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As the world struggles to recover from the outfall of COVID-19, the role of digital health has come under the spotlight.
Healthcare experts from the UK will be among the European leaders to discuss this new paradigm at the virtual HIMSS21 & Health 2.0 European Health Conference, on 7-9 June 2021.
The UK is known for its world-leading expertise in genomics. Prof Sharon Peacock, executive director and chair of the COVID-19 Genomics UK (COG-UK) consortium will contribute her vast knowledge and experience to the opening keynote session on creating a roadmap out of the coronavirus crisis.
Peacock, who is professor of public health and microbiology in the department of medicine, University of Cambridge, has sought to influence policy in relation to the use of pathogen genomics in the UK over the last decade. She will be one of the experts to take a positive look on how to move beyond the pandemic, drawing on plans and perspectives of experts from the WHO, the Portuguese Presidency of the EU Council, Israel, the UK, and the US.
Creating an equitable health system
The COVID-19 pandemic has brought the consequences of pre-existing health inequalities into sharp focus. Lord Victor Adebowale, chair of the NHS Confederation will join a keynote session addressing how technology can be used to bridge health inequalities rather than amplify them. Before taking his current role in April 2020, Adebowale was chief executive of the health and social care social enterprise Turning Point. He was awarded a CBE for services to the unemployed and homeless people and became a crossbench peer in 2001. Adebowale take part in the vital discussion on how nations can back more equitable health systems as they move beyond COVID-19.
Catching up with non-communicable disease
While COVID-19 caused disruption for health systems worldwide, the need for continuity of care for patients with chronic conditions did not stop. Duncan Selbie, president of the International Association of National Public Health Institutes and senior adviser to the Saudi Public Health Authority, will be moderating an expert panel exploring the challenges health systems face in catching up with non-communicable diseases. Selbie’s public service career has spanned 41 years and he was the founding chief executive of Public Health England (PHE) from 2012 to 2020. In the session he will discuss how healthcare leaders and clinicians have rapidly coordinated solutions and digital tools to reach patients in need and support recovery from the pandemic.
Advances in cancer care
Artificial intelligence (AI) has great potential to revolutionise oncology and enable advances in cancer research. Prof Karol Sikora, chief medical officer (CMO) at Rutherford Health, will contribute his expertise to a session exploring the new frontiers of AI and data analytics in oncology. Sikora’s previous roles include CMO at Cancer Partners UK and chairman of the department of cancer medicine at Imperial College School of Medicine. He will be part of a panel discussing what is on the horizon for AI in cancer care and the barriers to promoting large-scale implementations.
A new era of precision health
Precision health is pushing the frontiers of privacy and interoperability and requiring a new approach to data governance and professional development. Prof Kevin Fenton, regional director of PHE London and regional director of public health, will take part in a keynote session on entering a new era for data-driven and precision health. He is one of a panel of international experts who will discuss best practices and how to address the challenges this new approach brings.
