University of Minnesota hosts world's largest medical devices conference April 16-18
Conference includes exhibit of human hearts, virtual reality, and medical device security
MINNEAPOLIS/ST. PAUL (04/15/19) — Medical device leaders from across the country in both industry and academia will converge at the University of Minnesota’s 18th annual Design of Medical Devices Conference (DMD) April 16-18 at Graduate Minneapolis, 615 Washington Ave. S.E., Minneapolis. The conference will address emerging trends related to medical device design, digital health, policy, engineering, education and commercialization.
More than 1,300 people are expected to attend this year’s conference, making it the largest medical devices conference in the world. Additional walk-in registrations are accepted each day.
In addition to a comprehensive program with more than 150 presenters on a wide variety of topics related to medical devices, the conference includes a new exhibit this year that explores the rise of virtual reality in healthcare. Attendees can talk with experts who have worked in virtual reality since its inception about the expanding availability of tools and how the University has used them to improve patient outcomes.
The conference also includes an interactive “A Heart to Learn” exhibit of real human hearts with top experts on heart research, four clinical surgery cases, and scientific poster sessions that will showcase more than 100 emerging topics in the areas of wearables, mems and nano, sensors, human factors, surgical tools, neuro-engineering, and much more.
Lab tours will include the Earl E. Bakken Medical Devices Center, Minnesota Nanotechnology Center, Visible Heart Lab, Bioprinting Facility, and the Wearable Technology Lab.
A hot topic this year will be sessions on cybersecurity as they relate to medical devices after several high-profile demonstrations and incidents. The FDA has published their guidance for security by design, and hospitals are demanding that security is maintained throughout the useful device life. These sessions will feature experts on medical device security, and they will discuss these expectations and the response needed to create secure medical devices and how Healthcare Providers and Medical Device Manufacturers are responding to the new threats and expectations.
Opening plenary and luncheon keynote addresses will be:
- “Medical Device Security,” Kevin Fu, University of Michigan
- “Healthcare Opportunities - A Data Based Assessment,” Ian Meredith, Executive Vice President, Global Chief Medical Officer, Boston Scientific Corporation
- “The Digital Frontier of Medical Device Innovation,” Dawn Bardot, Director, Healthcare Innovation, Medtronic
- “Utilizing Biomaterials to Identify Chemoresistant Ovarian Cancer Cells,” Jennifer Esposito, Vice President, Health, Magic Leap
The third day of the conference will include an Emerging Technology Forum “Clinical Applications of Mixed Realities.” The forum will include keynote presentations and panelists:
- Beth Ripley, VA Puget Sound Health Care System
- Evan Suma Rosenberg, University of Minnesota
- Jack Stubbs, University of Central Florida
- Matt Ginn, Proximie
- Amy Alexander, Mayo Clinic
- Mark Wehde, Mayo Clinic Division of Engineering
- Gayle Rose, BD Technologies and Innovation (BDTI)
- Mike Ryan, Medtronic
The Design of Medical Devices Conference is presented by the University of Minnesota Earl E. Bakken Medical Devices Center (part of the University’s Institute for Engineering in Medicine), the College of Science and Engineering, and the Department of Mechanical Engineering.
Several corporations are also providing industry sponsorships including 7-SIGMA Simulation Systems, Abbott Labs, AccelLab, Inc., AdvancedTek, Altair Engineering, Inc., American Preclinical Services, Archimedes Center for Medical Device Security, University of Michigan, ArKco Sales, Inc., ASME, BD, Bomatec International Corp, Boston Scientific Corporation, DeviceTalks, Elkem Silicones, Experimental Surgical Services, Fang Consulting, Ltd, Haldeman-Homme, Johnson & Johnson, Medical Alley Association, Medical Design Briefs, Medtronic, Quartus Engineering, and UCF PD3D Lab.
For more information on the Design of Medical Devices Conference or to register, visit www.dmd.umn.edu.