UCSF 'Unusual Thinkers' Spotlight Technology's Impact on Health Care
Technology and health care often go hand in hand, and UC San Francisco highlighted this budding alliance at the 11th annual Dreamforce conference, hosted by cloud computing giant Salesforce.com.
More than 110,000 people converged in downtown San Francisco for the four-day conference in November, which included UCSF Chancellor Susan Desmond-Hellmann, MD, MPH, being featured during a keynote session and the UCSF "Unusual Thinkers" track exploring how cutting-edge technological approaches are revolutionizing health.
During the event, Salesforce.com CEO Marc Benioff – who with his wife Lynne have donated $100 million to the construction of a new UCSF children's hospital at Mission Bay – announced that Saleforce.com is donating $2.5 million to the Health eHeart study, led by UCSF cardiologist Jeffrey Olgin, MD, who presented at the "Unusual Thinkers" track. The study aims to enroll 1 million people who can track their vital stats through their smartphones and allow researchers to access the data to better understand the causes and potential treatments for heart disease, the world's leading cause of death.
The Dreamforce 2013 Concert for the Kids, featuring Green Day and Blondie at AT&T Park, also benefitted the UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital and Children's Hospital & Research Center Oakland, raising more than $6 million.
Scroll through the slideshow above to learn more about Olgin's study and other innovations in health care.
PET THERAPY: Jessica Sullivan took a break from the bustling tech conference to pet one of the UCSF Medical Center’s therapy dogs, Kai, at the UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital demonstration table in Dreamforce Plaza.
MAKING SENSE OF THE DATA: “How many of you track your fitness data with FitBit and actually share that information with your doctor?” Only two in the audience raised their hand. UCSF Medical Center’s Chief Medical Information Officer Michael Blum, MD, far left, led a panel of experts discussing the impact of digital and mobile technology has and will have on health care. From left: UCSF cardiologist Jeffrey Olgin, MD; Julie Murchison, executive director of Health Evolution Partners; and David Kim, MD, chief operating officer of MEDgle.
SMARTER DRUG DELIVERY: “When you swallow a pill, only about 5 percent of the drug makes it into your body.” Bionengineer Tejal Desai, PhD, explained that she is trying to “print” medications much like we print computer microchips, and that once inside the body these smart pills will deliver the drug whenever and wherever we want.
TRAINING OLDER BRAINS: UCSF neuroscientist Adam Gazzaley, MD, PhD, showed evidence that his custom-built video games enhances cognition in older adults. He demonstrates how the car-racing game, called Neuro-Racer, adapts to the users’ skill level, then gets harder. “The secret to staying young is to always push ourselves to learn something new.”
PREVENTING HEART DISEASE THROUGH SMARTPHONES: How do you enroll 1 million people into one of the largest clinical trials in history? Jeffrey Olgin, MD, believes you reach people where they spend their time: on their smartphones. He hopes we can use mobile technology to help predict and prevent heart disease.
TECH TESTING: After Pierre Theodore's presentation, Dreamforce attendees tried their hand at using Google Glass, understanding firsthand how it might help surgeons enhance patient safety during surgery.
WEARABLE COMPUTING: UCSF surgeon Pierre Theodore, MD, right, wowed the crowd by showing how Google Glass helps him focus on the patient in the operating room. “In health, new technology is valuable only if it allows us to better care for the person in front of me.”
DISRUPTING THE STATUS QUO: “We have a tradition in the Bay Area and Silicon Valley of addressing problems head-on. UC San Francisco is no different.” Chancellor Susan Desmond-Hellmann celebrated the UCSF-Salesforce partnership, which she said pushes both partners to innovate.
GREAT CHALLENGES AHEAD: Mark Laret, CEO of UCSF Medical Center, introduces attendees to the unique challenges that academic medical centers will face in the coming years, but how they could help develop solutions. “We believe that technology holds the key to improving health care and lowering costs.”
PACKED HOUSE: Hundreds of Dreamforce attendees filled the room inside The Moscone Center for UCSF's "Unusual Thinkers" track. Click here to view a full-screen version.