May 18–20, 2023: 6th Saint Petersburg Medical Innovation Forum

From May 18 to 20, Almazov Centre hosted a major event celebrating innovations and improvements in healthcare – the 6th Saint Petersburg Medical Innovation Forum themed “Medicine 2023 – Science, Innovation and Practice”. The scientific programme included lectures, plenary sessions, scientific symposia, workshops, clinical case discussions, e-posters and training sessions for practitioners.

The development of new technologies has accelerated the growth of medicine in recent years. Science and technology are improving, amazing discoveries are being made and cures for previously untreatable conditions are on the rise with many more on the horizon. There have been great advances in almost every field – from oncology to surgery, including the rapid development of COVID-19 vaccines. Today, the healthcare sector is being transformed by the implementation of technological innovations such as telemedicine, robotics, big data, artificial intelligence, virtual and augmented reality.

This 6th edition of the Saint Petersburg Medical Innovation Forum was included in the list of events of the Russian Ministry of Health for 2023 (Order No. 818 of December 29, 2022) and held as part of the Programme of the World-Class Research Centre for Personalized Medicine.

Mikhail Murashko, Health Minister of the Russian Federation and Honorary Chairman of the Forum, welcomed the participants at the opening ceremony and congratulated the organizers on convening the 6th Saint Petersburg Medical Innovation Forum: “The Forum has become a traditional event not only for St. Petersburg, but for the whole country. This is where experts discuss the newest ideas for the development of national healthcare. Today, it is extremely important to focus on the development of innovations that can be implemented in healthcare practice in the future, as well as to create and strengthen the ecosystem for the interaction of science and production. The main discussion platform of this year’s Forum is devoted to the most topical issues in the development of medicine — e-health; preparation for new challenges, including epidemics; a new type of medical staffing of and a new generation of medicines based on genetic and nanotechnologies, including artificial intelligence”.

Ekaterina Chaban, Acting Director of the State Scientific and Technical Policy Department of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education, welcomed the audience. She noted that the Forum traditionally brings together scientists, doctors and business representatives to discuss key issues in medical science.

Oleg Ergashev, Vice-Governor of St. Petersburg, welcomed the guests and participants of the event and read out the address of Governor Alexander Beglov.

The Governor’s address said: “This important event brings together leading scientists, experts and specialists in the field of medicine. The scientific agenda of the Forum was prepared in the context of the development of Russian healthcare, which is based on the widespread introduction of highly effective diagnostic and treatment technologies into medical practice and the targeted training of highly-sought staff. The Forum is held at Almazov National Medical Research Centre, one of the most advanced healthcare and research facilities in our country. The Centre, headed by Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences and Honorary Citizen of St. Petersburg Evgeny Shlyakhto, has been working with the city government for many years in various areas of healthcare development in the northern capital. They carry out extensive research for the benefit of the population. I am sure that the Forum will make a significant contribution to the improvement of medical care, to the solution of the most important state task of improving the demographic situation in Russia and will contribute in every possible way to increasing the authority of national science”.

Mikhail Piradov, Vice-President of the Russian Academy of Sciences congratulated the Forum participants on the opening on his behalf and on behalf of Gennady Krasnikov, President of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

The opening ceremony also featured a welcome address by Professor Ji Yong, Rector of Harbin Medical University (China), who noted that Almazov Centre and Harbin Medical University have established close ties of friendship and cooperation in the field of clinical cardiology, personalized medicine and infectious disease control.

«I am glad that it is planned to sign a memorandum of understanding between Harbin Medical University and Almazov Centre, aimed at strengthening cooperation in the field of science and education, implementing joint projects in the field of basic and clinical medicine, further developing partnerships and improving the quality of medical care in Russia and China,» the professor emphasized.

The Forum participants were also welcomed by Olga Golodets, Deputy Chair of the Management Board of Sberbank.

Other prominent speakers at the opening ceremony were Sergey Shevchenko, Acting Director of the Institute of Experimental Medicine, and Andrey Maksimov, Chairman of the St. Petersburg Government Committee for Science and Higher Education.

The plenary session dedicated to the grand opening of the 6th Saint Petersburg Medical Innovation Forum featured two presentations.

Igor Korobko, Director of the Department of Science, Innovative Development and Management of Medical and Biological Health Risks of the Russian Ministry of Health, gave a presentation entitled “Priority areas of research and development in the field of medical science”.

Evgeny Shlyakhto, Director General of Almazov Centre and Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences, gave a presentation on “Modern innovations in healthcare”. He also thanked everyone for their kind words and noted that the Forum is a place where the interests of science, clinics, and education are concentrated for the benefit of the development of the Russian Federation.

“All efforts are aimed at speeding up the introduction of innovations for the early detection of diseases. And we see that the healthcare paradigm is shifting to the left, towards the early onset of disease. Therefore, the issues of prevention and a personalized approach are becoming more and more relevant. Innovation has become the driving force behind the transition from precision medicine to patient-centered care and medicine focused on the end result, what we call value-based healthcare,” emphasized the academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

The Forum included: Almazov Youth Medical Forum 2023, a healthcare innovation exhibition, an exhibition of pharmaceutical companies, and a meeting of the RAS Council on Personalized Medicine. Members of the Russian Academy of Sciences, leading experts in medicine, pharmacology and biology gave lectures and discussed the current problems and future prospects of personalized medicine, the main directions and areas of application, the advantages of the approach and the obstacles to its practical implementation.

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