Preview: MedX Future of Healthcare conference

The MedX Future of Healthcare conference will be held on 25th March at Citylabs 1.0, ran by ReThinkX, which aims to “bridge the gap between the next generation and leaders of the field” and “to create an accessible medium to showcase the technology at the forefront of healthcare”.

Anne Sophie, Conference, says: “We will have speaker panels running in the same time as workshops in order for people to feel more free to choose what mood they are in: listening to innovative speakers, be more hands on, be enthusiastic and debate, or even just relax in the chill-out area. There will be something for everybody!”

“We think traditional conferences are too rigid and set the agenda for attendees,” says Sophie on the format of the conference.

Keynotes on the day include Hugo Mercier, CEO & co-founder of Rythm, a neurotechnology company that has made the “first active wearable” headband to help improve sleep. The ‘Dreem’ headband is due to be available to consumers soon.

Also speaking is Dr Pablo Rojo, a Paediatric Infectious Diseases Specialist from Madrid. Previously Dr Rojo is part of the EPIICAL project, which aims to provide new therapeutics to early treated HIV-infected children, and has published over 80 peer-reviewed articles in his career.

Unlike other events of its kind, the MedX conference is free for students, but limited priced tickets are available for academics and professionals in the healthcare field. Explaining this decision, Sophie says that ReThinkX wanted to “put great emphasis on accessibility”.

Workshops will also be held throughout the day, including one by GMC which will challenge the “ethical implications of social media and a digital world,” led by Tista Chakravarty-Gannon, GMC’s Principal Regional Liaison Advisor.

Bella Eacott, Research and Curriculum Manager at Clod Ensemble, and Suzy Wilson, Director of Performing Medicine, an education programme led by a theatre company will be holding a ‘Circle of Care’ workshop, looking at art based methods in healthcare education.

In the future, ReThinkX hope to grow the conference so that it spans two days with 500 to 1000 delegates.

“We are working with Manchester entrepreneurs, Manchester Science Partnerships and the North-West Biotech Initiative to create an entrepreneurship academy focused on small scale innovation,” Tariq Ramtoola, Director of ReThinkX, says.

Tickets are available here.