Roger Holzberg

Roger Holzberg (born 1954) is an American health innovator, creative director, teacher, writer, and inventor. He is the co-founder and creative director for Reimagine Well,[1] as well as the founder of the organization My Bridge 4 Life.[2] He also previously served as the Creative Director (consulting) for the National Cancer Institute. Through My Bridge 4 Life, Holzberg provides a wellness network for people facing health crises. Holzberg was for twelve years a Vice President / Creative Director at The Walt Disney Company,[3] both at Walt Disney Parks and Resorts Online and at Walt Disney Imagineering,[4][5][6] until he left to found My Bridge 4 Life in 2008.[7] He teaches the Healthcare by Design class at the California Institute of the Arts.[8] His personal use of triathlon as a part of his own wellness plan, and as an inspiration for survivorship, was featured by ABC news in Los Angeles in a promotion for the Malibu Triathlon.[9] In 2015 he became a USAT age category elite athlete qualifying for the USAT national triathlon championships.

Roger Holzberg
Roger Holzberg at Infusionarium.
Born1954 (age 66–67)
Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S.
OccupationHealth innovator, creative director, teacher, writer, inventor

Early life

Born in Cincinnati, Ohio, Holzberg attended the University of Colorado in 1974 with a full Title III Talent/Creativity scholarship, majoring in scenic design for theatre and minoring in psychology. He received a BFA from the California Institute of the Arts in 1978.

Reimagine Well

Holzberg is the co-founder and creative director for Reimagine Well.[10] Building on the Disney theme parks' "architecture of reassurance", Reimagine Well seeks to evolve patient treatment and healing by utilizing emerging technologies to create programs and services that better health and wellness outcomes worldwide. Holzberg, himself a cancer survivor who was featured in a Livestrong Foundation survivorship video in 2009,[11] designed the "Infusionarium" for the Children's Hospital of Orange County, a media setup which helps children with cancer cope with treatment by asking them questions designed to determine what setting would be most comforting to them,[12] and then using virtual reality technology and live events to immerse them in such an environment during treatment.[6] Recently, Reimagine Well built and launched an entire Infusionarium hospital floor specifically designed for adolescent and young adult patients.[13] More Infusionariums are being built for Baptist Hospital South Florida, Miami Cancer Institute, and St. Joseph's Children's Hospital of Tampa, where the Reimagine Well content platform will also be in more than 250 pediatric rooms.[14] ABC News highlighted the patient and physician experiences in an Infusionarium and referred to these experiences as a “game changer” in pediatric treatment.

Highlights for various Reimagine Well initiatives include:

  • CBS EcoMedia - “Infusionarium: A powerful story offering hope for kids with cancer”[15]
  • ABC News - “A game changer in pediatric treatment”[16] 
  • ABC News - “Infusionarium can translate to better treatment outcomes.”[17]  
  • CBS News - “Reimagine Well technology brings peace to patients.”[18]

Holzberg has presented innovations at the Society of Adolescent and Young Adult Oncology (SAYAO) conference,[7] Health 2.0,[19] Pediatrics 2040,[20] and Brink 2.0.[21] His panel at Health Interactive, "Athletes 4 Wellbeing: Real Athletes. Real Patients. Real Results",[22] was a panel of athlete patients who are using diet and “active lifestyle” to manage chronic conditions which include cancer, MS, diabetes, heart disease, spinal cord injuries and more. The panel included: Jocelyn Harrison,[23] USAT age category elite triathlete and consultant for the American Diabetes Association & Choose Health LA, Derek Chalmers,[23] cyclist and 10 year MS patient, and Jesse Billauer,[24] Founder of Life Rolls On.

Reimagine Well presentations by Holzberg include:

  • Stanford Medicine X - Infusionarium: The Architecture Of Healing / Adapting Disney theme parks “architecture of reassurance” into an architecture of healing.[25]  
  • California Institute of the Arts - “At the intersection of Imagineering and Medicine"[26]

Interviews with Holzberg include:

My Bridge 4 Life

Holzberg founded My Bridge 4 Life (MB4L) to provide a wellness network for people facing health crises.[7] MB4L partners with leading healthcare organizations and foundations to enhance patient community awareness, engagement and interaction. My Bridge 4 Life wellness networks enable patients to connect for customized professional healthcare content and expert educational support.[7] MB4L also supports the patient community with professionally curated evidence based Tips 4 Life, one-on-one coaching and Video Survival Guides and Ebooks featuring leading specialists. The My Bridge 4 Life support platform has been featured in a series of on camera interviews on Rebels Patch.[27]

