From an app to monitor epileptic seizures to an online tool that predicts the course of an individual’s prostate cancer, it is safe to say technology is transforming health care. For this reason, more than 340 people attended the inaugural Digital Health Day on Oct. 16, 2017, at The Johns Hopkins Hospital.
“There are 26 groups across Johns Hopkins with digital health at their core,” said Greg Hager of the Malone Center for Engineering in Healthcare in his welcoming remarks. “We’re all finally in one room together.”
The first-of-its-kind Johns Hopkins Digital Health Day was organized to connect people throughout Johns Hopkins Medicine and The Johns Hopkins University who are working on digital health — including wearable sensors, smartphones and the internet.
Chevy Chase Bank Conference Center hosted three panel sessions with experts on digital health solutions for patient engagement, providers and public health. A resource pavilion across the hall boasted 26 exhibitor tables staffed by digital health technology, research and funding groups. All were affiliated with Johns Hopkins.
“Our job isn’t just to build cool stuff. It’s to push frontiers and figure out how digital health should be done,” said Harold Lehmann, director of research and training in the Division of Health Sciences Informatics.
In total, more than 274 people attended in person and 71 people attended via the event’s webcast. People tweeted about their excitement using the hashtag #JHDigitalHealth17, which has appeared over 2.5 million times in Twitter timelines and searches.
Our keynote, @ePatientDave, is here at #JHDigitalHealth17 to talk about the importance of patient engagement. pic.twitter.com/S6DHb0qfGo
— Johns Hopkins TIC (@JHMTIC) October 16, 2017
To close the event, five Johns Hopkins-affiliated entrepreneurs presented their digital health innovations at a pitch competition. The winner was a telemedicine solution to connect patients and doctors in rural India.
“I’ve gone to a number of events of this general sort in different countries, and I’ve never seen any group that is closer to being right, smack-on pointed at the place where I think things need to go to take maximum advantage of the potential here,” said keynote speaker Richard Davies deBronkhart, also known as blogger e-Patient Dave, in closing remarks.
Digital Health Day 2017 was organized by the Technology Innovation Center, Global mHealth Initiative, the Division of Health Sciences Informatics and The Malone Center for Engineering in Healthcare.
Students and employees can watch the recorded webcast.