Our team is excited to attend the 4th annual Spotlight Health conference (June 22— 25) in in Aspen, CO. As an opener to the Aspen Ideas Festival (June 26–July 1), Spotlight Health brings together some of the world's finest innovators, thinkers, researchers, policymakers, and leaders to discuss the most pressing questions in health and medicine.

Through art displays, one-on-one interviews, exercise breaks, panel discussions, and interactive sessions, attendees will explore health from all angles. This meeting is always packed with ways to improve people's health, the medical education system, new drug and technology discoveries, and more. In anticipation of Spotlight Health 2017, take a look back at our conference coverage from 2016 and 2015. And, best of all, it’s not too late to register – you can do so here.

The entire agenda for Spotlight Health 2017 can be found here. Read on for an overview of this year's six primary tracks and a list of the speakers and talks we’re most excited about.

Six primary tracks:

(i) The Brain - Better understanding the brain will help illuminate the many connections between mental and physical health, how nature can stimulate growth, what addiction looks like at the neural level, and the effects of traumatic experiences. How can we harness the potential of one of the most complex yet crucial organs in our body?

(ii) Moonshots - Universal healthcare coverage, eliminating AIDS, curbing maternal mortality, and combating cancer are huge goals that visionaries are working toward. How will precision medicine and artificial intelligence contribute to these big efforts in the near- and longer-term? Although the tasks ahead seem daunting, major improvements in health may be closer than we think.

(iii) Intersections - Where you live, how much you earn, and what you do for a living all shape health. We feel this acutely in diabetes. Increasingly, housing, education, security, and employment all converge to influence health and healthcare policies. How do the social determinants of health affect our pursuit of healthier minds and bodies?

(iv) Caregivers - The most rewarding skill a healer can have is compassion. From the womb to the wards, humans rely on each other through every stage of life. In our field, we can't emphasize enough the importance of diabetes educators and coaches for truly optimal diabetes care. We look forward to new perspectives on this topic, and to learn from caregiving practices in other therapeutic areas.

(v) Viewpoints - Patients, providers, and policymakers all contribute unique ideas to the changing field of healthcare. These ideas echo and challenge each other, but ultimately lead to a better system of providing healthcare and improving societies around the world. Spotlight Health 2017 will provide a soundboard for everyone to share diverse perspectives.

(vi) Med School - Like last year, this year's iteration of Spotlight Health will confront medical education. This track will also shed light on what's new and upcoming in the health field, covering scientific/medical efforts to increase life expectancy, simplify organ transplants, pursue brain mapping, and combat disease. What else has been accomplished in recent years, and what challenges lie ahead?

Speakers:

As always, Spotlight Health will feature a stellar lineup of speakers. We're particularly excited to hear from Ms. Kathleen Sebelius (former US Health and Human Services Secretary) and Ms. Judy Woodruff (anchor and managing editor of PBS NewsHour) on the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Mr. Raj Panjabi (founder of Last Mile Health) shares his inspirational story of escaping civil war in Liberia as a child, and he will reflect on how his experiences affect his efforts to deliver lifesaving care to the world's most remote communities.

Additionally, Mr. Jon Batiste (bandleader for The Late Show with Steven Colbert) and President and CEO of the Aspen Institute Mr. Walter Isaacson (who will step down later this year after 14 years) will speak about the intersection between music and health. This remarkable list barely scratches the surface… see the full list here.

Please see below some of the sessions we are most looking forward to. Space is still available to register for Spotlight Health— The Aspen Ideas Festival otherwise is completely sold out. We hope to see some of you in Aspen! Sponsors of this meeting include Pfizer, Mount Sinai, and The Commonwealth Fund, among others.

 

Thursday, June 22:

• (3:30 PM, Koch tent) Can Artificial Intelligence Revolutionize Medicine?:  What potential does artificial intelligence (AI) have to extend the mind of a doctor? AI is already making significant strides in medicine, and notably in diabetes, through retinopathy screening and IBM Watson’s pattern recognition. Dr. Daniel Kraft and Dr. James Hamblin will investigate the tradeoff between a healing human touch and the limitless future of machine learning. We are interested in how patients will interact with AI technology and how accessible it will be for them.
• (3:30 PM, Paepcke Auditorium) Federal Health Policy: An Interview with Kathleen Sebelius, 21st Secretary, US Department of Health and Human Services:  Ms. Sebelius, will discuss the impact of the Affordable Care Act since it was passed under her watch in 2010, and Republican efforts – perhaps nearing fruition – to overturn it. In light of the 2016 elections, we are eager to hear her views on the government’s role in health and how that might affect patients.
•  (7:30 PM, Koch Building, Booz Allen Hamilton Room) How Safe Is Your Hospital?: We can’t wait to hear Ms. Julie Rovner (Kaiser Health News), Dr. Peter Pronovost (Armstrong Institute at Johns Hopkins University), and Dr. Carolyn Clancy (Undersecretary of the US Department of Veterans Affairs) share their insights into what can be done to reduce the 200,000+ preventable deaths that occur annually in hospitals. We hope to learn how consumers can make educated choices to protect themselves in these institutions.
• (7:30 PM, Hotel Jerome Ballroom) Whither Health Care Reform: Join us in hearing Ms. Judy Woodruff (PBS NewsHour), Mr. Andy Slavitt (Bipartisan Policy Center), and Dr. Lanhee Chen (Public Policy Program at Stanford) address the significant transformation of the American healthcare system, including the uncertain fate of the Affordable Care Act.

