Trends to Watch in 2017

At the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, we have a vision that one day, everyone -- no matter who they are, how much they earn or where they live -- will have the opportunity to live the healthiest life possible. As we work with others toward this future, I'm part of a team tasked with exploring the frontiers of science, medicine, culture and technology. We're examining emerging trends that could shape the trajectory of health for generations to come. Where it's possible, we'd like to harness these trends to improve health and/or mitigate the trends that are likely to harm health. Here are five of the trends we'll be watching in 2017: The secure systems that enable Bitcoin transactions have been considered as a way to ensure the privacy of health data as it is passed from provider to provider.