Overview

“What is Medicine X?  Medicine X is a catalyst for new ideas about the future of medicine and health care. The initiative explores how emerging technologies will advance the practice of medicine, improve health, and empower patients to be active participants in their own care. The ‘X’ is meant to encourage thinking beyond numbers and trends—it represents the infinite possibilities for current and future information technologies to improve health. Under the direction of Dr. Larry Chu, Assistant Professor of Anesthesia, Medicine X is a project of the Stanford AIM Lab.  Two recent Medicine X projects include organizing the Stanford Summit at Medicine 2.0, and Medicine 2.0 at Stanford: The Fourth World Congress on Social Media and Web 2.0 in Health, Medicine and Biomedical Research. Medicine 2.0 is a conference concept originally developed by Dr. Gunther Eysenbach.  How is Medicine X Different than other Technology Conferences?  Where other technology conferences may focus on consumer trends or business-to-business needs, Medicine X will bring a broad, academic approach to understanding emerging technologies with the potential to improve health and advance the practice of medicine. Drawing on the best traditions of Stanford—an incubator of Silicon Valley—the conference aims to ignite interdisciplinary thinking and collaboration while encouraging a rigorous, quantitatively driven approach to understanding emerging technologies. In other words, the conference hopes to encourage ‘moon shot’ thinking while actually offering the intellectual tools to make those ideas reality.  What will a Day at the Medicine X Summit at Stanford Look Like?  We are planning a two-day conference in September 2012. Each day will present five major themes for exploration by the audience and presenters. Each theme presentation will consist of about three invited speakers and a moderator. Each speaker will present a 20 minute story-telling style talk on the Medicine X main stage, followed by a 30 minute moderated panel discussion. Interspersed throughout the day will be breakfast, lunch, and coffee breaks to allow ample time for networking and meeting new contacts. Demonstrations of emerging technologies will also occur throughout the day on the main stage.  The Stanford Medicine X Conference 2012  We have exciting plans in store for 2012. The Stanford Summit @ Medicine 2.0 generated so much interest and enthusiasm that we plan to launch an annual conference called the Medicine X Stanford Summit. Like the Stanford Summit in 2011, the event will explore issues related to health and medicine at the intersection of social media and information technology. Our goal is to bring together the most innovative and engaging minds in academia and industry to exchange bold new ideas about the future of medicine and the role technology will play in improving health. Please check back often for the latest news and information about Stanford Medicine X 2012!”