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Digital Health Conference Showcases International Excellence in Open Innovation Practice

10 - 12 February 2015, Cardiff, UK.
The Digital Health Assembly: Open Innovation conference, jointly organised by the eHealth Industries Innovation (ehi²) Centre, College of Medicine, Swansea University and the Medical Research Council funded The Farr Institute for Health Informatics Research, has opened its doors to over 300 international delegates who want to explore advances in digital health and open innovation.

The event, which is taking place for the first time in 2015 at the SWALEC Stadium in Cardiff, has attracted speakers and delegates from across the globe including MIT Center for Digital Business, World Health Organization, the European Space Agency, leading companies including Intel, CISCO, Siemens Healthcare and IBM, and an array of organisations which are charged with modernising healthcare - including the NHS in Wales and beyond.

David Ford, Conference Chair and Professor of Health Informatics at Swansea University and Deputy Director of The Farr Institute of Health Informatics Research, said: "Digital Health Assembly: Open innovation has brought together a diverse and extremely impressive collection of innovative minds from the healthcare and technology sectors worldwide. The interest in the Conference and the calibre of the delegates and speakers that we have attracted is a great reflection of this exciting and important area of work.

"We are delighted to have been able to bring a number of world-renowned industry leaders to speak at the three day event, along with a fascinating mix of great companies that are shaping digital healthcare worldwide. It is due to them, together with support from the Welsh Government and our partner organisations, that this Conference will not only impart knowledge across the sector but also through the numerous discussion opportunities will catalyse significant change."

Focusing on the key themes of 'Big Data', 'Empowering Patients and Staff' and 'Innovative Business Models', the conference addresses topics vital for efficient, effective and safe modern healthcare systems.

The three day event is organised around a series of workshops, presentations, roundtable discussions and innovation sessions.

Deputy Minister for Health Vaughan Gething said: "Today's information world is fast, flexible and mobile. The way we interact with each other and with services is constantly evolving. People rightly expect health and care providers to offer more interactive, personalised services with effective communication between professionals and users of services to deliver the best possible care.

"I am keen for the Welsh Government's prudent healthcare strategy to focus on using technology to support effective treatment and help professionals and patients work as partners. Our eHealth and Care in Wales strategy is helping to ensure the people of Wales, the NHS and social services can take advantage of the benefits that the latest technologies have to offer."

Digital Health Assembly: Open Innovation explores the potential that open innovation can have on organisations operating within the digital health sector and will produce an industry report created from the discussions and debates conducted throughout the conference's unique daily discussion format.

Each day roundtable panellists will gather to discuss challenges and opportunities for digital healthcare, which then open out into wider deliberation via a hot topic panel discussion sessions. Delegates are then invited to continue debating the topic and potential solutions in the innovate sessions.

For further information and to register, please visit:
http://www.digitalhealthassembly.com

Created for digital health professionals who are keen to leverage the power of open innovation in their own organisations, Digital Health Assembly: Open Innovation features internationally renowned presenters sharing their insights and experiences of how they are enhancing the evolution of healthcare through Open Innovation. The three day event includes keynote presentations, executive roundtable discussions, breakout presentations, open innovation workshops, hot topic panel discussions, innovate sessions, healthcare showcases, an innovation hall and networking opportunities throughout. Executive roundtable discussions are closed door sessions by invitation only.

Digital Health Assembly is jointly hosted by eHealth industries Innovation (ehi²) Centre, The Farr Institute of Health Informatics Research with support from the Welsh Government and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).

ehi² is an industry focussed centre supporting the development of the eHealth sector in the UK based in the College of Medicine at Swansea University.

The Farr Institute of Health Informatics Research (The Farr Institute) aims to deliver high-quality, cutting-edge research linking electronic health data with other forms of research and routinely collected data, as well as build capacity in health informatics. A research collaboration encompassing 23 academic institutions, NWIS Wales, National Services Scotland, Public Health England, and Public Health Wales, the Farr Institute also provides physical and electronic infrastructure to facilitate collaboration across four principle sites and support the safe and ethical use of anonymised patient records for research.

The Farr Institute is funded by a consortium of 10 UK Government and Charity Funders led by Medical Research Council (MRC).

Established in 2004, Swansea University's College of Medicine is an internationally-recognised centre of excellence in medical research, education and innovation. The College of Medicine delivers a comprehensive education and training portfolio, from undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in medicine and life sciences, to professional graduate training and research. It also works closely with its NHS partners in achieving excellence in teaching, research and clinical service. The College of Medicine is celebrating its 10th Anniversary in 2014.

Swansea University is a world-class, research-led university located in beautiful parkland with views across Swansea Bay close to the Gower Peninsula, the UK's first Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

The University was established in 1920 and currently offers around 330 undergraduate courses and 120 post-graduate courses to 16,800 undergraduate and postgraduate students.

The results of the Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2014 showed that the University has achieved its ambition to be a top 30 research University, soaring up the league table to 26th in the UK, with the 'biggest leap among research-intensive institutions' (Times Higher Education, December 2014) in the UK.

In September 2015, the University’s new £450m, 65 acre science and innovation Bay Campus will open, to complement an upgraded Singleton Park Campus.