From September 24-26, Philadelphia hosted the 2018 Advamed MedTech Conference, welcoming 3,000 leading medtech executives from 30 different countries. The MedTech Conference is a must-attend event for the industry’s prominent and most promising companies. The meetings feature world-class plenary speakers, a wide array of educational programming, valuable networking and business development opportunities. The Advamed MedTech Conference UK delegation was led by the Department for International Trade (DIT), the commercial arm of the British government. During the last 70 years, the UK government has invested significant resources into the National Health Service (NHS). The Country’s biomedical ecosystem is rapidly expanding. In its first year, the total NHS budget was approximately $500M. Today, the UK government is spending $500M just to implement new technologies in hospitals. The UK is also investing $400M in AI research and recently gave a $25 billion boost to the NHS budget.
On Tuesday evening, September 25, DIT offered Medtech conference attendees the opportunity to participate in an exclusive seminar – “’Deep Learning’ in the NHS.” The panel discussion focused on how technology is used to transform UK healthcare and provides inspiration for innovation. Speakers were asked probing questions about their areas of expertise, cutting edge technologies, and the pioneering healthcare environment in the UK. Dr. Mike Short CBE, Chief Scientific Advisor from the UK Department for International Trade, moderated the discussion. Mike recently joined the UK government after working for more than 40 years in the electronics and telecommunications sectors, most recently as a VP at Telefonica. Mike’s role at DIT is to ensure that the department’s policies are supported by the best science, engineering and technical advice.
The following four panelists provided an informative overview about the role of cutting-edge and developing technology within the NHS:
- Tony Davis, Commercial Director, West Midlands Academic Health Science Network – The UK has 15 Academic Health Science Networks (AHSNs), which aim to accelerate the adoption of innovation at scale across the UK. In addition to his role at the West Midlands AHSN, Tony leads the national network for digital health and AI.
- Professor Martin Gibson, CEO, NorthWest eHealth – NorthWest EHealth is revolutionizing the use of electronic health data to support the delivery of clinical trials. The company is renowned for supporting GSK’s Salford Lung Study – the world’s first real-world clinical trial. Martin is also NIHR Clinical Director for Greater Manchester and a consultant physician in diabetes and endocrinology.
- Dr. Jean Nehme, Co-founder and CEO, Digital Surgery – Jean trained as a plastic surgeon at Imperial College London and co-founded Touch Surgery five years ago. His new, expanded venture – Digital Surgery – aims to build a digital ecosystem that sits at the intersection of surgical expertise and technology.
- Neelam Patel, Chief Operating Office, MedCity – Neelam has 25 years of experience in the pharma industry, NHS and non-profit sector. She is currently leading work to help NHS England develop standards for digital health. She also leads the evidence workstream at DigitalHealth London, which aims to make it easier for small businesses to introduce their products into the NHS.
Attendees were encouraged to ask the speakers questions once the seminar ended. The final part of the evening included a cocktail reception offering delicious food, an open bar, and a Scotch whisky tasting. The reception was hosted by UK Health Minister Lord O’Shaughnessy, who was appointed as a Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department of Health and a Government Whip (Lord in Waiting) in December 2016. The Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Health (Lords) is the ministerial lead for NHS Resolution, Property Services and Community Health Partnerships, Business Services Authority, Digital, and Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency. In addition, he represents the government on all aspects of health in the House of Lords. Lord O’Shaughnessy focuses on the following policy areas:
- making a success of Brexit;
- life sciences policy and industry engagement, industrial strategy and NHS innovation;
- medicines pricing and regulation;
- data, digital and technology, including cyber security; and
- NHS land and estates, NHS litigation, migrant cost recovery and income generation.
Approximately 75 Advamed MedTech conference attendees, executives from leading global healthcare sector companies and local and foreign universities and other institutions enjoyed learning how technology has been used to transform UK healthcare. Networking with some of the UK’s top innovators at the end of the night was enjoyed by all. The BABCPHL was honored to partner with DIT, the Welsh Government, Health Innovation Manchester, Scottish Development International, MedCity, Academic Health Sciences Networks, and the Association of British HealthTech Industries (ABHI) to deliver this timely and informative program.
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