ATLANTA & SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), people born between 1945 and 1965 are 5 times more likely than other adults to have hepatitis C—in fact, roughly 120,000 deaths could be prevented if all baby boomers were tested for hepatitis C. In light of these startling statistics, Sharecare, the health and wellness social network, has released its Top 10 Social HealthMakers in Hepatitis C. These informed individuals are leading online conversations about hepatitis C, providing invaluable insights on symptoms, treatment, support, and living with the virus.
Among them is a nurse who has treated and been treated for hepatitis C, a HepMag.com guest blogger who beat the virus with protease inhibitors, and an educator who has lived with the condition for 20 years. “Thanks to the latest treatments, four out of five HCV patients can spend the rest of their lives free of the disease,” said Lucinda K. Porter, RN, #1 on the Sharecare Social HealthMakers list.
For Hepatitis Awareness Month in May, here are the Top 10 Social HealthMakers in Hepatitis C to follow:
1. Lucinda K. Porter, RN – LucindaPorterRN.com and HepMag.com
- An RN, educator, consultant and author of Free from Hepatitis C who contracted hepatitis C in 1988, Porter served as clinical research nurse at Stanford’s hepatology division and is active in hepatitis C support. Her second book Hepatitis C Treatment One Step at a Time: Inspiration and Practical Tips for Successful Treatment will be published September 2013.
2. John D. Carroll – FierceBiotech.com
- FierceBiotech.com editor and a biotech analyst with 34 years prize-winning experience in journalism often covering hepatitis C drug releases and clinical trials, Carroll has written for Time magazine and The Dallas Morning News.
3. Margaret Dudley – Hepc-cured.com and HepMag.com
- After contracting the virus via a tattoo needle and enduring the condition for six years before diagnosis, Dudley founded HCV Coalition for the Cure, petitioning to bring treatments to market.
4. Liz Highleyman – HIVandHepatitis.com
- Freelance writer, editor and educator in public health, hepatitis B and C, HIV/AIDS, Highleyman is editor-in-chief of HIVandHepatitis.com and has written for HCV Advocate.
5. Adam Feuerstein – TheStreet.com
- As senior columnist for The Street, Feuerstein reports on biotech stocks, including updates on hepatitis C drug releases and clinical trials.
6. Alan Franciscus – HCVadvocate.org
- Franciscus is executive director of The Hepatitis C Support Project, which provides unbiased information, support and advocacy.
7. Karen Hoyt – iHelpC.com and HepMag.com
- Founder of iHelpC.com, Hoyt beat the virus with protease inhibitors; she also guest blogs for HepMag.com.
8. Joseph S. Galati, MD – TexasLiver.com
- A Houston-based liver disease specialist who has devoted his practice to the care of patients with acute and chronic liver disease, Dr. Galati also hosts a weekly health radio show, “Your Health First… with Dr. Galati.”
9. Connie Welch – LifeBeyondHepatitisC.com
- Blogger, sheep wrangler and educator who has lived with hepatitis C for 20 years.
10. Tom Horn – Treatment Action Group
- Horn, a 20-year survivor of HIV, is the HIV Project Director for the Treatment Action Group (TAG) and writes for POZ.com and HepMag.com, addressing the importance of hepatitis C (HCV) testing, HIV/HCV co-infection and the staggering statistics around HCV infection.
Complete background information about all 10 Social HealthMakers in Hepatitis C can be found here: www.sharecare.com/static/top-ten-social-healthmakers.
Methodology
Sharecare Social HealthMakers (formerly SharecareNow) are among the most influential people in health and wellness on the Web, literally driving “conversations on the leading edge.” They address a wide range of issues within specific topic areas while demonstrating consistent impact across multiple interactive channels—such as Twitter, Facebook, video and blogs. This impact is measured through a proprietary algorithm based on more than 100 individual metrics developed and powered by WCG, the marketing-leading digital communications agency, quantifying topic relevance, syndication, presence and reach. Prior Sharecare lists have identified Social HealthMakers in weight loss, infertility, heart disease, fitness, Alzheimer’s disease and more.
About Sharecare
Sharecare is a health and wellness social network that connects people with experts, ranging from doctors and specialists to hospitals, healthcare companies and health-conscious consumers. The power behind the site’s unique Q&A format is its collective wisdom, providing health-seeking consumers with answers reflecting multiple expert perspectives—greatly simplifying the search for quality information. Created by Jeff Arnold and Dr. Mehmet Oz in partnership with Harpo Productions, Sony Pictures Television and Discovery Communications, Sharecare allows people to ask, learn and act upon questions of health and wellness, creating an active community where knowledge is shared and put into practice—simply said, sharing care. Launched in 2010, Sharecare is based in Atlanta, GA.
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About WCG
Founded and led by chairman and CEO Jim Weiss, WCG is focused on integrated business solutions in the areas of innovation, change and growth for the world’s leading companies and brands. WCG serves clients through a network of offices in San Francisco, New York, Chicago, Washington, D.C., Austin, Los Angeles and London. For more than a decade, WCG’s seasoned professionals have specialized in providing analytics, content, engagement and strategy to a diverse set of clients across the consumer, technology, healthcare and pharmaceutical industries.
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