John Taylor, Professor of Economics at Stanford University and developer of the "Taylor Rule" for setting interest rates | Stanford University
John Taylor, Professor of Economics at Stanford University and developer of the "Taylor Rule" for setting interest rates | Stanford University
Experts from various fields convened at the Big Ideas in Medicine conference on September 6 and 7 to discuss future health care innovations. The event, held at Stanford Medicine’s Li Ka Shing Center for Learning and Knowledge, featured diverse topics ranging from curing diseases to integrating social media data into diagnostic algorithms.
Bryant Lin, MD, a clinical professor of primary care and population health, opened the conference by sharing his personal experience with stage 4 metastatic lung cancer. He attributed his current well-being to tyrosine kinase inhibitors, emphasizing their role as a significant medical advancement.
Speakers addressed numerous subjects that urged attendees to envision transformative changes in health care. These included using AI for new antibiotics development, enhancing electronic health records, and rethinking mental health treatments.
Vivek Murthy, MD, the U.S. Surgeon General, highlighted the "loneliness epidemic," noting its impact on both mental and physical health. Murthy stressed the need for quality social connections and safety standards in technology use to mitigate this issue.
Mental health was a recurring theme at the conference. Lisa Rotenstein, MD, Megan Mahoney, MD from UCSF, and others discussed physician burnout exacerbated by factors like electronic health records and patient messaging systems. Ilana Yurkiewicz, MD emphasized addressing "the three Ts"—technology, team, and time—to combat care fragmentation.
Lloyd Minor of Stanford School of Medicine underscored ongoing efforts to improve access to care. Meanwhile, Amir Rubin proposed "the five As"—accessibility, availability, affordability, accommodation, and acceptability—as essential elements for effective healthcare systems.
Holly Tabor highlighted challenges faced by people with intellectual and developmental disabilities in accessing care. She introduced IDD Transform as a project aimed at improving their health outcomes through inclusive design thinking.
Priscilla Chan from the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative questioned how to foster creativity in scientific research while Stephen Quake advocated for long-term progress perspectives over short-term goals.
Other notable presentations included James Zou's insights on AI's evolving role in biomedical research and Boris Heifets' exploration of psychedelics for mental health management. Anna Lembke discussed "dopamine fasting" as a method to address addiction issues.
Eleni Linos shared stories illustrating potential applications of AI in dermatology while questioning future implications for medical practice. Her anecdotes underscored optimism about technological advancements transforming healthcare roles.
The conference concluded with reflections on the possibilities ahead in medicine and healthcare innovation.
___
Alerts Sign-up