mHealth Summit to host Global mHealth Forum

The mHealth Summit announced today that it will host the Global mHealth Forum, a two-day co-located event, to focus on mobile and connected health in low and middle income countries (LMICs). The Global mHealth Forum, which will take place from December 10-11, 2014, is presented in partnership with the mHealth Working Group and USAID and will bring together public and private sector organizations to share the latest evidence, experiences and lessons learned on new applications and approaches in mHealth.

The 6th annual mHealth Summit will take place December 7-11, 2014, at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in the Washington, DC area. The mHealth Summit is part of the newly formed Personal Connected Health Alliance, an international non-profit organization established by Continua, mHealth Summit and HIMSS to represent the consumer voice in personal connected health.

"We recognize that implementing mobile and connected health solutions present unique challenges for low and middle income countries (LMICs), yet can significantly benefit these communities by improving the delivery and availability of care to their citizens," said Rich Scarfo, Director, mHealth Summit, and Vice President, Personal Connected Health Alliance. "There are still too many countries that must consider factors such as poor mobile infrastructure, lack of trained personnel and patients traveling extreme distances to seek care, making it critical to have a dedicated event that will explore these issues. Now, for the first time at the mHealth Summit, program managers, funders and designers working in LMICs will have an educational forum for sharing strategies and tactical approaches, as well as opportunities to network with others working in challenging environments."

To complement -- and extend -- the impact of the Forum, there will be a Global mHealth pavilion located on the mHealth Summit exhibit floor. This pavilion will showcase innovative NGOs, foundations, government agencies, universities and corporate collaborators that are utilizing mHealth to improve health outcomes in low and middle income countries.

The Global mHealth Forum aims to:

• Enhance the capacity of governments, donors, civil society, NGOs and social entrepreneurs to design, implement (including scale up) and evaluate mHealth initiatives in LMICs;
• Provide a space for global health stakeholders and mHealth professionals working in LMICs to network with each other as well as with health ministries, NGOs, technical experts and mHealth solution providers;
• Share the state-of-the-art in mHealth in LMICs and explore emerging trends.

"We are excited about the opportunity offered by the new Global mHealth Forum to enable participants to share mHealth applications across technical areas and settings. This two-day event furthers the goals of the mHealth Working Group of building capacity, encouraging collaboration and sharing knowledge," said Laura Raney, co-founder and co-chair of the mHealth Working Group. "Our mission is to frame mobile technology within a larger global health strategy. We look forward to the Forum to learn how others are using mHealth to solve problems and improve health," added Kelly Keisling, co-founder and co-chair of the mHealth Working Group.

The Call for Presentations for both the mHealth Summit and the Global mHealth Forum is now open through June 27, 2014 at midnight EST.

The mHealth Summit, the largest mobile health event in the world, brings together a diverse audience of providers, leaders, influencers and visionaries in mobile and connected health from all different stages of the mobile health ecosystem. Keynote presentations, moderated panels, interview-style discussions, roundtables, demonstrations and interactive sessions will highlight hands-on strategies, examine success stories, and explore challenges and innovations in mHealth, connected health, telehealth, eHealth, wireless, digital, wearables, gaming and consumer engagement.

Registration will open in early July for the both the mHealth Summit and Global mHealth Forum.