Registration opens for inaugural Stanford Medicine X|ED conference

Registration opened today for the inaugural Stanford Medicine X|ED conference, which will explore the role of technology and networked intelligence in shaping the future of medical education.

The conference will take place Sept. 23-24 on campus at the Li Ka Shing Center for Learning and Knowledge. It will feature presentations and panels on a range of topics, including engaging millennial learners, opportunities and challenges for innovation in medical education, interdisciplinary learning, and how digital media and massive open online courses are redefining the educational landscape.

Registration details can be found at http://medicinex.stanford.edu/ed/

"Changing the culture of health care starts with redefining medical education," said Lawrence Chu, MD, associate professor of anesthesia at the School of Medicine and executive director of Medicine X. "This conference aims to address gaps in medical education to drive innovation and make health care more participatory, patient centered and responsive."

Digital media pioneer Howard Rheingold will kick off the conference with a keynote address. Rheingold cofounded the groundbreaking virtual communities HotWired and Electric Minds in the mid-1990s, and authored the book Smart Mobs: The Next Social Revolution.

Abraham Verghese, MD, vice chair for the theory and practice of medicine for Stanford's Department of Medicine, will deliver the closing keynote. An infectious disease physician and best-selling author, Verghese led the effort to develop the Stanford25 initiative, which is designed to teach interns the diagnostic benefits of fundamental physical exam skills. He is a strong advocate for the value of bedside medicine and physical diagnosis, which he sees as waning in an era of increasingly sophisticated medical technology.

"Health care has changed dramatically in recent years, but the way we teach the next generation of doctors has largely remained the same," said Lloyd Minor, MD, dean of the School of Medicine. "Stanford Medicine X|ED brings together some of the most innovative minds in medicine, technology and education to re-imagine medical education for the new millennium."

The conference will offer tutorial-style classes called "learning labs" on topics such as incorporating instructional technologies into curricula, and using social media to promote patient safety. Additionally, attendees can participate in 90-minute workshops on using 3D printing in medical education, interprofessional care models and methods for bringing real patients' stories into medical education.

Conference-goers can also enroll in master classes where experts in specific disciplines will conduct small-venue seminars. Confirmed master-class speakers include Minor; Bryan Vartabedian, MD, assistant professor of pediatrics and director of digital literacy at the Baylor College of Medicine; Bertalan Mesko, MD, founder of Webicina; and Kirsten Ostherr, PhD, professor of English at Rice University and director of the Medical Futures Lab.

Medicine X 2015 lineup announced

Medicine X, Stanford University's premier conference on emerging health-care technology and patient-centered medicine, will return to campus on Sept. 25-27. Registration is now open.

The 2015 program will focus on the theme "Great eXpectations" and spotlight five core themes: The challenges of accessing health care as you age; the misconceptions and misperceptions faced by patients, health-care payers and medical providers; population health from the patient perspective; precision medicine; and fostering partnerships between health insurers, patients and physicians.

"A hallmark of Medicine X, and one of the things that distinguishes it from other conferences, is that we are continuously looking outside of medicine and health care for innovative solutions," said Chu. "When you expand the conversation and engage with computer scientists, designers, entrepreneurs, patients, and a wide-range of stakeholders, then you bring in fresh ideas."

Peter Bach, MD, director of the Center for Health Policy and Outcomes at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, will deliver an opening keynote address. A physician and health policy expert, Bach's research focuses on the cost and value of anti-cancer drugs. He is also an accomplished writer and has authored numerous op-eds on health care, but is perhaps most well known for his New York Magazine essay "The Day I Started Lying to Ruth" about losing his wife to cancer.

Other speakers include cellist and composer Zoe Keating; Robert Pearl, MD, executive director and CEO of The Permanente Medical Group; and 91-year-old IDEO designer Barbara Beskind.

"The brightest minds and the most innovative thinking converge at Stanford Medicine X -- the intersection of medicine and technology," said Minor. "This is one of the most thought-provoking and important events in health care today and will help pave the way for how technology enables patient-centered and patient-driven care in the years to come."

In the spirit of its patient-centered focus, Medicine X reserves 10 percent of all seats for "e-patient scholars." Medicine X's e-patient advisory board selects these conference participants -- specialists and experts who are highly educated in their own medical conditions and use medical technologies in managing their health, learning from and teaching others -- and provides them with financial-need-based partial or full scholarships. Throughout the conference, e-patients will share their inspiring personal stories.

Source: Stanford University Medical Center