Panel Discussion of The Engaged Health Consumer to Highlight WLSA's Eighth Annual Convergence Summit on Mobile Health

SAN DIEGO, May 2, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- The Wireless-Life Sciences Alliance (WLSA) said today that a panel discussion titled "The Engaged Health Consumer" will highlight its eighth annual Convergence Summit on May 28-30 at the Omni San Diego Hotel. The panel will bring together four distinguished leaders in the connected health movement.

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The May 28 session is for WLSA members only, while the May 29-30 sessions are open to the public. A near-final agenda for the summit may be viewed at http://wirelesslifesciences.org/what-we-do/convergence-summit/agenda/.

This year's summit will also feature a Qualcomm Life demonstration of its 2Net™ platform in home environment. An exhibit called the "Connected Health Zone" will provide a real-life depiction of remote monitoring with multiple companies that have products and services in the connected health space.

Themed "Moving Healthcare from Innovation to Adoption," this year's summit focuses on educating and aligning stakeholders throughout the healthcare ecosystem on the wide range of innovative solutions available to drive enhanced health outcomes and more efficient healthcare services. 

The "Engaged Health Consumer" discussion will link the summit's theme directly to consumers, who use and benefit from myriad wireless health innovations on a widening array of technology devices, including desktops, laptops, tablets, smartphones and TVs.

The panel – slated for Thursday, May 30, at 2:50 p.m. – will be moderated by Jeff Arnold, Chairman and CEO of Sharecare, a health and wellness social engagement platform that helps people to live healthier lives by connecting them to personalized resources including high-quality information from national experts, interactive tools and local healthcare providers. 

Panelists will include:

• James H. Fowler, Ph.D. and Professor of Medical Genetics and Political Science at the University of California, San Diego. His work lies at the intersection of the natural and social sciences, with a focus on social networks, behavior, evolution, politics, genetics and big data.
• Brendan Gallagher, Senior Vice President of Emerging Technology & Channels at Digitas Health, where he oversees user experience research, information architecture, content strategy, interaction design, and usability work across multiple offices for major pharmaceutical, healthcare and biotech clients.
• Dr. Daniel Kraft, a Stanford- and Harvard-trained physician-scientist, inventor, entrepreneur and innovator. With more than 20 years of experience in clinical practice, biomedical research and healthcare innovation, Kraft chairs the medicine track for Singularity University and is Executive Director of FutureMed, a program that explores convergent, exponentially developing technologies and their potential in biomedicine and healthcare. 

Also, in addition to those announced March 12, new plenary speakers announced today include Andrew Anderson, Global Lead for Strategy and Disruptive Innovation within corporate R&D at PepsiCo; Igor Gershfang, Senior Director for Emerging Technology Solutions within the business innovation group at Walgreens; and Dr. Peter Cowhey, Dean and Qualcomm Professor of Communications and Technology Policy at the School of International Relations and Pacific Studies at UC San Diego.

Goals of this year's WLSA summit include increasing consumer engagement and bolstering collaboration throughout all sectors involved in healthcare improvement, leading to broad adoption of new technologies worldwide.

The Convergence Summit brings together key players to explore how applications of wireless technology can transform the delivery and cost of delivering essential healthcare. This year it will offer participants opportunities for structured networking with the most dedicated and innovative thought leaders in healthcare and health technology, such as Qualcomm Life, Ascension Health, China Mobile and Sanofi.

For further information on the conference, visit www.wirelesslifesciences.org or contact Molly Cogan at [email protected]. 

About Wireless-Life Sciences Alliance (WLSA)
The Wireless-Life Sciences Alliance (WLSA) is a special-purpose trade organization committed to accelerating the adoption of innovative healthcare technologies. Our community includes CEOs, senior-level executives, entrepreneurs, companies of all sizes, foundations, educational institutions, scientists, physicians, and policy makers. The WLSA is dedicated to creating value and improving health, globally, by stimulating the implementation of technologies that empower consumers and innovative institutions. WLSA partners and companies all over the world are using wireless and connected health innovations to better manage chronic conditions, pre-empt disease and improve the lives of the elderly and under-served populations.

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SOURCE Wireless-Life Sciences Alliance