Friday, June 23:

• (8:00 AM, Hotel Jerome Ballroom) In the Weeds: Health Reform under President Obama:  What went right and what went wrong with health care during the Obama Administration? An expert panel consisting of Ms. Sarah Kliff (Vox.com), Ms. Kathleen Sebelius (former US Secretary of Health and Human Services), and Mr. Andy Slavitt (former acting administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services) will discuss the intricacies of the Affordable Care Act and the future of healthcare policy. We are eager to hear about how patients may be affected by changing policies under the new administration.
• (8:00 AM, Doerr-Hosier Center, McNulty Room) Will People, Data, or Payments Drive Health Care into the Future?:  Dr. Ken Davis, Mr. David Holmberg, and Mrs. Margot Sanger Katz will discuss the benefits of a health care system that focuses on individual preferences, needs, and values. We are excited to hear about how patient needs will be prioritized as big data and payments play a larger role in health care.
• (9:00 AM, Koch Tent) Health and US Politics: What do we know about the connections between health and politics, and why do they matter? Mr. James Fransham, Mrs. Sue Curry, Mrs. Mollyann Brodie, and Mrs. Joanne Kenen will help us understand how future healthcare legislation will influence the American middle class with regards to drug pricing and accessibility.
• (10:20 AM, Koch Building, Booz Allen Hamilton Room) America's Biopharmaceutical Companies Present: The New Era of Medicine: A Turning Point for Patients and the Health Care System: With a large number of new treatments, reforms to payment systems, and adjustments to delivery, patients may soon face a new era of medicine. Join healthcare and pharmaceutical industry leaders Dr. Ken Davis, Mr. Stephen Ubl, Mr. Jack Bailey, and Ms. Marilyn Serafini to learn how to best predict and prepare for changes affecting patients seeking health care.
• (12:00 PM, Hotel Jerome Ballroom) Is Precision Medicine the Cure All?: Dr. John Torres (MSNBC’s medical correspondent), Dr. Mikael Dolsten (Pfizer), Dr. Victor Dzau (National Academy of Medicine), and Dr. Elaine Mardis (Institute of Genomic Medicine) will help us understand the powerful tools of molecular biology, genomics, and bioinformatics, and their role in advancing the field of medicine. We are particularly interested in diabetes as a disease with huge potential for precision medicine, and we’re excited explore where the future of this science will take us.
• (3:00 PM, Koch Building, Lauder Room) New Leadership at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation: In this session with pediatrician Dr. Richard Besser, we will hear his take on the most pressing challenges in health and wellness and how he plans to combat such challenges in his new role as President and CEO of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF), the nation’s largest public health philanthropy.
• (3:00 PM, Doerr-Hosier Center, Kaufman Room) The Commonwealth Fund Presents: Improving Care for the Sickest People: The Commonwealth Fund seeks to provide better access, quality, and efficiency in the healthcare system, particularly for society’s most vulnerable groups. We are hoping to hear strategies for how underserved patients can ensure better health outcomes.
• (3:00 PM, Koch Building, Booz Allen Hamilton) Pfizer Presents: Entrepreneurship for Good: Innovating across Disciplines to Improve Health for All: Representing Pfizer Inc.’s Health Delivery and Social Innovation portfolio, Ms. Caroline Roan will explain how an entrepreneurial approach to global health can be benefit patients interacting with the product. Learn from Liberian physician, Dr. Raj Panjabi, who is harnessing health technology to speed diagnoses; Ms. Zubaida Bai, an engineer who has developed a $3 clean-birthing kit in India; and Mr. Javier Okhuysen, who has developed a one-stop shop that provides cost-effective diabetes care in Mexico. We hope to explore human-centered design approaches to health technology that can create sustainable change.
• (4:15 PM, Paepcke Auditorium) Film: America’s First Foodie: A champion of localism and sustainability long before these terms entered the vernacular, Mr. James Beard is considered America’s founding father of cooking and gastronomy. Through a recorded and printed oral history crafted by Beard himself, archival footage, and interviews, the America’s First Foodie documentary explores the evolution of the food world.
• (7:30 PM, Doerr-Hosier Center, McNulty Room) What Drives Drug Pricing?: In this session, expert editors, pharmacology professors, and industry leaders will demystify why drug prices are so high. We hope that Gregory Glover, Anula Jayasuriya, and Aaron Kesselheim will encourage a drug-development system that innovates, while keeping lifesaving therapies affordable. This issue is of particular relevance to diabetes, as frustration over the soaring cost of insulin has reached an all-time high. We hope this session is filled with possible solutions for how stakeholders in the drug-pricing arena can collaborate to lessen the burden on patients.

