December 18, 2024
Nemours Children’s Hospital to get $300 million expansion on its Lake Nona campus. The expansion plans call for a bigger ER, more surgery suites and a bigger orthopedics department, among other changes.
Category: News
May 28, 2024
CF’s College of Medicine has hired an internationally recognized space medicine expert to expand research into how spaceflight affects humans and create a space medicine curriculum for students across the university.
Emmanuel Urquieta comes to UCF after serving as chief medical officer of the NASA-funded Translational Research Institute for Space Health (TRISH) led by the Baylor College of Medicine. He will serve as vice chair for aerospace medicine in the college’s Department of Internal Medicine and hold the academic rank of associate professor.
March 12, 2024
The Lake Nona Impact Forum mixed celebrities and C-suiters in discussion about the future of health. Bestselling author John Grisham spoke on a panel about focused ultrasound surgery. Designer Kenneth Cole was part of a discussion on how to curtail social media addiction. The conference brimmed with audacious ambition—one speaker’s goal was to end human disease within 100 years. Another speaker expected at least some of the well-heeled and well-educated attendees to be around to celebrate that landmark, thanks to yet-to-be invented technologies. “Life is short, until you extend it,” said X Prize Foundation founder Peter Diamandis. He was talking up his latest prize, $101 million to be awarded to work that reverses functional aging by more than 20 years.
February 29, 2024
SleepScore Labs announced the expansion of their Software as a Service (SaaS) offerings. In conjunction with the Lake Nona Impact Forum, known for its focus on innovative health solutions, the announcement introduces its SleepScore APIs, designed to integrate seamlessly with health and wellness apps. SleepScore first unveiled key sleep research findings at the 2019 forum, and it is also featured in the Wellness Home built on Innovation and Technology (WHIT), a living lab designed to integrate health and wellness technology and concepts with home life. The SleepScore APIs enable health & wellness apps to unlock the potential of better sleep outcomes while driving engagement and retention to boost their business growth.
ORLANDO, Fla., Aug. 1, 2023
Lake Nona’s Wellness Home Built on Innovation and Technology (WHIT), and Welltech Ventures, a prominent wellness and health innovation fund, today announced the establishment of a global call to action competition to discover groundbreaking technologies that tackle major challenges in wellness and ultimately answer the question: “what is a healthy home?”
Entrepreneurs and established companies dedicated to creating health and wellness solutions and experiences are invited to participate in this extraordinary opportunity. A distinguished panel of international CEOs and business leaders from the wellness and technology sectors will serve as judges, including Daniel Kraft, M.D., Founder & Chair, NextMed Health, and John Driscoll, EVP & President, U.S. Healthcare, Walgreens Boots Alliance. The judges will evaluate the submissions and provide feedback on the participating startups during a virtual demo day, which is scheduled for November 13, 2023. The winner will be announced in a news release following the event.
“It is our hope that these innovations will enable a whole new living experience and an immersive approach to health and wellness.” – Gloria A. Caulfield, Vice President of Strategic Alliances for Tavistock and President of the Lake Nona Institute.
“We’re excited to partner with Lake Nona for this Call for Innovation, as they offer the perfect environment to evaluate the next generation of health and wellness technologies for the home within its WHIT house,” said Galit Horovitz, Co-Founder & Partner at Welltech Ventures. “We are witnessing health and wellness at the forefront of innovation in the home. This is just the beginning of an extraordinary revolution in wellness and health. In the contest, we will be looking for disruptive technologies helping people live happier, healthier, and longer lives in their home environment.”
WHIT, which was created by the Lake Nona Institute, stands as a pioneering home, purposefully designed to integrate wellness solutions and technologies while rigorously researching their effectiveness in enhancing health and wellbeing. Nestled in Lake Nona, a smart and sustainable city in Central Florida, WHIT exemplifies a forward-thinking approach to home design focused on optimizing health and well-being within the built environment.
