Today, the annual Big Data in Precision Health conference returns to the Stanford Medicine campus. The event was created seven years ago to bring together leaders and researchers in medicine, academia, government and industry who are working to tap the power of giant datasets to improve human health.
This year, the two-day event will feature presentations on topics including the government's role in securely and effectively sharing health information, ways to break down the silos between industry and academia, and how socially assistive robots can aid human health.
The conference kicks off at 9 a.m. with an introduction from Dean Lloyd Minor, MD, addressing the potential of precision health to predict and prevent disease before it strikes.
At noon, Megan Mahoney, MD, Latha Palaniappan, MD, and Nancy Shin, Pharm.D., will deliver a spotlight presentation on Stanford Medicine's Humanwide program -- a pilot project of 50 patients that illustrates how a data-driven, patient-centered approach to health care can help physicians predict, prevent and treat disease.
The first day concludes with an evening corporate technical showcase, poster presentation and reception featuring 58 researchers that include three high school students.
Day two features discussions on drug development, the role of technology in big data and a spotlight on the Apple Heart Study , which has demonstrated that wearable technology can help detect heart conditions like atrial fibrillation.
Everyone is welcome to take part via webcast, by joining the conversation online using #BigDataMed, and by following our @StanfordMed feed for live tweets of keynotes and other proceedings from the conference. Scope will also feature stories about the event in the coming days.
Photos by Rod Searcey