On November 8th, thousands of mobile health leaders will convene in Washington DC to share their work and demonstrate solutions in mHealth. This 7th annual mHealth Summit will cover topics spanning clinical care, patient engagement, new technologies, research, investment activities, and shifts in the policy and business environments.
Like with any conference, a primary purpose of the annual mHealth Summit is networking. But this year will take connectivity further, building connections between distinct aspects of health care delivery, between clinician and consumer, and between countries. Here are a few ways that connectivity is playing out at the 2015 mHealth Summit.
Three summits
This year is the first time that the mHealth Summit will be joined by two additional summits, focused on cybersecurity and population health, respectively. Mhealth, Cybersecurity, and Pophealth are now all part of the umbrella HIMSS Connected Health Conference, which is presenting three summits at the same time under one roof. MHealth Summit attendees will have access to the other two concurrent events, which promises to get a wider range of perspectives in the room.
As Richard Scarfo, conference director and vice president of the Personal Connected Health Alliance, told mHealthNews, “With three dynamic summits under one roof, attendees can expect highly-charged panel discussions that will take a deep dive into issues such as how mobile and connected health technologies can improve the quality of care and clinical outcomes, empower individuals to take greater control of their health and wellness, strategies to reduce healthcare costs, vetted initiatives to ensure the safety of personal health data, and much, much more.”
Where the World Comes to Connect
In addition to the influential A-list people who will be speaking, the 2015 mHealth Summit has an ‘Anytime, Anywhere’ vision for connection that “reflects the revolutionary goal of integrating provider and consumer health technologies, where providers, payers, employers and consumers are seamlessly partnered, empowered and engaged.” A lot of this takes place on the exhibition floor, which includes themed pavilions focused on Startups/Accelerators and Connected Health. At these booths showcasing the latest in mHealth technologies, anyone can engage with industry giants and vetted up-and-comers.
Global mHealth
Also convening during the 2015 Summit is the second annual Global mHealth Forum, which brings together mHealth experts from more than 50 countries. This two-day event is a collaboration with the mHealth Working Group and USAID, bringing together entrepreneurs, investors, funders and researchers to focuses on mobile and connected health, primarily in low and middle income countries.
At an industry summit that inevitably champions mHealth successes, the Global mHealth summit may bring some more nuance to the table. For example, one session is titled “Reality Check: Do the Principles for Digital Development Really Work?” and includes speakers from the WHO and an Associate Professor of epidemiology and public health at John Hopkins University. These sessions will help connect global health stakeholders and mHealth professionals, building capacity for governments, NGOs and social entrepreneurs to design, implement, and evaluate mHealth initiatives across the globe.