Technology is necessary for countries to meet the Sustainable Development Goals around healthcare, began Dr. Julio Frenk, President of the University of Miami. The world’s reaction to COVID-19 has demonstrated how innovative technology can accelerate outcomes, even as our social response lagged. Dr. Bernd Montag, CEO of Siemens Healthineers AG, agreed that technology will make the difference in healthcare.
Dr. Frenk posed a question about how medical schools can anticipate and incorporate new technology into education. Montag noted that medical education is a long process so we need to reform and implement lifelong learning around new scalable technology like artificial intelligence. Dr. Montag explained that innovation has always had two directions: first, making new things possible at the cutting edge, and second, making those gains more accessible and equitably distributed.
Circling back to the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Frenk suggested that one lesson was the false dichotomy between the economy and health. We need to make sure that goals are mutually reinforcing and that we do not exacerbate inequalities. Dr. Montag explained that the scale of our joint effort in monitoring COVID could be used to quantify other diseases like cancer and to drive awareness around other health topics.
“There will be future pandemics and we need to be better prepared than we were this time around.”
Dr. Julio Frenk, President, University of Miami
“Learning needs to be lifelong. Technology is often slowed down by those not being able to use it.”
Dr. Bernd Montag, CEO, Siemens Healthineers AG
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