Thursday’s full day of talks and programming exemplified the diversity of topics and leaders that have made the Lake Nona Impact Forum a destination for innovators spanning the ecosystem of health care. The impact of entrepreneurship and technology, the hidden conditions to improve personal health, and the influence of sports performance drove the day’s conversations, ending with a series of high-energy brainstorming sessions between presenters and delegates.
A central theme to the day’s talks focused on the benefits patients receive from access to new technology and personal data. Developing applications in genomics and technology-aided access to health data creates a greater democratization of care with a future of on-demand medicine. Patients are shown to be better motivated as their care becomes personal, so giving all populations, including aging populations and those with mental health issues, improved abilities to engage their health is key to improving overall outcomes.
Several presenters offered different approaches to defining health and how to change it from the inside out. From our physical environment and the ways Delos is reimagining our built spaces to increasing understanding of the microbiome and diet’s impact on both physical and emotional health, the effects of outside factors on health is more apparent than ever.
Deepak Chopra went deeper, challenging attendees to look within and examine how our thoughts affect us. He championed the benefits of sleep, meditation and our emotions to our health, demonstrating its effects through a guided meditation exercise. Chopra and others argued we consider the often overlooked, intangible keys to health and longevity: happiness and gratitude.
Other discussions focused on the costs of chronic and preventable conditions, and the different approaches to improving individual and community health. The often under resourced mental health industry sees both recurring costs and increased health risks, demanding champions to ensure mental health issues receive the same attention and treatment options as other conditions. Genomic research offers an incredible impact on early diagnoses and treatments, recognizing risk factors in disease and mental health, and applications of cancer therapies. And a wellness solution that is perhaps hiding in the open is the transformative power of sport, which can create a confident, joyful and healthy society.
The day concluded with interactive “lightning sessions,” bringing presenters and attendees together to develop actionable items in each of the week’s core topics. The breakouts centered on Connected Healthy Communities, Future Innovation Ecosystems, and Sports & Performance with each group producing dozens of ideas to move innovation forward. As a direct response to the recurring appeals for mission-driven innovation from the Lake Nona Institute many of these ideas will be developed and implemented at the ‘living lab’ that is Lake Nona to help ensure the Impact Forum lives up to its name of making an impact both locally and around the world.
