ENLIGHT University Network – European Dialogue 2023 Digital Innovation in Health & Well-being
Hosted by University of Galway, co-hosted by Uppsala University
The ENLIGHT European Dialogue brings together universities and external stakeholders to discuss solutions for the societal challenges we face today in our European regions and globally. The dialogue is a networking event where ENLIGHT universities engage with external stakeholders and each other, sharing best practices, and fostering future research and education collaborations. It also incorporates an AIMday (Academic Industry Meeting Day) where inter-disciplinary researchers discuss challenges posed by industry partners and brainstorm innovative solutions, thus fostering learning, building new relationships and forging future collaborations.
University of Galway are delighted to host the second European Dialogue event on 23-25 May 2023 with the theme of ‘Digital Innovation in Health and Well-being’. Galway is one of Europe’s premier MedTech hubs and University of Galway is at the heart of this ecosystem. The European Dialogue 2023 will be a great opportunity for open and collaborative engagement and learning among all stakeholders - universities, industry and healthcare professionals. We look forward to welcoming you to Galway for what promises to be a fruitful conversation.
Tuesday 23 May 2023
Wednesday 24 May 2023
09:00-09:15 Welcome Address
Introduction – Professor Becky, Vice President International, University of Galway President Ciarán Ó hÓgartaigh, University of Galway.
09:15-10:00 Keynote: ‘Overview of Galway’s Digital Health Innovation Ecosystem’
Professor Martin O Halloran, Biomedical Engineering, Director Bioinnovate, Director Translational Medical Device Lab, Health Innovation Hub Ireland Co-lead, University of Galway.
Professor Martin O’Halloran is Director of the Translational Medical Device Lab at NUI Galway, the first medical device lab in Ireland to be embedded in a regional hospital and co-located with a clinical trials facility. Dr. O’Halloran is also the executive director of the BioInnovate Programme (awarded IMDA’s Best Academic MedTech Programme in Ireland 2016) based at University of Galway. Originally qualifying as an engineer, he re-trained in clinical research to ensure his lab-based research could have a clear and tangible impact on patient care. In 2011, he was the youngest-ever successful proposer of a European COST Action (entitled "MiMED"), and led a network of over 180 medical device researchers from 24 countries, focused on the clinical translation and commercialisation of medical devices in Europe. He is also the recipient of 6 awards from the European Research Council, focused on the application of basic science to needs-led medical device development, and is named co-inventor on 27 medical device patents.
10:00-10:15 AIMday ® Introduction
Dr. Jenny Nordquist, Head at Innovation Partnership Office, Uppsala University
Thursday 25 May 2023
09:30-10:30 Opening Address & Key Note Speech
Opening Address: Martin O’Donnell is Executive Dean of College of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, taking-up the role in February 2022. He is Professor of Neurovascular Medicine at NUI Galway, and Consultant Geriatrician at University Hospital Galway, Ireland.
Keynote: Dr. Andrzej Ryś, Director responsible for Health Systems, Medical Products and Innovation at DG SANTE, European Commission.
Dr. Andrzej Ryś is a medical doctor specialised in radiology and public health, graduated from Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland. In 1991, he founded the School of Public Health at the Jagiellonian University that he ran as Director until 1997. Thereafter, from 1997 to 1999, he served as Director of the Krakow’s City Health Department. Between 1999 and 2002, he continued his career as Deputy Minister of Health in Poland where he developed a new system of emergency medical service
and reformed the education system for the health professionals. At the same time, he was a member of the Polish EU accession negotiators team for the harmonisation of the Polish Health Care Law with the EU’s Acquis Communautaire.
After becoming Senior Consultant of “Health and Management Ltd” for the World Bank, WHO and EAR in Serbia in 2002. In 2003 he founded the “Center for Innovation, Technology Transfer and University Development” (CITTRU) at the Jagiellonian University where he assumed the role of Director until 2006. From 2004 to 2005, he was also Director of Development at “Diagnostyka Ltd”.
In 2006, he became Director for Public Health and Risk Assessment at the Directorate-General for Health and Consumers (DG SANCO), in the European Commission. From 2011 to September 2022, Dr. Andrzej Rys was the Director responsible for Health Systems, Medical Products and Innovation in DG SANTE, in the European Commission in Brussels, Belgium, where he is now Principal Scientific Adviser since 1 October 2022.
