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New technologies are said to have made the world smaller. Can they also make it healthier?
Global Health encompasses both the for-profit and nonprofit efforts in advancing science, technology, infrastructure and philanthropy directed at addressing world health problems such as developing vaccines for infectious diseases and providing health care delivery solutions to all parts of the world.
An international leader in Global Health, Washington state is home to pioneering research and development, education and training, and has the resources, innovation, and commitment to improve the lives of people around the world. Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, The Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, PATH, Institute for Systems Biology, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and Seattle Biomedical Research Institute are just some of the organizations that are tackling the big challenges and are trying to find solutions for epidemic disease such as malaria, HIV/AIDS, and tuberculosis.
Washington state is also home to world-class research institutions and innovative companies. The state’s organizations are developing revolutionary improvements in the prevention, detection, and treatment of cancer, heart disease and multiple sclerosis, and they are leaders in research in ultrasound technology. Washington also has an extensive education and training network to support its knowledge-based economy. Given these and many more advantages, Washington is becoming a major center for Global Health. Areas of special strength include: Bio-Agriculture, Bio-Informatics, Clean Technology & Bio-Fuels, Global Health, Healthcare IT, Medical Devices, Oncology & Immunology, and Veterinary Medicine.
Forbes Magazine recognized Washington State as one of the top two best states for business in 2009. An innovative and entrepreneurial spirit together with a culture of collaboration has formed an ecosystem of knowledge-based workers and industries, which attracts companies from around the world, in turn allowing businesses to pull in and retain talented workers.
Sweden, meanwhile, has an advanced, export-oriented Med Tech industry, which today employs approximately 9000 persons and has an annual turn-over of more than 2 billion USD. The current global Med Tech market is estimated at about 200 billion USD, and some 7% of gross revenues are invested in R&D. The Swedish Med Tech industry includes the technologically sophisticated medical equipment which is needed in highly specialized care such as cardiac surgery, renal dialysis and radiation therapy to name a few areas. In addition to that, there is also a significant Med Tech laboratory sector involved in sophisticated biochemical analysis, signal analysis and biosensors.
Strong research areas and emerging industrial areas within Med Tech in Sweden today include biosensors (“lab on a chip”); micromechanical sensors; bio-optics; spectroscopy; nanostructures; image analysis (X-ray technology, MR, ultrasound); signal analysis (diagnostic and therapeutic applications, visualization, systems for e-health and information); and therapeutic technology (radiation therapy, blood separation, various drug-delivery techniques, prosthesis and tissue bioengineering).
In the future, both the Swedish and the international Med Tech industry will face new challenges related to support systems for an aging population. This will create a need for individual as well as preventive monitoring. The future Med Tech industry will aim to make use of emerging biomedical discoveries on a genetic, molecular and cellular level in order to predict, diagnose and monitor disease processes. In addition, the industry is likely to face increased regulatory demands as well an increasing internationalization, which will change and globalize this sector.
The Med Tech & Global Health portion of the conference will kick off with the introductory keynote speech on Wednesday May 5th: “Med Tech, Global Health, and Innovation: the Next Frontier.” And during the next two days, panel discussions will be held on “Global Health”, ”Virtual Surgery and Modern Med Tech”, and “Technical Innovation vs. Interoperability of Data.”
Speakers include Lisa Cohen (MA, Executive Director, Washington Global Health Alliance), Filippo Randazzo (PhD, Senior Program Officer, Global Health Discovery, Global Health Program, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation), Professor Per Ask (Linköping University, Department of Biomedical Engineering), Bill Crounse (MD, Senior Director, Worldwide Health and Executive Producer of Health Tech Today, Microsoft Corporation), and others.
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Thursday, May 6
8.00am-9.00am
Business Matchmaking
9.00am-10.30am
Global Health What will the market for medical technologies look like
in the future? Current development indicates that the next frontier will
shift from treatment to prediction and the preventing of diseases and
injuries.
Key Note Speech:
- Hans Georg Kuhn, Professor for Regenerative Neuroscience, Center for Brain Repair and Rehabilitation, Sahlgrenska Academy
Panel Participants:
- Filippo Randazzo, PhD, Senior Program Officer, Global Health Discovery, Global Health Program, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
- Dan Dixon, VP, External Affairs, Swedish Hospital
- Bengt Nielsen, GE Healthcare
Moderator:
- Lisa Cohen, MA,
Executive Director, Washington Global Health Alliance
11.00am-12.30pm
Virtual Surgery and Modern Med TechIn this session we will look at emerging technologies, platforms and programs, from around the world, dedicated to a fully networked and effective global medical community. We will discuss current progress, along with future possibilities as they relate to the quality of patient care, research and product development. We will also
discuss current barriers and potential solutions to the acceleration of bringing technological advancement to medical practice.
Key Note Speech:
- Anders Persson, Director CMIV, Assoc. Professor, MD, PhD, Linköping University
- John Meehan, Jr., Children’s Hospital, specializing in Robotic surgery
Panel participants:
- Professor Per Ask, Linköping University, Department of Biomedical Engineering
- Steve Samuelson, CEO, Red Llama
Moderator:
- Curt Miner, CEO, Seattle Science Foundation
2.30pm-4.00pm
Technical Innovation vs Interoperability of DataPoints of discussion is:
1]Flexibility In Data Transformation
2]Leveraging Engine Technology
3]Regional and Community Initiatives
4]IT Service
5]Adaptability Healthcare Integration
6]Independence – Removing Total Reliance
7]Satisfaction – Delivering Industry Verifiable Data
Panel Participants:
- Bill Crounse, MD, Senior Director, Worldwide Health and Executive Producer, Health Tech Today, Microsoft Corporation
- Orwar Gustafsson, PhD, Adjunct Professor, Blekinge Institute of Technology
- Dr Henric Johnson, Platform Manager, Blekinge Institute of Technology
Moderator:
- Donald McKeny,
Founder & President, Mardon International Healthcare Services
Note: This Agenda is provisional and Subject to Change
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For Company Visits schedule see the Business Focus general program
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