By JOSE L. CÁNOVAS                              PARTNER CONTENT

Patient and Advocate and Founder of 11Health, Michael Seres is considered one of the strongest patient voices around the world, Michael Seres is involved in developing and implementing patient engagement strategies using digital technologies.

(Interview with Michael Seres by Smart Health)
At the age of 12, you were diagnosed with Crohn’s disease, an incurable bowel condition. Could you explain us your experience and how have you became a leader patient advocate?

At the age of 16 I was told by my gastroenterologist that the only way he would treat me is if we did this together as a team. I learnt very early on that I needed to take responsibility for my health. That led me to understand more about my blood levels, the important markers and what I needed to do next to assist my recovery. In the last 5 years, post my intestinal transplant, I really decided that I have a responsibility to give back to the surgeons who saved my life. The best way I could do that was to live my life. I started mentoring patients with IBD and intestinal failure and then started talking to the new transplant patients. From there I understood more the power of the patient and the role we can play in healthcare in the future. At Stanford Medicine X we have a philosophy of everyone included which is around the fact that everyone, including the patient, has a role to play and each role has to be based on mutual respect and empathy.
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