As President and Director of PatientsLikeMe, Benjamin Heywood is responsible for setting the company vision to improve healthcare and accelerate research, while directing its business growth strategy.

Inspired by his brother Stephen’s battle with ALS, Heywood co-founded the company in 2004 with his other brother, Jamie, and long-time friend, Jeff Cole. Since its inception, Heywood has overseen all stages of the start-up’s growth, including procurement of financing, product and membership expansion, and partnerships with top 20 pharmaceutical companies. Heywood leads a committed staff of 40 who are responsible for product, business and research development – and carrying out the company’s patient-centric core values. Currently with more than 115,000 patients experiencing 1,000+ conditions, PatientsLikeMe has been profiled by media outlets such as New York Times Magazine, U.S. News & World Report, BusinessWeek and Newsweek, as well as ranked #23 out of Fast Company’s 50 Most Innovative Companies in the World (2010). PatientsLikeMe research has also been published in scientific publications such as Nature Biotechnology, European Journal of Neurology and Movement Disorders.

A highly regarded thought leader in the Health 2.0 industry, Heywood is a frequent speaker at conferences and has been quoted in The New York Times, Fox Business News, CBS Evening News with Katie Couric and numerous trade publications. Recognized in 2008 by Boston Business Journal as “Champion in Health Care,” Heywood earned his Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and received his MBA from the UCLA Anderson Graduate School of Management.

Healthcare, Business, Pharmaceutical, Science, Innovation, Health,