Experts and Innovators Gathered at the 2019 MedHealth Summit to Seek Technical Solutions to Big Healthcare Problems

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Date: April 22, 2019

Contact: Brianna Batton

Phone: (313) 577-3122

Emailbrianna@techtowndetroit.org

 

DETROIT, Mich. — Hundreds of medical device and digital health stakeholders in Michigan and Ontario gathered at the MedHealth Summit in Detroit last Thursday at the Hall of Legends in Ford Field. Attendees explored innovative technology-based solutions to the region’s most important healthcare challenges.

This unique event, held annually, provides healthcare innovation businesses, healthcare providers, research institutions, entrepreneurs, economic developers, insurers and investors on both sides of the border with an opportunity to network with, learn from and pitch their innovations to potential supporters and collaborators.

“The MedHealth Summit supports the acceleration of healthcare innovation by educating attendees on industry trends, entrepreneurial resources and commercialization best practices while exposing potential purchasers and investors to new ideas,” said Paul Riser Jr., director of Detroit Urban Solutions at TechTown Detroit and leader of MedHealth. “This year’s summit featured a variety of engaging educational topics, such as the future of platform businesses in healthcare, government’s influence on healthcare innovation and the role advanced mobility may play in expanding patient access to care.”

The one-of-a-kind, daylong event provided numerous engagement opportunities for participants, including more than 240 one-on-one matchmaking sessions and investor “speed dates,” panel discussions, exhibitions and networking opportunities.

Attendees also heard a moving presentation from Rachel Kuntzsch, recent heart transplant recipient and senior vice president at Public Sector Consultants. Kuntzsch was kept alive while awaiting a new heart at University Hospital in Ann Arbor through extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO). This life-sustaining technique was pioneered and first put into practice in 1981 by Dr. Robert H. Bartlett, one of the founders of the University of Michigan’s world-class ECMO program.

“It’s always great to be at an event like the MedHealth Summit,” said Joe Gleason, CEO and founder of genusConnect a care platform and app that unites caregivers through connection, education, observations and support. “You get to meet executives from different hospitals, health systems and medical organizations, to get feedback, share ideas and meet with the public. Additionally, there’s an opportunity to meet with investors who are looking for companies at that stage where they’ve got their concept, they’ve got traction and they’re ready to go to market – and it all comes together in one awesome venue.”

The MedHealth Summit is a project of MedHealth, a regional healthcare innovation cluster comprising numerous healthcare providers, universities and economic development organizations in Southeast Michigan and Southwest Ontario. The summit is sponsored by the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, Beaumont Health, in2being, Wayne State University School of Medicine and Henry Ford Health System and is presented in partnership with Pure Michigan Business Connect. Additional summit support is provided by TechTown Detroit. For more information, visit http://medhealthinnovation.org/summit.

 

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TechTown is Detroit’s entrepreneurship hub, with a full suite of programs for both tech and neighborhood small businesses. TechTown works with businesses at all stages, helping startup, emerging and established companies develop, launch and grow. Since 2007, TechTown has supported 1900 companies, which created more than 1400 jobs and raised more than $130 million in startup capital. For more information, visit techtowndetroit.org.