Q&A facilitated by Professor O’Donnell
10:50–12:00 ‘Digital Health Innovation’ & ‘The role of Health Psychology in the digital transformation of healthcare’
Moderated by Dr. Erik Olsson, Uppsala University, Sweden.
‘Digital Health Innovation’ - Professor Derek O’Keeffe, Consultant Endocrinologist, University Hospital Galway and Professor of Medical Device Technology, University of Galway.
Prof Derek O’Keeffe is a Physicianeer, he holds dual first-class honors degrees and doctorates in Engineering and Medicine. He was a Fulbright Scholar at Harvard, a Green Templeton Scholar at Oxford and is a graduate of the Endocrinology Clinical Fellowship at the Mayo Clinic, USA. As well as multiple academic publications, he holds biomedical patents and several international research prizes. He has previously worked with NASA placing a sleep experiment onboard the International Space Station and was their flight surgeon for a NEEMO Aquarius mission. He has explored over 110 countries, volunteered extensively & was awarded The Outstanding Young Person of the World by Junior Chamber International. He is a Black Belt Taekwondo Instructor, Qualified Pilot, Advanced Scuba Diver & Triathlete. In 2022 he designed an award winning Cardiovascular themed garden for Bloom in the Phoenix Park. He was recently awarded a first-class honors MBA degree and is the new HSE National Clinical Lead for Diabetes. He is a Consultant Physician (Endocrinologist) at University Hospital Galway and is the Professor of Medical Device Technology at the University of Galway.
‘The role of Health Psychology in the digital transformation of healthcare’ - Professor Jane Walsh is a Health Psychologist and Director of the Mobile Technology and Health (mHealth) Research Group where she leads a programme of research on personalised connected health. Jane leads and partners on projects worth €15 million euro funded by Horizon 2020, HRB and SFI. Jane is the Co-Leader of the Health and Wellbeing Cluster in the Whitaker Institute and a member of the Irish Cancer Society Research Advisory Board. She was recently appointed to the Royal Irish Academy Social Sciences Committee and is a former Chair of the Psychological Society of Ireland (PSI) Division of Health Psychology . Jane was awarded the University of Galway President's Award for Research Excellence (2020) in recognition of her work.
13:00-16:00 Doctoral Seminar on Design Thinking–Fostering an Entrepreneurial Mindset
Dr Natalie Walsh and Dr Neil Ferguson of University of Galway’s Ideas Lab will host a workshop for interested PhD students from ENLIGHT partner universities on the topic of Entrepreneurship, including a presentation by Aaron Hannon, CEO and Co-Founder of Luminate Medical.
Design thinking and storytelling are two powerful tools that can be used together to create effective solutions for a variety of challenges. Storytelling is the art of using narrative to communicate ideas, evoke emotions, and engage audiences. Design thinking, on the other hand, is a problem-solving approach that focuses on understanding the needs and perspectives of users, and then using that understanding to create effective solutions. This workshop will explore how the combination of these two can result in a powerful tool for innovation and communication.
About IdeasLab
IdeasLab is an open multidisciplinary collaborative environment for the University of Galway campus community to explore and fuel their creativity, ideas, and innovation. At the heart of innovation, IdeasLab enhances the entrepreneurial ecosystem in partnership with our community. IdeasLab unites people and ideas to address the challenges of our time using human-centred design approaches.
IdeasLab has extensive expertise in Challenge Based Learning and Training, facilitating learning and training through a partnership with enterprise, students, and staff. IdeasLab offers students the opportunity to work in multidisciplinary teams to solve challenges faced by governments, companies and NGO’s. We offer an attractive and stimulating environment that is not linked to a specific school or college where communities with diverse perspectives find each other to collaborate co-create and innovate.
Dr Natalie Walsh is the Director of Entrepreneurial Development at the University of Galway. She has worked in higher education for over sixteen years with senior roles in Research, Innovation and Entrepreneurship. Natalie’s experience and expertise spans areas including leadership, strategic planning, project and grant management, finance and human centred design. Natalie holds an MSc in Strategy, Innovation and People Management from the University of Galway and a PhD in Trinity College Dublin using role identity theory to explore the paradox of academic researchers commercialising their research. In 2017 Natalie was awarded the WMB Boots Empowering Women Award.
