Reinventing Behavior Change through Public Health Entrepreneurship

Purpose: To describe development of the Public Health Entrepreneurship and Innovation Lab (PHEIL) and detail public health innovations for tobacco, alcohol, and other behavioral risk factors. Results: Public health has often functioned “anti-entrepreneurially” while our corporate “competition” for the attitudes and action of the public has moved with swift, effective accomplishment. Public health entrepreneurship targets popular culture and social norms. The metric of success is not profit, but health improvement and project sustainability. PHEIL seeks to empowered public health scientists to create ventures and grow them successfully. The Automated Physicians Office Screening System is designed to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of gathering behavioral information. A handheld tablet computer is utilized with detailed surveys in the medical waiting room with results immediately tabulated and downloaded. A “consultation report” is generated and to be utilized during the medical visit. Initially created to obtain a comprehensive tobacco history, modules for alcohol and other drugs depression, stress, sexual history, are envisioned. DDx (“Differential Diagnosis”): the Game of Medical Mystery acknowledges the public's fascination with medicine and creates a realistic medical milieu for laypeople to become immerse in the diagnostic process. Behavioral risk factors are prominently featured. “Everybody Loves a Quitter,” is a tobacco cessation reality television program produced with a local media partner. Segments of this program will be shown and development of parallel community programming to maximize public health benefit described. Feasibility analysis; creation of an entrepreneurship plan; technology transfer and intellectual property issues; and commercialization in project sustainability are discussed.