Tech Talk: Crowdsourced Tracking of the Flu and other Illnesses with Dr. Bill Satterwhite

Anyone hear that the flu has been going around recently? Imagine knowing when the very first case hit your area…and not just your city, but specifically where you spend your time.

Seeing an opportunity to leverage technology to improve the health of children, families and communities, two doctors from Winston-Salem, NC launched the Sneez app in 2016. Sneez is a real-time, crowd-sourced illness tracking mobile app that gathers data from parents and anonymously shares it with other users at their child’s school and extracurricular activity locations, where most illnesses are spread. Bill Satterwhite, co-founder of Sneez, talks about how the app empowers parents, caregivers and schools to take action in making healthcare and operational decisions to reduce the number of missed school days and work days. Bill also shares learnings from their first year in the market and reflects on new opportunities to expand the platform to address other healthcare needs of the broader community.

Dr. Bill Satterwhite is Chief Wellness Officer at Wake Forest Baptist Health, responsible for creating and administering a system of preventative care and overall health improvement for 13,000 employees. Prior to this role, Bill gained 15 years of clinical experience as the founder of Novant Health Twin City Pediatrics. Bill holds a B.A. from Davidson College, a J.D from UNC Chapel Hill, and an M.D. from Wake Forest University School of Medicine. He has four adult children and one grandchild, and lives in Winston-Salem with his wife, Katie.

If you’re in the Charlotte area, check out our schedule of upcoming talks to see one in person.