FitFeud Corporate Wellness Blog

I'm an IBMer. And I'm fighting obesity.

If you watch any television at all, you're bound to have seen the IBM ads that feature real IBM employees (or so we're lead to believe) talking about the innovative ways they're tackling the world's problems. Here's one about building a smarter planet:

Good stuff, right?

Well, now IBM is turning its mighty intellectual, technological, and creative powers toward another of the world's greatest problems. IBM's Almaden Lab is "launching a new research effort to develop advanced computer modeling tools for studying complex public health issues," according to an article in San Jose's Mercury News, and fighting obesity will be the lab's first priority.

The project will be taking a look at the myriad factors and options in tackling large public health issues such as obesity. In practical terms, the goal of the project, according to project team member Pat Selinger, is to determine, "If you have extra money to spend, would it be better to spend it on building another park, or having more physical education in schools, or improving school lunch programs?"

I like that they are looking forward in trying to help solve the issue, rather than simply looking backwards as to why or how we go to this place in the first place. The old solutions obviously aren't working, and I'm excited that companies as large and influential are taking real steps to come up with new, (hopefully) effective solutions for the future.

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