“It’s our pleasure to support the global call for action this year,” said Gloria A. Caulfield, Vice President of Strategic Alliances for Tavistock and President of the Lake Nona Institute. “The focus on health and wellness in the home environment is timely, as sustainability and longevity practices continue to increase in popularity and necessity. It is our hope that these innovations will enable a whole new living experience and an immersive approach to health and wellness.”
Modern consumers care deeply about wellness. A recent report from McKinsey & Co. showed continued growth of consumer interest in health and wellness globally, with a market of more than $1.5 trillion and annual growth of 5 to 10 percent. Despite being an increasingly crowded space, there are still gaps in the market that present exciting opportunities to introduce novel products and solutions. This competition seeks to identify and pursue those opportunities, and offer the winner the chance to evaluate their product in the unique living lab setting of WHIT House. The winner will also receive a prize of $10,000.
The contest is now open: APPLY HERE
Deadline: September 30, 2023
About Welltech Ventures
Welltech Ventures is a leading venture capital firm solely focused on the wellness and health space. Our experience, thought leadership, vast global network, and founder-focused, fast-paced culture makes us the partner of choice for the most promising and profitable well-tech entrepreneurs.
We’re passionate about investing in early-stage startups that are harnessing new technologies to improve people’s lives in ways we never dreamed possible, innovating in areas such as remote care, preventive medicine, mental health, physical wellness, nutrition, longevity, wellness sustainability, and more.?
About Lake Nona
Planned and developed by the Tavistock Group, Lake Nona is one of the fastest growing and most innovative communities in America. Located in Orlando, Florida, the 17-square-mile community has established a new standard of living for its residents with groundbreaking initiatives around technology, mobility, and wellbeing. Lake Nona is located contiguous to Orlando International Airport in the most visited destination in the U.S. The smart and connected community’s advanced infrastructure and commitment to collaboration has drawn visionary companies and entrepreneurs from across the globe to join its living lab environment accelerating economic growth and opportunity across health and life sciences, education, hospitality, and sports and performance. Lake Nona’s attractive business ecosystem is enhanced by a thriving cultural landscape defined by iconic architecture and engaging public art installations, miles of trails and walkable green spaces, weekly signature events, shopping, dining and entertainment options set amongst Central Florida’s beautiful natural landscape and year-round sunshine. For more information, visit http://www.lakenona.com
About WHIT
The Wellness Home built on Innovation and Technology (WHIT) is a first-of-its-kind home designed to activate health solutions and technologies and research their ability to measurably improve health and wellbeing. It is both a livable space and a living laboratory to test new prototypes, evaluate solutions and assess health and wellness concepts within an established wellbeing centered community. For more information, visit http://www.meetwhit.com/.
About Tavistock Development Company
Tavistock Development Company is a diversified real estate firm located in Orlando, Fla. owned by Tavistock Group. Specializing in planning, design, finance, construction, and development of groundbreaking projects, Tavistock Development Company has built a portfolio of nationally-acclaimed residential, retail, commercial, and industrial projects highlighted by master-planned communities Lake Nona and Sunbridge in Central Florida and Pier Sixty-Six in Fort Lauderdale. For more information, visit tavistockdevelopment.com.
June 28, 2023
What if we told you there was a city in the United States that has the following: The “smartest” hotel in the world, housed in an AI-informed glass building designed to resemble a wavelength of energy and serviced by a robot named Rosie, the largest autonomous shuttle network anywhere, available to ride for free, and an open-air entertainment park so eco-conscious it’s built entirely from repurposed shipping containers.
Sounds futuristic, fantastical even.
Well, welcome to Lake Nona, a “city within the city” adjacent to Orlando International Airport where such perks are available to all or, if not, in the process of being tested by its “living lab” community.
June 5, 2023
Preliminary results of a long-term health study of the Lake Nona Community show many strengths and some concerns about area’s overall wellness. The good news: People who live, work and participate in activities in the community have very low levels of smoking. They exercise regularly and have strong support systems. The bad news: They have much higher alcohol and binge drinking rates than the national average, the majority do not eat fruit, dairy or vegetables daily, and nearly one-third report moderate to severe stress in their lives.
