My Pilgrimage to Mayo

This week I am making a professional pilgrimage – attending the Third Annual Healthcare Social Media Summit hosted by Mayo Clinic and presented by Ragan Communications. (As some of you might know, I am a regular contributor to Ragan’s Health Care Communication News.)  I’ve never been to Mayo Clinic and can’t wait. As someone who has worked in the field of healthcare marketing for the last 20 years, I’m like a history buff who is visiting Monticello for the first time.

Of course I’m also going to see some terrific speakers and industry thought leaders while I’m in Rochester, Minnesota. The speakers include Shel Holtz, Lee Aase, Wendy Sue Swanson, MD (Seattle Mama Doc), Dave de Bronkart (e-Patient Dave), Ed Bennett and Chris Boyer. These are all rock stars of our industry, many of whom I know and have seen speak in the past. It is an amazing lineup.

I’m also looking forward to reconnecting with colleagues from around the country. As I was riding the shuttle from  the Rochester Airport to my hotel, I noticed Robert West sitting behind me. We had been tweeting back and forth and he was sitting one row behind me. Robert is an Associate Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at SUNY Upstate Medical University in Syracuse. We’ve followed each other on Twitter for some time and this is the first time we’ve met in person. This is exactly why I love these gatherings. They make the world a little smaller. I always leave feeling grateful for the experience.