Professional Bio:
Janet Chang is a startup project manager with a special interest in consumer health and technology. She organizes the social network of 300 attendees at Harvard-hosted Ancestral Health Symposium, and directs Human Hacker House, Silicon Valley’s first hackerspace for health. As a DIY-health experimenter and patient, Janet teaches people how to navigate the modern health care system through her blog, I Hack Health.
Previously, Janet has led clinical trials with DIYgenomics and Genomera, and was invited to speak at Stanford, UCLA, and Harvard about the future of health technology.
Personal Bio, a.k.a. The Chronology of a Pathology, 21 Years in the Making:
1990-2001: Led a typical middle class life in an Asian household, which to my family meant being a renaissance kid–piano, violin, flute, art, gymnastics, figure skating, ballet and tae kwon do were all part of the curriculum.
2001-2006: Competed as a U.S. National level short track speed skater. World class coaches from China, Korea, and the Netherlands were optimistic about my chances at the Olympics until we ran out of funding and had to move away from the training center.
2007: Rode a bicycle across North America. Managed to make it through with no flat tires and no injuries, except for a swollen ego.
2008-2009: Went to college and experienced the 4HWW craze. Considered joining the circus, seriously planned a unicycle trip across Australia, then raced an Ironman triathlon instead. Reduced material possessions to 100 things, reduced sleep to 2 hours per day through polyphasic timing, and read 30 books in 60 days.
Early 2010: Started my first business despite my co-founder dropping out. Closed up shop after breaking even in 6 months.
Late 2010-present: Became a health patient and began fighting the behemoth of status quo healthcare. I write about lifestyle design for patients, here.