Thomas William Ferguson
Encyclopedia
Thomas William "Tom" Ferguson, M.D. (July 8, 1943 - April 14, 2006) was an American
medical doctor, educator, and author. He was an early advocate for patient empowerment, urging patients to educate themselves, to assume control of their own health care, and to use the Internet as a way of accomplishing those goals.
and grew up in Coos Bay, Oregon
. He eventually settled in Austin, Texas
, hometown of his wife Meredith Mitchell Dreiss.
He obtained a bachelors degree from Reed College
in Portland, Oregon
and a master's degree in creative writing from San Francisco State University
. He then went to Yale University School of Medicine, graduating in 1977 with an M.D. degree. However, he never had a medical practice. Instead he became a prolific writer about patients as medical consumers and about the doctor-patient relationship
, "arguing that informed self-care was a jumping-off point for better health and made for a richer, fairer, if nontraditional, partnership between physicians and their patients." He studied and wrote about the empowered medical consumer beginning in 1975, and about online health resources for consumers beginning in 1987. "He urged patients to educate themselves and share knowledge with one another, and urged doctors to collaborate with patients rather than command them. Predicting the Internet's potential for disseminating medical information long before it became a familiar conduit, he was an early proponent of its use, terming laymen who did so 'E-Patient
s'." He researched and promoted the popular use of electronic resources including the Internet to gather information and cope with medical conditions. In 1993 he organized the world's first conference devoted to computer systems designed for medical consumers.
in 1991. "He relentlessly pursued strategies for both self-care and the newest research and experimental practices for controlling this aggressive cancer ... Between relapses and debilitating treatments, he led a migration of medical consumer information to the internet, lectured widely on the emerging field of 'health informatics,' and earned a global reputation as a true innovator and pioneer in the field." He died April 14, 2006, while undergoing treatment in Little Rock, Arkansas
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
medical doctor, educator, and author. He was an early advocate for patient empowerment, urging patients to educate themselves, to assume control of their own health care, and to use the Internet as a way of accomplishing those goals.
Personal life, education, and career
He was born in Ross, CaliforniaRoss, California
Ross is a small incorporated town in Marin County, California, United States, just north of San Francisco. Ross is located west-southwest of San Rafael, at an elevation of 36 feet . The population was 2,415 at the 2010 census...
and grew up in Coos Bay, Oregon
Coos Bay, Oregon
Coos Bay is a city located in Coos County, Oregon, United States, where the Coos River enters Coos Bay on the Pacific Ocean. The city borders the city of North Bend, and together they are often referred to as one entity called either Coos Bay-North Bend or the Bay Area...
. He eventually settled in Austin, Texas
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
, hometown of his wife Meredith Mitchell Dreiss.
He obtained a bachelors degree from Reed College
Reed College
Reed College is a private, independent, liberal arts college located in southeast Portland, Oregon. Founded in 1908, Reed is a residential college with a campus located in Portland's Eastmoreland neighborhood, featuring architecture based on the Tudor-Gothic style, and a forested canyon wilderness...
in Portland, Oregon
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
and a master's degree in creative writing from San Francisco State University
San Francisco State University
San Francisco State University is a public university located in San Francisco, California. As part of the 23-campus California State University system, the university offers over 100 areas of study from nine academic colleges...
. He then went to Yale University School of Medicine, graduating in 1977 with an M.D. degree. However, he never had a medical practice. Instead he became a prolific writer about patients as medical consumers and about the doctor-patient relationship
Doctor-patient relationship
The doctor-patient relationship is central to the practice of healthcare and is essential for the delivery of high-quality health care in the diagnosis and treatment of disease. The doctor-patient relationship forms one of the foundations of contemporary medical ethics...
, "arguing that informed self-care was a jumping-off point for better health and made for a richer, fairer, if nontraditional, partnership between physicians and their patients." He studied and wrote about the empowered medical consumer beginning in 1975, and about online health resources for consumers beginning in 1987. "He urged patients to educate themselves and share knowledge with one another, and urged doctors to collaborate with patients rather than command them. Predicting the Internet's potential for disseminating medical information long before it became a familiar conduit, he was an early proponent of its use, terming laymen who did so 'E-Patient
E-Patient
e-Patients are health consumers who use the Internet to gather information about a medical condition of particular interest to them, and who use electronic communication tools in coping with medical conditions...
s'." He researched and promoted the popular use of electronic resources including the Internet to gather information and cope with medical conditions. In 1993 he organized the world's first conference devoted to computer systems designed for medical consumers.
Academic appointments
- Senior associate at Harvard's Center for Clinical Computing, Boston, Massachusetts
- Adjunct associate professor of health informatics at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston
- Adjunct faculty member at the University of Arkansas for Medical SciencesUniversity of Arkansas for Medical SciencesThe University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences is part of the University of Arkansas System, a state-run university in the U.S. state of Arkansas...
Medical Center, Little Rock, Arkansas - Senior research fellow at the Pew Research CenterPew Research CenterThe Pew Research Center is an American think tank organization based in Washington, D.C. that provides information on issues, attitudes and trends shaping the United States and the world. The Center and its projects receive funding from The Pew Charitable Trusts. In 1990, Donald S...
Internet & American Life Project
Partial list of publications
- Founder and editor of the magazine Medical Self Care, 1975 to 1989
- Health and medical editor for the Whole Earth CatalogWhole Earth CatalogThe Whole Earth Catalog was an American counterculture catalog published by Stewart Brand between 1968 and 1972, and occasionally thereafter, until 1998...
- The Ferguson Report, a consumer health informatics newsletter
- The Political Economy of Knowledge and the Changing Politics of the Philosophy of Science.
- Medical Self-Care: Access to Health Tools, edited by Tom Ferguson (Summit Books, 1980)
- The People's Book of Medical Tests, by David S. Sobel and Tom Ferguson (Summit Books, 1985)
- The No-Nag, No-Guilt, Do-It-Your-Own-Way Guide to Quitting Smoking, by Tom Ferguson (Ballantyne Books, 1988)
- Health Online: How To Find Health Information, Support Groups, And Self Help Communities In Cyberspace, by Tom Ferguson (Da Capo Press, 1996)
Illness and death
He exemplified his own philosophy when he was diagnosed with multiple myelomaMultiple myeloma
Multiple myeloma , also known as plasma cell myeloma or Kahler's disease , is a cancer of plasma cells, a type of white blood cell normally responsible for the production of antibodies...
in 1991. "He relentlessly pursued strategies for both self-care and the newest research and experimental practices for controlling this aggressive cancer ... Between relapses and debilitating treatments, he led a migration of medical consumer information to the internet, lectured widely on the emerging field of 'health informatics,' and earned a global reputation as a true innovator and pioneer in the field." He died April 14, 2006, while undergoing treatment in Little Rock, Arkansas
Little Rock, Arkansas
Little Rock is the capital and the largest city of the U.S. state of Arkansas. The Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 699,757 people in the 2010 census...
.
External links
- e-patients: how they can help us heal health care, a white paper by Tom Ferguson et al. (977MB)
- E-patients blog