mHealth Summit Partners with mHealth Working Group and USAID to Launch Global mHealth Forum

WASHINGTON, June 10, 2014 -- The mHealth Summit announced today that it will host the Global mHealth Forum, a two-day co-located event, to focus on mobile and connected health in low and middle income countries (LMICs). The Global mHealth Forum, which will take place from December 10-11, 2014, is presented in partnership with the mHealth Working Group and USAID and will bring together public and private sector organizations to share the latest evidence, experiences and lessons learned on new applications and approaches in mHealth.

The 6th annual mHealth Summit will take place December 7-11, 2014, at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in the Washington, DC area.  The mHealth Summit is part of the newly formed Personal Connected Health Alliance, an international non-profit organization established by Continua, mHealth Summit and HIMSS to represent the consumer voice in personal connected health.

"We recognize that implementing mobile and connected health solutions present unique challenges for low and middle income countries (LMICs), yet can significantly benefit these communities by improving the delivery and availability of care to their citizens," said Rich Scarfo, Director, mHealth Summit, and Vice President, Personal Connected Health Alliance. "There are still too many countries that must consider factors such as poor mobile infrastructure, lack of trained personnel and patients traveling extreme distances to seek care, making it critical to have a dedicated event that will explore these issues. Now, for the first time at the mHealth Summit, program managers, funders and designers working in LMICs will have an educational forum for sharing strategies and tactical approaches, as well as opportunities to network with others working in challenging environments."

To complement -- and extend -- the impact of the Forum, there will be a Global mHealth pavilion located on the mHealth Summit exhibit floor. This pavilion will showcase innovative NGOs, foundations, government agencies, universities and corporate collaborators that are utilizing mHealth to improve health outcomes in low and middle income countries.

The Global mHealth Forum aims to:

• Enhance the capacity of governments, donors, civil society, NGOs and social entrepreneurs to design, implement (including scale up) and evaluate mHealth initiatives in LMICs;
• Provide a space for global health stakeholders and mHealth professionals working in LMICs to network with each other as well as with health ministries, NGOs, technical experts and mHealth solution providers;
• Share the state-of-the-art in mHealth in LMICs and explore emerging trends.

"We are excited about the opportunity offered by the new Global mHealth Forum to enable participants to share mHealth applications across technical areas and settings. This two-day event furthers the goals of the mHealth Working Group of building capacity, encouraging collaboration and sharing knowledge," said Laura Raney, co-founder and co-chair of the mHealth Working Group. "Our mission is to frame mobile technology within a larger global health strategy. We look forward to the Forum to learn how others are using mHealth to solve problems and improve health," added Kelly Keisling, co-founder and co-chair of the mHealth Working Group.

The Call for Presentations for both the mHealth Summit and the Global mHealth Forum is now open through June 27, 2014 at midnight EST. For more information, submission guidelines and to submit a presentation, please click here.

The mHealth Summit, the largest mobile health event in the world, brings together a diverse audience of providers, leaders, influencers and visionaries in mobile and connected health from all different stages of the mobile health ecosystem. Keynote presentations, moderated panels, interview-style discussions, roundtables, demonstrations and interactive sessions will highlight hands-on strategies, examine success stories, and explore challenges and innovations in mHealth, connected health, telehealth, eHealth, wireless, digital, wearables, gaming and consumer engagement.

Registration will open in early July for the both the mHealth Summit and Global mHealth Forum. 

For more details about both events, please visit www.mhealthsummit.org. Keynote speakers and special events will be announced leading up to the Summit; keep up with Summit news @mhealthsummit and join the conversation using #mHealth14.

About the mHealth Working Group
The mHealth Working Group, which started in 2009 with 20 members in Washington, DC, is now an international community of over 1700 members representing more than 500 organizations in 75 countries. By applying public health standards and practices to mHealth, we promote approaches that are appropriate, evidence-based, scalable and interoperable in resource-poor settings. For more information, visit www.mHealthWorkingGroup.org; and follow at @mHealthWG.

About the mHealth Summit

The 2014 mHealth Summit, the global convener of the expanding mobile health ecosystem, explores the disruptions, challenges and opportunities of the integration of mobile and wireless technologies into the healthcare system, and in consumer and patient engagement, for the delivery of better health outcomes. The 6th Annual mHealth Summit will take place December 7-11, 2014, in Washington, D.C. Focusing on four fundamental platforms – technology, business, research and policy – the mHealth Summit is presented by HIMSS, in partnership with Continua,  the Foundation for the NIH and the mHealth Working Group.  mHealth Summit is part of the Personal Connected Health Alliance (PCHA), an international non-profit organization established by Continua, mHealth Summit and HIMSS to represent the consumer voice in personal connected health. For more information, visit www.mhealthsummit.org; and follow at @mhealthsummit or #mHealth14.

SOURCE mHealth Summit