Saturday, June 24:

• (9:00 AM, Koch Building, Booz Allen Hamilton Room) Power to the Patient!: Dr. Robert Wachter, Ms. Lisa Suennen, and Dr. Dave Chokshi will explain how wearable technology devices, social media, medical websites, and easily accessible electronic health records give patients the ability to make their own health decisions. Shared decision making has the potential to empower patients and lead to greater accountability, engagement, and better health outcomes.
• (9:00 AM, Doerr-Hosier Center, McNulty Room) Can Sharing a Medical 'Selfie' Save Lives?:  Dr. Steven Keating, renowned for 3-D printing his own brain tumor, will speak about the future of patient-driven healthcare. Now at Apple, he has publicly acknowledged the barriers preventing patients from collecting their own medical data. We hope to learn about strategies for overcoming those barriers to help give patients more autonomy over their care.
• (10:20 AM, Koch Building, Booz Allen Hamilton Room) City of Hope National Medical Center Presents: Finding a Cure: A World without Type 1 Diabetes: Join us in hearing about City of Hope’s goal to find a cure for Type 1 Diabetes within the next six years. While we are optimistic, we appreciate how much research has already been done, and we are hesitant, but of course inspired, by City of Hope’s ambition! We look forward to hearing from experts in our field and following the organization’s progress as they work toward this commendable goal.
• (12:00 PM, Hotel Jerome Ballroom) Health Legislation in the 115^th Congress: Interview with Senator Christopher Coons (D-DE): Senator Coons offers an insider’s view on health care policy. We are eager to learn about the status of the Affordable Care Act and how health policy might change in the Trump Era.
• (1:15 PM, Doerr-Hosier Center, McNulty Room) Deep Dive: Breaking the Cycle: Health, Poverty, and the Social Determinants of Health: A panel of amazing activists will discuss the importance of dismantling social, economic, and environmental barriers to improve the quality of healthcare at a systemic level. By engaging collaborators across disciplines, we can begin to break the cycle and improve health outcomes for patients who may need the most help.
• (3:00 PM, Koch Building, Booz Allen Hamilton Room) Johnson & Johnson Presents: Born Lucky? Access and Inclusion for the Healthiest Generation: Ms. Lauren Moore from Johnson & Johnson will explore empathy in the health care field. What if you were born in someone else’s shoes? With different genes? Different access? Different obstacles? How do we use empathy to nurture “GenH,” the healthiest generation? To us, fostering empathy goes hand-in-hand with reducing stigma, a constant battle in diabetes and obesity.
• (4:15 PM, Greenwald Pavilion) Music, Health, and Well Being: Jon Batiste in Conversation with Walter Isaacson: Known best for his role as bandleader on “The Late Show with Steven Colbert,” Mr. Jon Batiste will discuss how he maximizes well-being in his daily routine through meditation and prayer. We want to learn how to use his music strategies to improve health.
• (5:30 PM, Hotel Jerome Ballroom) The Aging Brain: Dr. James Hamblin (host of The Atlantic’s “If Our Bodies Could Talk” series), Dr. Gary Small (UCLA), and Dr. Samuel Gandy (Mt. Sinai) will discuss how our brains change over time, and how difficult it can be to distinguish normal aging from the warning signs of brain disease. We are looking forward to hearing about research that has been done on dementia as well as tactics we can employ to prevent or slow down its progression.
• (7:30 PM, Hotel Jerome Ballroom) Fake Health Metastasizes:  American political discourse has been challenged by “fake news” and “alternative facts,” allowing ideology, assumptions, and dogma to overtake the truth. This panel investigates a similar phenomenon in the health arena, so-called “fake health.” We are intrigued to hear what Ms. Joanne Kenen (Politico), Ms. Kelly McBride (Poynter Institute), Dr. Brian Southwell (Center for Communication Science at RTI International) and Mr. Richard Berke (STAT) have to say about misinformation in the health arena, and how bias and ideological polarization are affecting the ways we understand health and medicine.

Sunday, June 25:

• (9:00 AM, Koch Tent) A Troubling Prognosis: Race Disparities and Health Outcomes: This panel seeks to address the alarmingly poor health outcomes for people of color in the United States through a panel of human rights advocates. Low socioeconomic status has short-term consequences in the emergency room, and long-term consequences in life expectancy, rates of chronic disease, and social barriers. What is being done, and what more can be done, to ensure quality healthcare for patients of all backgrounds?

This is just a preview of many talks that involve the patient perspective and give insight into the world of health and medicine. We’re ready for a full few days ahead, and we hope to see you there!