Written by AI & Tech
After the lunch break, the afternoon began with a talk on AI’s potential in augmenting one’s everyday life, given by Ethan Mollick, Associate Professor at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania & Author of “Co-Intelligence”. Mollick focused his speech on the practical aspects of how new technological tools can transform the world and explores the many strengths around collaboration between businesses and AI.
Health and Longevity
Health and Longevity is once more the star of the day, with the many talks around health beginning with Dr. Andre Kalil, Professor in the University of Nebraska Medical Center Division of Infectious Diseases, discussing how global health security can be strengthened by through innovative strategies and collaborative approaches.
Daniel Solomon, a Rheumatologist, Epidemiologist, and Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School also provides some insight on the alliance between health and technology, introducing the audience to the most recent developments in digital health technology, particularly shedding some light on personalized health medicine and population health management.
He brings forward the idea that a tool with patient and provider input may be able to improve health administration. For example, with an app in which patients introduce daily information regarding the evolution of their condition, doctors may be able to follow the development of the patients’ condition and accordingly establish the next appointments, ultimately potentiating reduced waiting periods. The app that Doctor Solomon described included features such as reminders for taking medicine or reliable information regarding the condition so that patients do not use other sources, such as the well-known “Doctor Google”.
This kind of idea not only can be tested for more specializations, as it also can help to broaden societies’ horizon regarding the potential of developing technologies appliance in health management issues.
Still on the topic of health, we move for the type of health that has been gaining more and more momentum: mental health, and particularly mental illness. Jacqueline De Montaigne, a contemporary painter and muralist delves into the deconstruction of the stigma surrounding mental illness through art. The artist starts by opening up on her own problems with mental illness, followed by some statistics: Did you know that it is estimated that than one in five U.S. adults live with a mental illness? Obviously, this is a common issue, so why isn’t it talked about more often?
De Montaigne explains the importance that canalizing her feelings towards painting and drawing had on her condition. Small things such as the movement of the brush when drawing a feather filled her with increased ease. And there are many celebrities that talked publicly about other ways of processing mental conditions: Lewis Hamilton meditated, for example. In this sense, not only art can create a trigger for discussion of these issues in society, but it can also be used as a tool to deal with them. Before, she too could not believe she was to be where she is now. So, on a final note, the artist reminds the public that anything is possible.
The next talk also takes part in the mental health space, more specifically dealing with the issue of coercion in dealing with mental healthcare.
Deborah Aluh, a Global Mental Health Researcher at Lisbon Institute of Global Mental Health invites us to question the use of coercive or restrictive measures (for example, mechanical restraint or isolation) to deal with certain mental conditions, and instead proposes a community-based care approach. To reduce coercion, she proposes a mental health system reform, a proper training of mental health professionals and the revising of mental health laws. Aluh cited a study that advances that stigma is related to the approval of coercive measures, and, in that sense, challenging stigma also could pose as a way to fight coercion.
Andreas Heddini, Vice President Medical Affairs of AstraZeneca, then proceeds to deliver a speech on the ability that improved healthcare delivery may have on decarbonization of health systems.
“Healthcare is responsible for approximately 5% of carbon dioxide emissions.”
From this premise, the vice president of medical affairs of AstraZeneca proceeds to explain the commitment that the company has been carrying out with healthcare systems in order to drive action in climate, equity and resilience.
Heddini highlights some ways of achieving decarbonization, such as decarbonizing facilities, preventing disease onset, promoting early diagnosis, optimizing disease management, guaranteeing remote care when appropriate and using lower emission treatments.
Afterwhile, it was time for the announcement of the NOVA Hackathon 2024, in partnership with AstraZeneca, Nova Medical School and Nowace. This prize aims to address the necessity to lower CO2 emissions without compromising patient care. The first price was attributed to Team Number 3, to a project that was based on “personalized ecofriendly medication packaging with AI support, to improve patient understanding, adherence and to reduce waste and carbon emissions.”
In a break from the health thematic, we are presented to the NGO developed by the musician Dino D’Santiago: Mundu Nôbo. The singer and songwriter explain how he prepared a speech in English, but decided to deliver it in Portuguese, the language of his heart.
According to their website, Mundu Nôbo aims to empower and inspire children from less represented communities, such that they´re able to achieve their full potential through education, civic participation and cultural celebration. They do so by establishing contact with artists, athletes and successful professionals, organizing visits to colleges and companies, trying to provide internships and shows, as well as having monitors 24/7 hours available.
In the end, Dino D’Santiago leaves the audience with a song.
Returning to the topic of health, we are introduced to a panel discussion between Leonardo Lotto and Lorraine Ansell, both CEMS alumni. Additionally, Lorraine published a book in which she narrates her pain and respective coping mechanisms. Moderated by Miguel Viana Batista, they enter in a discussion on how chronic pain affected their lives and professional ambitions.
The panel discusses the differences between their conditions, specifically addressing the fact that Lorraine endures an invisible and dynamic condition. Being a woman in such a position also comes with challenges: Particularly often feeling overlooked and having her pain ignored. Lorraine confesses the difficulty in trying to convince doctors of her pain. They then address the importance of accessibility and technology in society.
Close to the end, there is the attribution of the awards for the 6th Patient Innovation Awards Ceremony.
The concept behind the ceremony is introduced by Nova SBE’s Dean, Pedro Oliveira.
In the category of “Patient – Caregiver Innovator”, there is an award attributed by Sir Richard Roberts, 1993 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine Laureate to the alumna Beatriz Batista and her caregiver Adília Oliveira. Beatriz shares an impactful speech in which she explains the development of her disease and how she was able to adapt through difficulty.
The award for the category “Caregiver Innovator” was attributed by Maria Antónia Almeida Santos, President of the Faculty Council at NOVA Medical School to Reality Telling.
For the category “Collaborator Innovator”, João Sáagua, Rector of the Nova University of Lisbon delivered the award to the CEO & Founder of Janitri Innovations.
Lastly, Hans Jørgen Wiberg, the founder of Be My Eyes won in the category for “Patient Innovator”. He developed an app in which people with visual disabilities can request assistance from volunteers, such that, for a few seconds, they become their eyes. For example, if one needs accessing whether the milk as expired or not, they had the possibility to ask a volunteer to read the date through the app.
The session ended with the closing remarks of Nuno Piteira Lopes, Vice-President of the Municipality of Cascais and Ana Paula Martins, the Minister of Health. To say goodbye to this 9th edition of the Estoril Conferences, the fado singer Teresinha Landeiro, a Nova SBE alumna, performed.
M Francisca Pereira
theawarenessnews.com 