DOHA: The World Innovation Summit for Health (WISH), a global initiative of Qatar Foundation (QF), has announced that a ‘Precision Medicine’ forum will be held during its 2016 conference from November 29 to 30 in Doha.
Precision medicine tailors healthcare to account for variables in each patient’s genes, environment, lifestyle and other factors. It represents the cutting-edge treatment and policy in contrast with the one-size-fits-all approaches of the past.
Professor Victor Dzau (pictured), President, Institute of Medicine at National Academy of Sciences, will chair the forum.
He said, “The field of precision medicine is rapidly advancing and will have a major impact on the practice of medicine.
However, scientific and technological progress does not guarantee that its benefits will reach the general public. There is concern that precision medicine will only increase complexity, drive up costs and increase inequity.”
The WISH report will recommend how precision medicine can be implemented based on the expertise of those at the forefront of its practice and development.
The crucial measurable results for precision medicine — patient outcomes and lowered costs — and how these can be incentivised within healthcare systems, will be discussed.
The report will address benefits of cross-referencing relevant data. Properly analysing the full breadth of information gathered by health systems has produced unexpected advances in practice and policy.
Guided by the principles of precision medicine, developing the collection and analysis of such data could reveal better methods to improve healthcare.
The report will delve into the ever-present legal, ethical and social concerns surrounding data collection and suggest how precision medicine can be supported and funded at the system level, leveraging public-private partnerships to create sustainable, effective change.
WISH is a meeting point for thousands of high-level policymakers, academics and professionals and has evolved into a key platform for the dissemination of healthcare innovation and best practices.
The 2016 Summit will feature seven groundbreaking research forums addressing some of the world’s most pressing healthcare challenges.
The forums will generate interdisciplinary, evidence-based reports on topics, including healthy populations; economic benefits of investing in health; cardiovascular disease; accountable care; autism; and behavioural insights. Internationally-renowned experts will chair the forums.
