From Doctor to Futurist: Step #2 The Filter

A few weeks ago, I started documenting all the steps in the process of becoming a futurist as a medical doctor. In the first step, I wrote about how I made that decision. Now, the second step is about how I collect information and filter the web in the field of futuristic studies from the medical perspective as I have to be able to deal with this huge amount of information.

It’s quite simple to reach futurist gurus internationally via social media, therefore first I sent messages to many of them such as Thomas Goetz and Clement Bezold asking for guidance and they provided me with great pieces of advice about which information resources I should use.

I set up Google Alerts search queries and filled Google Reader with these resources which means I receive all the relevant updates automatically. Here are the resources I started following in this topic:

• FutureMed2020 (sign up for their mailing list, Twitter account and Facebook).
• #futuremed hashtag on Twitter.
• Daniel Kraft, MD, executive director of FutureMed on Twitter.
• I became a member of Singularity Hub, it only costs a few US dollars per month and I get access to a unique and huge community of like-minded people. Also on Google+.
• Singularity University, also on Facebook and Twitter.
• Institute for the Future, also on Twitter and Facebook group.
• The Institute for Alternative Futures: here is their recent Primary Care 2025 report in PDF.
• Ian Morrison
• Peter H. Diamandis on Google+
• Twitter: TEDMED, Eric Topol, MD,  Bryan Vartabedian, MD, Susannah Fox, Ves Dimov, MD, ePatient Dave
• kurzweilai.net
• The FutureMed magazines on Zeen by Christian Assad, MD.

Please let me know if you think there are resources I’m missing here. In the third step, I’ll write about the methodologies.