National Cancer Institute

As the first Creative Director (consulting) for the National Cancer Institute, Holzberg led a team to "evolve" the digital portfolio of the institute's messaging and education platform. Projects involved redesigning and relaunching Cancer.gov, launching the institute's Facebook page, developing NCI’s YouTube channel and directing media experiences that include projects like Prognosis Video Series.[28] The “Smoke Free Women”, “Voices”, “Deep Water”, “Clinical Trials” and “Neuroblastoma” videos were all developed and produced by Holzberg’s team.[29] His presentations on behalf of the National Cancer Institute included this presentation at Digital Communication X.[30]

Walt Disney Company

Holzberg was previously a Vice President / Creative Director for the Walt Disney Company. At Walt Disney Parks and Resorts Online projects he was the creative director for projects that included the massively multiplayer online game, Virtual Magic Kingdom, as well as Disney's Villains' Revenge and Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters Online.[3] At Walt Disney Imagineering he served as the Senior Show Producer,[31] and Imagineering creative director for projects including the 100 Years of Magic and Millennium Celebrations at Walt Disney World, and co-invented Disney's Magic Moment Pins, location sensitive display device, system, and method of providing animation sequences. Holzberg’s Magic Moments Pins and Magic Moments Game[32][33][34] helped launch the Disney pin trading phenomena at Walt Disney World. He presented innovations during his tenure at Disney at events that included The Real Experts Panel: Kids] at Game Developers Conference.[35][36] Holzberg sought to create immersive experiences in the tradition of Walt Disney's idea of "dimensional storytelling".[31]

Holzberg’s Imagineering history is featured in interviews on:

Holzberg is the first Disney Imagineer to create an attraction with a free swimming animatronic figure. DRU, a “Dolphin Robotic Unit” is featured at Disney’s private island, Castaway Cay. Holzberg's dolphin attraction was designed to enable guests to experience and interact with marine mammals without catching and keeping them in captivity.[37]

Post Disney, in partnership with Edge Innovations, recent use of real-time animatronics has resulted in:  

  • PETA Innovation Award ‘for creating a jaw-dropping animatronic dolphin that has the potential to upend the cruel captive marine mammal industry”
  • ABC/Disney, “Ex-Disney Imagineer Roger Holzberg hopes that his robotic creations will soon replace real animals at marine theme parks so that these highly intelligent creatures will no longer be kept in captivity”
  • Gizmodo, “the new robotic dolphin swims with an almost eerie level of realism”

Teaching and publishing

Teaching

California Institute of the Arts

  • As a professor, Holzberg developed the curriculum and teaches (along with Shannon Scrofano) a course in the Experience Design track called Healthcare By Design: Evolving the patient journey.[38]  
  • Holzberg is featured on page 39 of The Pool as a CalArts "Citizen Artist" for his work in patient experience design.[39]

Publishing

Books (author)

Healthcare & Survivorship Learn Guides (co-author)

  • Adolescent and Young Adult Cancer: From diagnosis to wellbeing[40]
  • Oncofertility: Cancer and Your Fertility Preservation Options[41]
  • Pediatric Cancer Survivorship: Life After Cancer Treatment[42]

Contributor (featured in publication)

  • Carolyn Handler Miller, Digital Storytelling: A Creator's Guide to Interactive Entertainment (2014), p. 434-5.[4]
  • Allison Druin, Cynthia Solomon, Designing Multimedia Environments for Children (1996), p. 10.[12]

Writing, directing, designing for film, video games and theater

Film

Software & Video Games

Theater

  • Desert Fire (co-written with Martin Casella), a look at how the United States government exposed American soldiers to nuclear testing in the 1950s, only to ignore them in the 1970s as they began dying from cancer caused by radiation poisoning.
  • The Trial of Mother Jones, toured throughout Wyoming and Colorado and played in schools, community settings, and for union conferences.

Inventions

Holzberg holds patents for four inventions:

  • My Bridge 4 Life - A method and system to transition a person from diagnosis to wellbeing.[45]
  • Location sensitive display device, system, and method of providing animation sequences.[46]
  • Method and system providing a customized audio presentation tailored to a predetermined event sequence.[47]
  • Participant interaction with entertainment in real and virtual environments.[48]

Spokesperson

Holzberg is an international spokesperson for the following health and technology companies:

References
  1. Reimagine Well/.
  2. "Roger Holzberg, BFA – Founder / Bridge Coach", My Bridge 4 Life.
  3. Deborah Todd, Game Design: From Blue Sky to Green Light (2007), p. 32-33, 37-39.
  4. Carolyn Handler Miller, Digital Storytelling: A Creator's Guide to Interactive Entertainment, Third Edition (2014), p. 434.
  5. Jim Korkis, "A Final Farewell to One Man's Dream", MousePlanet (September 9, 2015).
  6. Jan Hoffman, "Infusionarium Aims to Take Trauma Out of Chemotherapy for Young", New York Times (December 16, 2014).
  7. Emily Drake, "New Innovation in the AYA Cancer Movement: The Future Is Here", Huffington Post, January 15, 2014.
  8. [https://catalog.calarts.edu/Lists/Courses/CustomDispForm.aspx?ID=199073&InitialTabId=Ribbon.Read
  9. https://vimeo.com/182907327
  10. "founders | Reimagine Well". reimaginewell.com. Retrieved 2017-03-22.
  11. Roger Holzberg - Livestrong Video on Thyroid Cancer (2009).
  12. Allison Druin, Cynthia Solomon, Designing Multimedia Environments for Children (1996), p. 10.
  13. "CHOC Opens Wing for Adolescent, Young Adult Cancer Patients". 3 May 2016.
  14. Positively Tampa / The Infusionarium.
  15. Well, Reimagine (2017-09-25), Infusionarium / A Powerful Story Offering Hope for Kids with Cancer, retrieved 2017-12-06
  16. "St. Joseph's Children's Hospital Positively Tampa (update)". Vimeo. Retrieved 2017-03-05.
  17. Well, Reimagine (2017-04-06), Infusionarium Can Translate To Better Outcomes, retrieved 2017-12-06
  18. Well, Reimagine (2017-06-30), Reimagine Well Technology Bringing Peace to St. Joseph's Hospital Patients!, retrieved 2017-12-06
  19. "Roger Holzberg". Health 2.0.
  20. "Innovation Beach". Pediatrics 2040.
  21. "Thanks Roger Holzberg". BRINK Institute.
  22. MyBridge4Life (2014-01-30), Athletes 4 Wellbeing: Real Athletes, Real Patients, Real Knowledge, retrieved 2017-03-18
  23. MyBridge4Life (2014-01-30), Athletes 4 Wellbeing: Real Athletes, Real Patients, Real Knowledge, retrieved 2017-03-21
  24. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rlvw2Jr5K8Q
  25. Well, Reimagine (2017-09-18), Stanford Medicine X - 2017 / Roger Holzberg, retrieved 2017-12-06
  26. "Artists | CalArts Digital Arts Expo 2017". digitalartsexpo.calarts.edu. Retrieved 2017-12-06.
  27. RebelsPatch.com (2015-06-21), Roger Holzberg - My Bridge For Life - Support and resources, retrieved 2017-03-05
  28. Understanding Your Cancer Prognosis. 2 January 2013 – via YouTube.
  29. Roger Holzberg (2011-10-07), National Cancer Institute - Sizzle Reel 2010, retrieved 2017-03-05
  30. DHCXconf (2013-02-18), Roger Holzberg DHCX 2012, retrieved 2017-03-05
  31. Carolyn Handler Miller, Digital Storytelling: A Creator's Guide to Interactive Entertainment (2014), p. 434-35.
  32. "WDW Theme Parks". allears.net. Retrieved 2017-03-22.
  33. "We're on a mission". Main Street Gazette. August 27, 2007.
  34. Miller, Carolyn Handler (27 June 2014). "Digital Storytelling: A Creator's Guide to Interactive Entertainment". CRC Press – via Google Books.
  35. "July 1998". 3 July 1998.
  36. Group, CMP Game Media. "CMP Game Media Group Announces Advisory Board and Call for Abstracts For 15th Annual Game Developers Conference".
  37. Roger Holzberg (2009-01-17), DRU - Dolphin Robotic Unit, retrieved 2017-03-05
  38. "Courses - Healthcare by Design". catalog.calarts.edu. Retrieved 2019-01-27.
  39. "The Pool Issue 4". Issuu. Retrieved 2019-02-05.
  40. "Adolescent and Young Adult Cancer--from Diagnosis to Wellbeing". www.amazon.com. Retrieved 2019-01-27.
  41. "Reimagine Well Learn Guide: Oncofertility ebook by Martin Casella". Rakuten Kobo. Retrieved 2019-01-27.
  42. "Pediatric Cancer Survivorship: Life After Cancer Treatment". wwww.amazon.com. 2020-03-21.
  43. Cinefantastique Magazine (1989), Vol. 12, p. 89.
  44. Joseph McBride, Steven Spielberg: A Biography Second Edition (2012), p. 431.
  45. United States Patent 61/138,032.
  46. United States Patent 7,564,426.
  47. United States Patent 8295957 B2.
  48. United States Patent 7396281 B2.
  49. GoodRX.
  50. Methuselah Foundation.
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