Dr Neil Ferguson is the Head of Entrepreneurial Development at University of Galway IdeasLab. Neil is dedicated to creating effective and memorable training programs for students, staff, and partners. By utilizing customer-journey analysis, human-centred design, and data-based approaches, he ensures programmes are tailored to meet the needs of all participants. His main focus is on helping students develop empathy skills, understand customer needs and pain points, and then use that information to identify and solve problems.
13:00-13:15 ‘Creating ENLIGHT Thematic Networks’
Igor Campillo, Director of Euskampus Foundation, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), Spain.
Igor Campillo is the executive director of Euskampus Fundazioa, and leads the Impact Task Force of the European University Network to promote equitable quality of life, sustainability and global engagement through Higher education ransformation, ENLIGHT.
Igor Campillo has a PhD in Physics from the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), and a Master in Journalism and Science Communication from the Spanish Open University. He worked as assistant professor in the Faculty of Science and Technology of the UPV / EHU, as international projects manager in Gamesa Energy, as researcher and project manager at LABEIN-Tecnalia, as projects and outreach manager in the Nanoscience Cooperative Research Center - nanoGUNE, as manager of the nanoBasque Strategy in the Basque Business Development Agency - SPRI, and as director of the Technological Institute of the University of Deusto - DeustoTech.
Igor Campillo is co-author of more than 70 international scientific publications indexed in the Web of Knowledge and co-author of 3 patents extended to several countries (Europe, USA and China). He has been recently acknowledged as one of the Spanning Boundaries Champions for university-industry-society cooperation by the UIIN.
13:15-14:45 ‘Creating Connections’: Thematic Discussions facilitated by ENLIGHT Partners
These Digital Health topics have been chosen based on a review of the EU funding landscape with a view to connecting ENLIGHT researchers to build research consortia on these or aligned topics. When registering you can select topics in order of your preference.
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Mobile Health (mHealth) and Health Wearables: The use of mobile devices, such as smartphones and wearable technology (such as smartwatches, fitness trackers, and health monitors), to monitor and manage health and wellness.
Chaired by Prof. Molly Byrne, Professor of Health Psychology at the School of Psychology in the University of Galway where she directs the Health Behaviour Change Research Group (HBCRG).
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Assisted Living: The use of digital health technologies to improve the quality of life and independence of individuals with disabilities or chronic conditions.
Chaired by Prof. Garry Duffy, Vice Dean for Research, Innovation and Graduate Studies in the College of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences. He is also Professor of Anatomy and Regenerative Medicine at the University of Galway.
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Health Analytics: The use of data analytics to identify patterns and trends in health data, such as biomarker and therapeutic discoveries, disease outbreaks or health disparities, and inform healthcare decision-making.
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Health Information Technology (HIT): The use of digital technology to manage and analyse health data, including electronic health records, health information exchanges, and data analytics
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Data for public good: FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) healthcare data, data privacy and security.
15:00-15:45 Day 2 Wrap-up Roundtable - Creating ENLIGHT Networks, next steps
Prof. Lokesh Joshi is an academic leader, researcher and an entrepreneur. He is the Science Foundation Ireland-Stokes Professor of Glycosciences at University of Galway, Ireland. Prof. Joshi served the University as its Vice President for Research and Innovation from 2013-2020 and led an ambitious plan on delivering excellence in Research, Innovation and Entrepreneurship across the University at all levels. He has published over 125 peer-reviewed articles and is actively engaged nationally and in the EU on research and innovation.
Prof. Joshi was with Arizona State University, USA, from 2000-2007 where he was an Associate Professor in the Department of Bioengineering and Director of the Center for Glycoscience and Technologies at the Biodesign Institute, leading a team of researchers studying the role of glycosylation in health and diseases. He completed Post-Doctoral and Research Associate training at Boyce Thompson Institute and Cornell University, Ithaca, New York and received a PhD from Bath University, UK, on fungal pathogenesis.
Prof. Joshi is the founder of a biotechnology company, Aquila Bioscience, which is developing a nature-inspired technology to capture and remove pathogens in a safe and environmentally sustainable manner for the protection against infectious diseases.
