Fitbit, Inc. (NYSE:FIT) has revealed last week that its innovative platforms, Fitabase and Fitbit, are being utilized by prominent research institutions such as John Hopkins University (JHU), Northwestern Medicine, University of California, San Diego (UCSD), UCSF, and University of Texas (UT) MD Anderson Cancer Center over the past four years in more than 200 clinical trials. According to the company, Fitabase has already collected— as of today— more than two billion minutes of Fitbit data for these institutions.
How Fitabase Helps Advance Research Initiatives
Aaron Coleman, Fitbit Fitabase CEO, boasted that the company’s innovative platform guarantees the accurate measurement of the heart rates and activities, which need to be gathered every now and then, of study participants. Before, researchers usually conduct manual data gathering, which means that there is a large room for errors. Any small inaccuracies in these data can already be meaningful and impactful to the entire studies.
Joint Study on Minimally Invasive Spine Surgeries for Degenerative Disease and Deformity
Recently, Northwestern Medicine and UCSF researchers teamed up, with the help of Fitbit and its platform, to work on a joint program involving minimally invasive spine surgeries for degenerative disease and deformity. By using the Fitabase to efficiently monitor the physical activities of the participants, the researchers aim to come up with ways to better determine and facilitate the recovery of patients who have undergone spine surgeries.
The study is designed to observe the patients four and six weeks before and after the surgeries, respectively. Should the researchers meet their objectives, it will be possible for physicians to determine whether the patients need to be readmitted or not.
This program is just one of the many initiatives where Fitabase has been playing a key part in.
New VP of Digital Health
Fitbit announced on Monday that Adam Pellegrini had been appointed as the newest Vice President (VP) of Digital Health effective September 6.
With his new role, Pellegrini is expected to build on the current momentum experienced in wellness programs, insurances, and disease management efforts.
Woody Scal, Fitbit Chief Business Officer, believes that Pellegrini’s expertise in innovative healthcare solutions will enable him to lead the company’s Digital Health arm materialize its long-term prospects.