State-of-the-art center brings AI-enabled health screenings and diagnostic capabilities to Lake Nona’s high-tech health and life sciences district
NAPLES, Fla., Feb. 16, 2023 — Fountain Life, a preventative health and longevity company committed to transforming global healthcare from reactive to proactive, today announced that it has opened a fourth precision diagnostic center designed to help members live longer, healthier and more fulfilling lives by detecting illnesses at their earliest stages. The newest center is located within Orlando’s acclaimed Lake Nona community and features innovative artificial intelligence (AI) technologies to collect and assess data that can aid in diagnosing conditions such as cancer, heart disease, and neurodegenerative disease before they can cause harm. Lake Nona will also serve as the new headquarters site for Fountain Life.
Encompassing 17-square miles contiguous to the Orlando International Airport, Lake Nona is a master-planned community recognized as a hub for health sciences technology and innovation. Fountain Life joins other transformative medical facilities such as HCA Healthcare, Nemours Children’s Health, Johnson & Johnson, Orlando Veterans Administration Medical Center, and the University of Central Florida (UCF) Academic Health Sciences campus, which includes the College of Medicine, Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences, UCF Lake Nona Cancer Center, and UCF Lake Nona Hospital.
“Each state-of-the-art facility we open allows us the opportunity to serve more members who are committed to becoming the CEO of their health,” said Bill Kapp, M.D., Fountain Life CEO and co-founder. “We are excited to join the forward-thinking Lake Nona community, which is recognized as a leading destination for innovative healthcare research and services.”
Located in the state-of-the-art One Performance Plaza medical office building, the 10,000 sq ft center offers precision diagnostic testing including executive blood panels, a full-body and brain MRI, CCTA heart scanning and other assessments such as a multi-cancer early detection test detects more than 50 types of cancer. These cutting-edge technologies can screen for structural abnormalities and other key indicators of a developing disease, identifying many chronic diseases and life-threatening conditions that may be asymptomatic or have no genetic indicators, which make them difficult to predict using standard medical tests. When diagnosed early, members can avoid or mitigate long-term issues that may require ongoing treatment and reduce longevity and quality of life. Early and regular screenings, even when no potential health issues are detected, provide Fountain Life members with valuable information that allows for peace of mind to live an optimal, engaged, and rewarding life.
The Fountain Life Lake Nona center was developed in partnership with the community’s developer, Tavistock Development Company, known for a successful portfolio of forward-looking and nationally recognized properties. The idea for Lake Nona’s health and life sciences cluster began in October 2005 when Tavistock donated $12.5 million and 50 acres of land to the University of Central Florida to help establish a medical school. Since then, Tavistock has worked to fulfill a vision for a community committed to whole-person health. Lake Nona has been purposefully built to support a healthy lifestyle from walkable neighborhoods, parks and a high-tech fitness facility to community art and weekly events in addition to the innovative solutions offered by the world’s leading health and life sciences companies.
“We are thrilled to welcome Fountain Life to Lake Nona’s collaborative health and life sciences ecosystem and enhance the network of experts and trailblazers who call our community home,” said Gloria Caulfield, Tavistock Vice President of Strategic Alliances. “The addition of Fountain Life’s unique and progressive approach to preventive healthcare aligns perfectly with Lake Nona’s mission to inspire human potential. We look forward to working together to provide innovative solutions that help people live longer, healthier lives.”
“Our ongoing real estate collaboration with Tavistock is essential to successfully integrating Fountain Life into the Lake Nona life science community,” said Shawn Buchheit, Fountain Life Chief Operating Officer. “This working partnership has allowed for our seamless entry into the innovative healthcare destination being established here and we look forward to providing services to both area residents and visitors to central Florida.”
Each year more than 300 of the world’s top health care innovators and thought leaders gather in Lake Nona to explore the intersections of wellness, technology, sustainability, and education during the invitation-only Lake Nona Impact Forum. Fountain Life founder Bill Kapp, M.D. will be a featured speaker at this year’s event, scheduled for March 8-10, 2023.
