On 9 and 10 November, the fourth DigiHealthDay (DHD) was hosted by the European Campus Rottal-Inn (ECRI). The international scientific symposium received an impressive 1,323 registrations from 105 nations and brought together more than 450 people on-site and online. Academics, students, policy makers, company representatives and digital health enthusiasts came together to discuss the future of technology use in healthcare. The amount of positive feedback marks the DHD as a leading platform for digital health research, education and networking.

Three plenary sessions, three online sessions, fifteen keynote speeches and one panel discussion: the event’s programme – this year focusing on ethics and regulations, innovation, entrepreneurship, and AI research – gave the DigiHealth community a platform to exchange ideas, discuss challenges and spark future collaborations. It was a rare opportunity for on-site attendees whose level of expertise ranged from academic backgrounds to simple interest, to engage directly with some of the world's foremost experts on digital health. International speakers included Dipak Kalra, PhD (United Kingdom), Rajendra Gupta, PhD (India), Anne Snowdon of HIMSS Analytics, PhD (Canada), Miklós Szócska, PhD (Hungary) and Lars Lindsköld, MD (Sweden), to name but a few.

The DHD was particularly impactful for Digital Health students and young professionals, like Ali Badran, Bachelor of Health Informatics at DIT, who says that “[DHD 2023] was a fantastic opportunity to exchange ideas, learn from others, and build connections that will undoubtedly contribute to [his] future endeavors.” 

In turn, the speakers and guests were highly impressed by the youthful, diverse and inspiring nature of the DigiHealth family in Pfarrkirchen. “My head is still buzzing from the conversations and great insights shared during the DHD. The energy of the students was contagious, and it makes me very optimistic about the future of digital health”, remarked one of the speakers, Pilar Fernandez Hermida (United Kingdom & United Arab Emirates).

Planning is already underway for the five-year anniversary conference taking place from 4 to 8 November 2024. The DigiHealthDay – initiated by Georgi Chaltikyan, MD, PhD in 2019 – is part of the ECRI’s committment to further research, education and innovation in digital health.

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More information on DigiHealthDay at https://www.th-deg.de/digihealthday

On 11 November, the DigiHealthDay (DHD) will take place for the third time at the European Campus Rottal-Inn (ECRI). The scientific symposium brings together internationally renowned experts, students and the interested public for one day to exchange ideas on the topic of digital health. Registrations for the free event are still possible.

This year, DHD-2022 is all about AI research, ethics and regulation in the field of Digital Health. The individual panels will look at these aspects from different angles. In the morning, keynote speeches will cover topics such as the modelling, development and implementation of transformed health ecosystems, digital health technologies or digital health innovations, including progress, setbacks and prospects. In parallel sessions, participants can then choose between a panel on the European Federation for Medical Informatics (EFMI), the student session or the scientific panel.

After the joint lunch break, the experts will address, among other things, the first WHO regional action plan for digital health in Europe, which will be presented by the WHO European Regional Office, in various keynote presentations. Other presentations will focus on the role of digital transformation in improving the performance of the health system or on health data as the key to future-oriented, data-based care. Finally, speakers from Canada, India, Norway, Austria and Germany will explore the question "DigiHealth-AI Quo Vadis: How to make AI safe, efficient, ethical, explainable and accountable?".

Participation in DHD-2022 is free of charge. It will not only take place on site at ECRI in Pfarrkirchen, but can also be attended virtually via Zoom. To participate on site, simply send an email with the subject "ONSITE" to info.digihealth@th-deg.de. Further information on the event and current updates can be found on the website www.th-deg.de/digihealthday.

DHD-2022 is supported by SHL Telemedicine as Premier Sponsor and iTD as Sponsor. Other partners of the event are the Bavarian State Ministry for Health and Care (StMGP), the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS), the International Society for Telemedicine & eHealth (ISfTeH), the Consortium of Educational Institutions in Digital Health (CONEDIG), the International Medical Informatics Association (IMIA), the European Federation for Medical Informatics(EFMI), the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Digitale Medizin e. V. (DGDM), the German Society for Telemedicine e.V. (DGTelemed), the Bavarian TelemedAllianz. (BTA), the Armenian Association of Digital Health (AADH), the City of Pfarrkirchen, the Russian-Armenian University (RAU), the People's Friendship University of Russia (RUDN), the National Healthcare University of Ukraine (NHU), DigitalHealthNews. eu (media partner) and Munich Digital Health Summit (partner event).

On Tuesday, 5 July, the European Campus Rottal-Inn (ECRI) will once again host a Science Bench. At this event, Anna Schmaus-Klughammer, LLB (hons) will take a seat on the Science Bench between 12 noon and 2 pm and exchange views with the public on improving healthcare in the Rottal-Inn district.

Science rarely takes place only in the lecture hall. Especially when it comes to the topic of healthcare in rural areas. After all, the topic affects everyone in the district. That is why ECRI takes science outside through the Science Bench to the people it affects. To be more precise, in the Pfarrkirchner Allee near the Lazy Cat café. Anna Schmaus-Klughammer is available for a chat for two hours and, together with the population, explores the question of how the improvement of healthcare in the district of Rottal-Inn can be improved.

In the med4PAN project, Anna Schmaus-Klughammer and her team are looking for solutions to improve healthcare in the Rottal-Inn district. The motto of the project is: "Breaking the limits of telemedical care in rural areas! The knowledge gained is not only profitable for our region, but can also help other districts. Interested citizens can ask Anna Schmaus-Klughammer directly how exactly the project proceeds and what steps are necessary to improve healthcare in the district. Have a chat on the science bench!