Up to 135 participants from all over the world, plus 20 participants in the Summer School from a total of eleven countries - this is the successful summary of the first interdisciplinary "Future of Health" Summit and the Summer School of the Department of Sport and Health Sciences, which took place from September 13 to 18, 2021. The Bavarian Minister of State for Health and Care, Klaus Holetschek, had taken over the patronage for the Summit and the Summer School.
"I am very pleased that our first 'Future of Health' Summit and the Summer School that followed it received such a wonderful response," said Prof. Dr. Renate Oberhoffer-Fritz, Dean of the Department and head of the Chair of Preventive Pediatrics. "Over the total of six days, we were able to witness great presentations by top-class speakers from industry, business and research in dialogue from all over the world, coming from a wide variety of fields and disciplines. We are all facing challenges with regard to our health and the healthcare system of the future. These need to be tackled together, and I am sure that our Summit was able to make an important contribution to this."
The Summit addressed current health challenges and focused on the fundamental changes that are essential for sustainable health. The focus was on six themes that are driving health change. To find out what the "new normal" will be, the following questions were discussed during each day of the event and innovative responses for the health sector were developed:
- Driving economic growth and improving quality of life and life expectancy: Can we have it all?
- Lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic and how to prepare for the next global health challenge.
- What will the healthcare system of the future look like - insights from around the world.
- In the robot's sights: how will technology change health systems?
- Shifting from a sick service to a wellness system.
- Leadership change - how to capture change.
"We had excellent presentations from around the world, as well as from different faculties and fields," summed up Prof. Dr. Heidrun Thaiss, a member of the Department Advisory Board and former head of the German Federal Centre for Health Education (BzgA), in her closing statement. "We are now at a point in the healthcare system where we need to join forces, look behind walls, learn from each other and be open to different perspectives. We need broad collaboration among all leaders with more flexible, agile, and interdisciplinary approaches, joint ventures, and new interdepartmental needs-based committees to be established to respond quickly to all challenges in a targeted way."
"As the team of the Continuing and Further Education 'TUM Sport and Health for Life', we have received very positive feedback on the entire event, the organization of which was very demanding in parts. Special thanks also go here to the Teaching and Educational Laboratory around Dr. Fabian Stöcker, who were responsible for the technical implementation. Everyone involved showed great commitment here," says Dr. Sara Schulz, the project team member responsible.
Due to the positive response to the entire event, there will be a new edition of the "Future of Health" Summit and Summer School in 2022.
Contact:
Prof. Dr. Renate Oberhoffer-Fritz
Dean Department of Sport and Health Sciences
Chair of Preventive Pediatrics
Georg-Brauchle Ring 60/62
80992 München
phone: 089 289 24601
e-mail: dekanat.sg(at)tum.de
Sara Schulz
TUM Sport and Health for Life
Georg-Brauchle Ring 60/62
80992 München
phone: 089 289 24731
e-mail: sara.schulz(at)tum.de
Text: Romy Schwaiger
Photos: “Future of Health” Summit