Fountain Life centers, now open in Texas, Florida, and New York, are planned for several other U.S. and global locations in the coming years. The expansion will include partnerships with additional real estate developers, hospitality management companies, payors, and other wellness-oriented businesses, all with the goal of making early screenings for chronic, preventative, and potentially lethal conditions available to as many individuals as possible.
About Fountain Life
Fountain Life brings together the world’s most renowned scientists and physicians to boost longevity and performance – putting health back in healthcare. Fountain Life does this by using cutting-edge Artificial Intelligence (AI) to collect data and gain insights into the human body that have never been possible before. Fountain Life’s data-driven approach enables finding illnesses, including cancer, cardiac, metabolic, and neurodegenerative disease, early before they can cause harm. As a result, Fountain Life members operate at peak performance throughout their life with the aim that they will feel as healthy and vibrant at 100 as they were at 60. Learn more at www.fountainlife.com and follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram.
About Lake Nona
Planned and developed by the Tavistock Group, Lake Nona is one of the fastest growing and most innovative communities in America. Located in Orlando, Florida, the 17-square-mile community has established a new standard of living for its residents with groundbreaking initiatives around technology, mobility, and wellbeing. Lake Nona is located contiguous to Orlando International Airport in the most visited destination in the U.S. The smart and connected community’s advanced infrastructure and commitment to collaboration has drawn visionary companies and entrepreneurs from across the globe to join its living lab environment accelerating economic growth and opportunity across health and life sciences, education, hospitality, and sports and performance. Lake Nona’s attractive business ecosystem is enhanced by a thriving cultural landscape defined by iconic architecture and engaging public art installations, miles of trails and walkable green spaces, weekly signature events, shopping, dining and entertainment options set amongst central Florida’s beautiful natural landscape and year-round sunshine. For more information, visit www.lakenona.com.
Esteemed Conference Announces Initial Line-up of Speakers Including Dr. Chelsea Clinton, Dr. Kizzmekia Corbett, Dr. Victor Dzau, Dr. Sanjay Gupta and Karen Lynch
ORLANDO, Fla. (Feb. 1, 2022) – Founded to address global issues and make an impact on health innovation, the annual Lake Nona Impact Forum will unite the foremost global thought leaders in health, wellbeing, technology and business from March 8–10, 2023. The event will feature in-depth, collaborative discussions about health innovation in the new reality. With a list of notable thought leaders from across the health spectrum including Dr. Chelsea Clinton, Dr. Rachel Levine, Paul Stamets and Dr. Sanjay Gupta, the invite-only event is hosted annually in the visionary community of Lake Nona located in Orlando. A mecca for health and wellbeing innovation, Lake Nona is home to some of the nation’s top universities, hospitals and research institutions where internationally acclaimed healthcare experts have launched businesses and pioneered first-of-its-kind advancements in their fields.
During a time in which the $4.4 trillion health and wellness industry continues to prove its importance in everyday life, heightened by exponential innovation during and following the COVID-19 pandemic, the Lake Nona Impact Forum brings together hundreds of diverse leaders and experts committed to improving human health on a global scale with a mission of developing and discussing long-term strategies that will catalyze the industry worldwide.
Coinciding with and celebrating International Women’s Day (March 8), prolific leaders will be speaking about equity for women in business and featured prominently throughout the three-day event including CVS Health President and Chief Executive Officer Karen Lynch, who was recently named the most inspirational CEO on the Fortune 500 list; Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health Assistant Professor of Immunology and Infectious Disease Dr. Kizzmekia Corbett, whose NIH team co-designed the leading COVID-19 vaccine mRNA-1273; Academy Award winning actor Geena Davis; and Organamet Bio CEO Doris Taylor, among others.
Throughout the event, the Impact Forum will host some of the world’s most creative thinkers to engage in uncommon conversations for extraordinary times including a dynamic mix of government and policy leaders, physicians and healthcare pioneers, prolific academics, technology visionaries from Fortune 50 companies to the world’s most promising start-ups, professional athletes and entertainers, CEOs and C-Suite executives and more.
