Celebrating the First Anniversary of the OpenNotes Lab: A Year of Innovation & Collaboration

February 3, 2025

This month, the OpenNotes Lab celebrates its first anniversary—a milestone in our journey to transform healthcare through transparent communication between clinicians, patients and care partners. Launched on February 27, 2024, at the ViVE conference, the OpenNotes Lab was envisioned as a hub for advancing research at the intersection of clinical documentation, patient engagement, and healthcare technology.

The Lab partners with organizations who demonstrate a commitment to co-designing health technology innovations in partnership with patients, alongside the academic rigor for which OpenNotes is known. In just one year, the Lab has become a vibrant space for exploring how new tools, including artificial intelligence (AI), can enhance patient-clinician relationships and improve care delivery.

A Year of Impact & Innovation

The Lab’s inaugural year was marked by new initiatives and partnerships for OpenNotes. Key achievements include:

• Exploration of New Funding Mechanisms: The Lab identified innovative funding sources to further our work, with support from the Patrick J. McGovern Foundation, Yosemite, and Abridge AI.
• Forging Strategic Partnerships: In our first year, the Lab formed collaborations with organizations such as the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) Technology Ventures Office, HKS Architects, and The Light Collective. The OpenNotes Lab seeks out partners who demonstrate a commitment to centering patient experience, striving for academic excellence, and pursuing thoughtful innovation that can set the standards of care in healthcare.
• The Launch of the Large Language Model Translation Learning Collaborative (LLM TLC): An initiative leveraging AI-powered language translation tools to make healthcare more accessible for patients with diverse linguistic needs, addressing longstanding barriers to equity and engagement.
• The Creation of the OpenNotes Lab Insight Panel: A team of patients, care partners, and clinicians who co-design research initiatives and evaluate emerging technologies. The lived experiences of our Insight Panel ensure that every project aligns with the needs of those most affected by healthcare decisions.

Building on a Legacy of Transparency

The OpenNotes Lab builds upon more than a decade of research and education by OpenNotes, which has demonstrated how transparent communication in healthcare improves safety, quality, and trust. The Lab continues this legacy by addressing new challenges, such as algorithmic bias, equity in healthcare AI, and the evolving role of patients as partners in their own care.

Catherine M. DesRoches, DrPH—Executive Director of OpenNotes and Principal Investigator of the OpenNotes Lab—has guided the Lab with a clear mission: to co-design tools and resources that foster transparent communication between clinicians and patients.

Gratitude and a Look Ahead

As we celebrate this milestone, we honor the visionaries who made the OpenNotes Lab possible. Tom Delbanco, MD, and Jan Walker, RN, MBA—the co-founders of OpenNotes—laid the foundation for this work by pioneering the movement for transparent communication in healthcare. Their vision and determination continue to inspire everything we do.

We also extend heartfelt thanks to the entire OpenNotes team, whose dedication and collaboration are essential to the Lab’s success. Together with our advisors, partners, and the broader OpenNotes community, we are shaping a future where healthcare is more open, transparent, and responsive to all.

Here’s to many more years of research, advocacy, and innovation at the OpenNotes Lab. Learn more about our work at opennotes.org/opennotes-lab.