TEDMED 2012 conference to take place in Washington, DC

TEDMED, www.tedmed.com, the world's leading multi-disciplinary conference on the future of health and medicine, today announced that the 2012 edition of the conference will take place in Washington, DC at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts from April 11-13, 2012.

From 2009 to 2011, San Diego hosted TEDMED, drawing strong attendance from regional biotech companies and technology developers. The move to the Nation's Capital and the Kennedy Center will place TEDMED in the center of healthcare policymaking, regulation, and research funding and will accelerate collaboration among government, science, industry, academia, technology, media and the arts.

The new location will encourage greater participation in TEDMED activities by key Federal organizations including Congress, the Food and Drug Administration, the Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Veteran's Affairs, the National Institutes of Health, and many others.

"Holding TEDMED's annual conference at the health and medicine capital of the world will amplify the voice of the TEDMED community, bringing TEDMED to a larger stage where the members of our community can provide a much-needed national service. Everyone agrees that the United States faces complex and difficult challenges in health and medicine that require the brightest minds and best talents from all sectors of society. TEDMED is multidisciplinary community on a mission to connect, understand and inspire in a way that will advance a healthier America," said TEDMED Curator Jay Walker.

Significant policy, funding and administration of healthcare industry activities are centered in the nation's capital including:

• Medicare and Medicaid are the largest buyers of medical services spending billions of dollars annually.
• The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs is the largest operator of hospitals in the country.
• The President directs the policymakers in the Executive Branch and the U.S. Congress that enact federal laws and tax code that shape every aspect of U.S. health and medicine.
• The FDA regulates the safety of all drugs and medical devices and serves as the leading regulatory standard for the industrial world.
• The EPA regulates the environment and sets standards for toxicity and exposure that directly impact everyone's health and wellness.
• The NIH, along with other federal agencies, is the largest single funders of medical and scientific research in the world, with budgets in the tens of billions of dollars annually.
• The U.S. Congress and U.S. Patent Office regulate the rules of intellectual property that drive research and investment decisions by U.S. and global corporations and universities.
• The U.S. military, headquartered at the Pentagon, is responsible for America's national security as it relates to health and medical issues specifically bioterrorism threats.
• DARPA, Walter Reed Army Medical Center, National Naval Medical Center and numerous other military and civilian federal agencies have an enormous impact on innovation funding and support for unusual approaches.
• The Washington, DC area is home to many organizations that are vitally important to health and medicine including: Children's National Medical Center & Children's Research Institute; The George Washington University Medical School & Advanced Med Trauma Center; Johns Hopkins University Center for Immunization Research (DC); Sabin Vaccine Institute; National Rehabilitation Hospital and The National Medical Museum.

TEDMED is the annual conference where cutting-edge science and technology leaders "connect, understand and inspire" to advance the art of health and medicine with new ideas, the latest science and innovative technology. A total of 52 speakers and 850 attendees are gathered at the Hotel del Coronado in San Diego, California from October 25 -28 for the 2011 edition of TEDMED's annual conference.

This year the TEDMED stage features presentations by Nobel Prize winners, the Surgeon General of the United States, Dr. Regina Benjamin and superstar athletes Lance Armstrong and Diana Nyad, among many other impressive leaders from medical and non-medical fields.