'Digitalization and COVID-19: The Perfect Storm' - EAPM Presidency Conference on the horizon: Register now!

Greetings all!  As our presidency conference is fast approaching on 12 October (agenda here, register here), I wanted to share with you our academic publication entitled 'Digitalization and COVID-19: The Perfect Storm' which was published in the last days.  This will be discussed at our upcoming Presidency conference, writes European Alliance for Personalised Medicine (EAPM) Executive Director Denis Horgan.

The article addresses the premise of healthcare as a ship in the harbour which is safe, but that is not what ships are built for, as observed by the 19th century philosopher William Shedd.

In other words, technology of high potential is of little value if the potential is not exploited. As the shape of 2020 is increasingly defined by the coronavirus pandemic, digitalization is like a ship loaded with technology that has a huge capacity for transforming mankind’s combat against infectious disease.

But it is still moored safely in harbour. Instead of sailing bravely into battle, it remains at the dockside, cowering from the storm beyond the breakwaters. Engineers and fitters constantly fine-tune it, and its officers and deckhands perfect their operating procedures, but that promise is unfulfilled, restrained by the hesitancy and indecision of officialdom.

Out there, the seas of the pandemic are turbulent and uncharted, and it is impossible to know in advance everything of the other dangers that may lurk beyond those cloudy horizons. However, the more noble course is for orders to be given to complete the preparations, to cast off and set sail, and to join other vessels crewed by valiant healthcare workers and tireless researchers, already deeply engaged in a rescue mission for the whole of the human race.

It is the destiny of digitalization to navigate those oceans alongside other members of that task force, and the hour of destiny has arrived.

This article focuses on the potential enablers and recommendation to maximize learnings during the era of COVID-19 taking into account the different learnings from COVID 19 and puts it in the framework of capacity and potential which the EU as well as the Member States have collectively.

The article positioned  these elements with a nod to the upcoming policy frameworks such as the Beating cancer plan and the Cancer Mission, the European Health Data Space, the expanded health programme, the review of research incentives and – most recently – the declaration of Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in favour of European Health Union.  Here is the link to the articles.

So, what are among the topics on the table for Oct 12th for our Presidency Conference?

The current COVID-19 crisis has thrown many European, and indeed global, healthcare issues into sharp relief.

It has also raised important questions, not necessarily new ones, but ones that have shifted more into focus during the pandemic.

One such question is whether the EU should have a bigger role in public health – and particularly in the provision of health technology. This, of course, would impinge upon the closely guarded Member State competence in healthcare so, if this were to happen, how would that be?

Another question is how can the now very evident gaps be bridged to in order to better protect Europe’s health ahead of another crisis? What are the priorities? The broader question, as mentioned above, is whether it’s time to give the EU a bigger role in Europe’s health protection.

Meanwhile, at the heart of personalised medicine, is the hugely expanding use of health data. This is a sensitive topic. There’s certainly a need for the health-science community to talk more openly about using personal health data in research to enhance human health and eradicate diseases such as cancer and the public has to be at the centre of any and all discussion.

Many national and international initiatives rely on comprehensive data analytics to drive evidence-based solutions to improve health outcomes which our article entitled 'Digitalization and COVID-19: The Perfect Storm' addresses in some details from the different cardinal directions of the compass.

Such initiatives means, of course, that personal health data is an extremely valuable commodity for research and should only ever be used in a responsible, ethical and secure way that is in the interest of society.

Transparency on why and how we use data is vital if Europe is to maintain the social licence for data-driven research. Trust is paramount.

On top of this, Europe’s digital infrastructure needs strengthening in general, and in order to deal with the impact of Covid-19 in particular. And then there are future public health crises to be considered…

Better integration of Artificial Intelligence into the public health response should be a priority; Analysis of big data relating to citizens' movement, disease transmission patterns and health monitoring could be used to aid prevention measures.

In response to travel bans, closures, and recommendations on social distancing to limit the spread of the virus, there has been a necessary shift to digital tools where applicable to keep the world turning - not least what parts of the economy have been salvageable.

The above are just an example of the huge topics, among many up for discussion on the day. So be sure to join us on 12 October.

Once again, Here is the link to the academic piece entitled 'Digitalization and COVID-19: The Perfect Storm' as well as the links to the agenda by clicking here, to register here for our presidency conference.

For more information, please contact: 

Dr. Denis Horgan, PhD, LLM, MSc, BCL
EAPM Executive Director,
Chief Editor, Public Health Genomics
EAPM, Avenue de l'Armee/Legerlaan 10,
1040 Brussels, Belgium
T: + 386 30 607 281
Website

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