph.D.
Research Scientist
Sally Okun, RN, MMHS
Health Data Integrity & Patient Safety
Christine Caligtan, RN, MSN
Health Data and Patient Safety Clinical Specialist
David Blaser, PharmD
Health Data and Patient Safety Clinical Specialist
Jeff Cole
Co-founder, Technology and Infrastructure Lead

Board of Directors

James Allen Heywood
Co-Founder and Chairman
Benjamin Heywood
Co-Founder, President and Director
Jay M. Tenenbaum, Ph.D.
Director
Walter A. Winshall
Director
Dr. Jonathan White
Director
Philippe Amouyal
Director