This year’s program will feature discussions on topics hugely relevant to today’s industry leaders, including climate change and public health, brain health, health equity for children and women, cancer prevention, food as medicine and more.
Among the dozens of conversations taking place throughout the event, a few of the key panel discussions will include:
- Remarkable Women Leading Global Change: Championing female leaders responsible for breakthroughs in their industries, the panel features Dr. Chelsea Clinton, Vice Chair, Clinton Foundation and Vice Chair, Clinton Health Access Initiative; Lauren Bush Lauren, Founder and Chief Brand Officer, FEED; and Noor Sweid, Managing Partner, Global Ventures; moderated by Alyson Shontell, Editor-in-Chief and CCO, Fortune Media.
- The Repercussions of Healthcare on Climate Change: Setting national policy and global standards around the decarbonization of healthcare will be discussed by Dr. Victor Dzau, President, National Academy of Medicine; Dr. Rachel Levine, Admiral, U.S. Public Health Service, Assistant Secretary for Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; George Barrett, Founder, The Overtone Group; and Dr. Jonathan Perlin, President and CEO, The Joint Commission; moderated by returning speaker Juju Chang, Emmy® Award-winning Co-Anchor, ABC News’ “Nightline.”
- Psychedelics: The Trip of Our Lifetime: From the world’s foremost researchers on psychedelic medicine, promising findings on profound mental health conditions in this category will be shared by Dr. Rick Doblin, Founder and Executive Director, MAPS – Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies; Dr. Rachel Yehuda, Director, Center for Psychedelic Psychotherapy and Trauma Research, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai; Dr. Robin Carhart-Harris, Ralph Metzner Distinguished Professor, Neurology and Psychiatry and Director, Psychedelics Division, Neuroscape, The University of California San Francisco; Paul Stamets, Mycologist, Inventor, Author, Entrepreneur, Earthling; and returning speaker Dr. Deepak Chopra, Co-Founder, The Chopra Foundation; Chairman, Chopra Global.
Fittingly, Lake Nona Impact Forum takes place within the living lab of Lake Nona where the latest technologies and innovative solutions are tested in a real-world environment every day. Purposefully planned to support healthy living, Lake Nona epitomizes an ecosystem of wellbeing with a medically-integrated sports and performance center, vibrant public art program, robust events calendar and miles of trails and dozens of parks anchored by a preeminent health and life sciences cluster. Thanks to the Impact Forum and the community’s unique focus on health, Lake Nona has attracted some of the world’s leading health and life sciences companies including Johnson & Johnson, Fountain Life, Chopra Global and Chopra Foundation, Limitless Minds, Hughston Clinic, HCA Healthcare, GuideWell Innovation, the University of Central Florida, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and more.
“Since its inception 11 years ago, Lake Nona Impact Forum’s North Star is to inspire human potential through health and wellbeing innovation,” said Lake Nona Impact Forum Founder Gloria Caulfield. “As the meaning of wellbeing has evolved so have the discussions and luminaries we host, from the effects of the healthcare sector on climate change to the potential benefits of psychedelic therapy for mental health. Our long-term goal is to be an incubator and accelerate health and wellbeing innovation and spark global change needed for public health, health systems and beyond.”
Click here for more details on all 2023 Impact Forum speakers and panelists
The 2023 Lake Nona Impact Forum is presented by KPMG. Additional event supporters include Verizon, Fortune, Worth, Akkad Holdings, Chopra Foundation, GuideWell Innovation, AdventHealth, Citibank, Edyth Bush Charitable Foundation, Fountain Life, HCA Healthcare, Hughston Clinic, Integrated Wellness Partners, Leviton, Maximus, Microsoft, Garcia Stromberg, Myndstream, Labcorp and Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
To learn more about the Impact Forum, visit www.LakeNonaImpactForum.org. Follow along with the Impact Forum on LinkedIn, Twitterand Instagram. You can also join the conversation online using the hashtag #LNIF23.