Leading scientist Professor Sir John Tooke has today been announced as the keynote speaker at the upcoming Virtual Northern MedTech Summit.

Sir John joins over 50 leading voices from across healthcare and technology who will share insights and learnings about the challenges and opportunities within MedTech at the online event on January 28.

Rethinking MedTech Collaborations: Virtual Northern MedTech Summit is run by the National Institute for Health Research Surgical MedTech Co-operative, Northern Health Science Alliance (NHSA) and the University of Leeds, powered by global super connectors Empact Ventures.

The new summit will bring together experts and innovators in the MedTech space to encourage collaboration and to seek solutions in the sector, at a time when healthcare is under unprecedented pressure during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Professor Sir John Tooke, a clinician scientist and NHSA board member, will deliver the keynote speech at the summit which will focus on reflections on diagnostics.

Sir John said: “The COVID pandemic has presented the health and life sciences sector with many challenges, but also opportunities to develop and implement innovation at speed and scale. Sharing ideas and learning with professionals across the healthcare space is crucial as the country recovers from the pandemic, and the MedTech sector will play an important role within this. I’m delighted to be invited to deliver the keynote speech at the Virtual Northern MedTech Summit and I look forward to sharing insights into the challenges currently facing the UK’s diagnostics industry.”

Sir John is a graduate of Oxford University who trained at Kings College London, the University Department of Medicine at Leeds General Infirmary where he undertook his higher medical training, the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm and as a Wellcome Trust Senior Lecturer at Charing Cross Medical School in London. Until 2015, he was Vice Provost (Health) and Head of the School of Life and Medical Sciences at UCL and Academic Director of UCL’s Academic Health Science Centre, UCL Partners. Sir John is immediate past President of the Academy of Medical Sciences and Executive Chairman of Academic Health Solutions.

Alongside Sir John, experts from the world-leading North of England MedTech cluster and beyond will explore current challenges and opportunities in AI, surgical innovations, and the benefits of collaboration with over 50 speakers across nine roundtables.

The roundtable themes include ‘The Role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and MedTech in Healthcare’, ‘The Challenges, Trends & Opportunities faced by MedTech Companies in the North’, ‘Improving Patient Outcomes through the Latest Surgical Innovations’, ‘Overcoming Procurement Challenges to Maximise MedTech Adoption’ and more.

Roundtable speakers include: Professor Neil Sebire (Chief Research Information Officer for Great Ormand Street Hospital for Children NHS Foundation Trust); Dr Christopher Herbert (Director of Operations, Research & Innovation at The Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust); James Alford (Innovation Director at GSK); Richard Stubbs (Chief Executive Officer at Yorkshire and Humber Academic Health Science Network); Vee Mapunde (Programme Director at National Institute for Health Research Surgical MedTech Co-operative); and the NHSA’s Dr Mandy Dixon (Head of Corporate Engagement), Dr Ben Martyn (Cluster Development Manager) and Helen Cole (Industry Partnerships Manager).

Vee Mapunde, Programme Director of the National Institute for Health Research Surgical MedTech Co-operative, commented: “This meeting is the perfect opportunity for MedTech startups to connect with important players in the innovation system. We have partnered with the NHSA and Empact Ventures to deliver an engaging summit that will showcase the North and stimulate discussion on how we can drive MedTech collaborations for patient benefit. The NIHR Surgical MIC has been tasked with supporting the development and evaluation of surgical technologies for the NHS, and understanding the needs and requirements from a clinical and patient perspective is very important. We would really like all delegates to take the opportunity to network, visit the virtual booths and to participate in the roundtable discussions.”

Dr Ben Martyn, Cluster Development Manager at the Northern Health Science Alliance, commented: “We are thrilled to support this event which is bringing together leading figures and emerging innovators within the MedTech space, both regionally and nationally. At a time when the NHS is facing unprecedented challenges, collaboration and partnership working has never been more important. There is incredible work taking place within MedTech across the North and this summit offers a chance to bring innovators from NHS, universities and industry together to share ideas, create connections and further strengthen the North’s MedTech cluster.”

The Summit’s audience will hear from the top five MedTech startups and scale-ups from the recent Super Connect for Good competition, selected by NIHR Surgical MedTech Co-operative team, who will be pitching for adoption within the NHS, and/or investment. These include: QV Bioelectronics based in Manchester; Bold Health based in London; My mhealth based in Bournemouth; CanSense based in Swansea; and GlycanAge in London.

In addition, it will also feature a keynote speaker and fireside chat to be announced alongside a digital exhibition of up to 15 leading HealthTech and MedTech startups and scale-ups from the nationwide Super Connect for Good initiative. These include the five companies above plus: TapSOS based in Belfast; Immersive Rehab based in London; MySense based in London; Kids Speech Labs based in Dublin; Medical Chain based in Leeds; V & V Health Innovations based in Leeds; Alcuris based in Leicester; VR Revival based in London; and CBRT Health Systems based in Bournemouth.

Kosta Mavroulakis, Founder & CEO of Empact Ventures & Super Connect for Good, added: “It is an honour to be working with three fantastic organisations dedicated to promoting and supporting MedTech companies across both the North and the UK. Over the past few years, we’ve been running tech events in Leeds and Manchester as part of our national Super Connect Series and have been very impressed with the support available in the MedTech cluster across the North. We look forward to hosting not only people from across the North, but from around the UK and beyond to discuss, connect and create new MedTech collaborations that will benefit society in years to come.”

Elena Mustatea, CEO of Bold Health spoke of the achievement of winning the MedTech Industry Stream of the Super Connect for Good competition including £10,000 from NIHR Surgical MedTech Co-operative who will present at the summit, said: “We were truly delighted to be the MedTech winner in the Super Connect for Good competition for our contribution to increase the quality of life of under-served NHS patient populations suffering with common digestive conditions like IBS, who are struggling to get the care they need especially in pandemic times. We are keen to connect with NIHR and NHS organisations at the summit, and to learn how we can adopt to partnering and commercialisation in the UK in the context of COVID and increased strain on the medical system. The £10,000 award will allow us to pilot our project within the IAPT services providing psychological therapies for long-term conditions in the UK and with UK NHS practices across the nation. Many thanks for the honour and opportunities to connect!”

For more information and to register to attend the Summit, click here