Healthcare: In Pursuit of Universal Health Coverage
The World Health Organization (WHO) has celebrated World Health Day on April 7 for almost 70 years. The goal? Draw attention to all the advancements in global healthcare while encouraging activity around different global health initiatives.
We took a little time to reflect on this year’s theme – Universal Health Coverage and wanted to share some of our speakers who regularly address the needs of modern healthcare along with their predictions for the future of global health. Did you know that universal healthcare by 2030 is a key target of the WHO’s agenda for sustainable development? Our expert healthcare speakers can explain what the next steps towards more equitable healthcare might look like as well as the current trends and difficulties our systems are facing today.
Healthcare Speakers:
Dr. Julielynn Wong
| Physician-Scientist, Innovator & Educator
Dr. Julielynn Wong’s work directly supports universal health coverage by promoting accessibility through technology and innovation. She is an internationally recognized 3D printing, robotics, and digital health pioneer who inspires audiences to use technology to benefit humanity.
Dr. Wong is using cutting-edge technology to provide healthcare solutions in challenging and remote environments including 3D printing medical supplies on the International Space Station. As a Harvard-educated physician-scientist, her humble and playful personality make her an inspiring and relatable speaker who encourages audiences to embrace innovation and engage technology to take on big challenges. Watch highlights from her presentation at Engage Speaker Talks.
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eatured Healthcare Presentation
Digital Health at Warp Speed: From Fax Machines to 3D Printers
How can new technologies be used to make healthcare more accessible? Dr. Wong shares her inspiring stories on using 3D printers to make affordable life-saving and life-changing medical supplies at home, abroad and in space. Audiences even get to see a 3D printer live in action!
Key Takeaways:
• A practical model for how technology can enable the dissemination of healthcare solutions to remote regions.
• How using technology with empathy can support environmental stewardship, poverty reduction, social justice, and human rights.
Dr. Dave Williams
| Record-breaking Astronaut & Aquanaut
Dr. Williams knows healthcare at all levels. He’s held roles as an emergency room doctor, a director for the McMaster Centre for Medical Robotics, the President and Chief Executive Officer of Southlake Regional Health Centre, and a patient himself. His approach to healthcare is a unique mix of peak performance, leadership, and risk management. One of his core messages for healthcare leaders? Make the Impossible Possible:
Featured Healthcare Presentation
Healthcare | Pursuing Excellence: Lessons From the Edge
Humans have been living aboard the International Space Station since the turn of the Millennium. The extreme harsh environment of space is intolerant of error, challenging teams to relentlessly focus on working together to achieve excellence in all aspects of day to day activities. Dr. Williams shows how the challenges faced in space are actually quite similar to those in healthcare establishments. He shares the practical lessons learned through his experiences in space & leading an award-winning health centre.
Key Takeaways:
• The role of leadership in defining the culture of an organization.
• Lessons from high-reliable organizations to enhance healthcare safety and quality outcomes.
• How to create a culture where a passion for excellence thrives, creating outcomes that transform people and organizations.
André Picard
| Award-Winning National Health Writer
With over 30 years of experience as a health writer for The Globe & Mail, André Picard is one of Canada’s most seasoned voices at the intersection of healthcare and politics. His work as a health and public policy expert has lead to numerous awards including the National Newspaper Award, Canada’s version of the Pulitzer Prize. This veteran health journalist says we should expect more from our healthcare system, now we’re more than an illness treatment system. Hear a few of his ideas for the future of healthcare below – captured at our annual Engage Speaker Talks event:
Featured Healthcare Presentation
Critical Care | What’s Happening in our Healthcare System
Where does our healthcare system stand? According to André, it’s important that we move from a sickness care system to a preventative care system. What are the challenges and opportunities to improve the coordination and effectiveness of services across the nation? How do we re-orient our attention and investments to build a better ‘health system’? This customized discussion will look at cross-disciplinary approaches to healthcare and to draw on and identify best practices.
Key Takeaways:
• What hot-button healthcare issue matters most to your organization.
• The benefits of corporate wellness programs and effective models to use.
• Effective mental health initiatives.
Dr. Brian Goldman | Emergency Room Physician, Bestselling Author & Medical Watchdog
Dr. Goldman is an ER doctor at one of Toronto’s busiest hospitals with bestselling books and a TEDx talk on mistakes in the medical world. He also hosts White Coat, Black Art on CBC Radio where he brings listeners into his world of medicine with provocative insights from the front line of modern medicine. On stage Dr. Goldman is earnest and funny, using real-world examples and audio clips in his slides to help make the topic of healthcare very pertinent and accessible.
Featured Healthcare Presentation
Future of Healthcare | Will Someone Please Invent An App for That?
How does disruptive innovation relate to the current landscape of our healthcare system? Sometimes, it takes someone from outside the world of medicine to show us a better way. Dr. Brian Goldman makes the case that health needs a big disruptive shake-up in healthcare computing. He gives examples of software apps that are making things better for health professionals and patients alike.
Key takeaways:
• Using the hackathon approach, how even the most technophobe doctors and nurses can team up with up-and-coming software engineers to invent cutting-edge medical apps.
• How to reduce unnecessary wait times by optimizing processes through mobile devices.
• The structures needed to free up more time away from services and re-allocate it towards thinking & developing strategies for innovation.
Carly Weeks | Award-Winning National Health Reporter & Columnist, The Globe and Mail
Carly Weeks, a national health writer for The Globe and Mail, has been using her platform to combat the general public’s growing mistrust of the medical profession for nearly a decade. Her fearless journalism on topics ranging from the prescription painkiller crisis, vaccination, Big Food, and nutrition policy has focused on debunking myths which has lead to multiple awards and national recognition. Onstage, Carly delivers her insider insights with conversational humour, sharing practical takeaways to guide the audience to make more informed decisions regarding their health and healthcare.
Featured Healthcare Presentation
The Democratization of Health & What it Means for the Future
Social media is making it easier than ever for healthcare consumers to reach out and connect with the doctors, nurses and other health professionals that deliver care. This change represents a sort of revolution, one that presents enormous opportunities for fundamentally reshaping how Canadians see and engage with the healthcare system. But failing to take advantage of this opportunity could leave organizations in the dark.
Key takeaways:
• How your organization can become more engaged with your audiences.
• What the future might look like for patients and providers.
As we look towards World Health Day 2019, one of our core values – Integrity: Do the right thing reminds us of the importance of universal access to primary healthcare for our global neighborhood.
If you are looking for a free customized recommendation on the top health speakers that will work with your organization’s upcoming event – contact us here. Our advisory services are 100% free.
[Images for this blog via Good Ware on Flaticon]