LAUSR

In this issue of JAMA Cardiology, McConnell et al1 present the initial results from MyHeart Counts, a new model for participant engagement and clinical research using mobile health technology. During the past 2 decades, the world has continued to accelerate from an infrastructure of brick-andmortar buildings to conduct everyday business and social activities to one that is full of virtual buildings, homes, and social networks. However, the last frontier in this digital transformation appears to be health care and clinical research. There are many theoretical possibilities on how “e-anything” may bring research closer to home that is more convenient, participant-centered, and integrated to daily lives, as MyHeart Counts shows. But there is much work to be done to realize those dreams. Also in this issue, the Invited Commentary by Spring et al2 highlights the promise of this brave new transdisciplinary approach of research joining the digital revolution but also notes that simply signing up for a mobile health application is not enough. For research to matter and have an effect, we will need to quickly learn how to keep participants fully engaged to obtain complete data and how to provide value back to participants for donatingtheirdatainaseamlessmanner.Alsonotableistheneed to ensure that the digital divide, as seen in health care, improves as it becomes more integrated in clinical research. Moving forward, we should share our experiences, the methodological challenges, and new opportunities to do research differently but with quality and convenience as an open, trustworthy, learning model. In this vein, the editors of JAMA Cardiology encourage the community to share their research leveraging mobile health technologies so that clinical research can catch up and join the digital world.