Health
Advances
From the debate over reproductive rights to the epidemic of gun violence to the youth mental health crisis, this year's Aspen Ideas: Health sessions tackled many of today's most pressing health issues. Explore the timely conversations with top government officials, medical researchers, business leaders, public health experts, legal scholars, and journalists to hear the ide...
Artificial intelligence is revolutionizing health care by improving patient navigation, telehealth and the speed of drug development. From enhancing patient and provider experiences to driving efficiencies across the health care spectrum, AI can lead us to a smarter, more accessible and more patient-centered future of health.
Brain-computer interfaces show potential to restore function to people impacted by incurable neurological conditions such as stroke, spinal cord injury, traumatic brain injury and neurodegenerative disease. Experts from neurosurgery, neuroscience and technology explore the current state of BCIs, their applications and the possibilities of this transformative technology.
Neurodivergent people make up 15% to 20% of the global population, and visionaries are busy trying to foster welcoming environments in areas like adaptive sports, fashion design and the arts. How do we create a world for — and with — people on the spectrum?
The idea of gathering DNA samples into a vast database in order to identify disease risks and breakthrough therapies was once a distant dream. Not long ago, immunotherapy seemed like pure fantasy. Today, these genetic-based approaches offer patients insights into their risks for developing cancer, potentially leading to new therapeutic approaches, earlier screenings, and p...
The first drug in a class known as GLP-1 agonists was approved in 2005 to treat diabetes. GLP-1 drugs subsequently proved their mettle to treat obesity and prevent major cardiovascular events and will likely soon be available to treat sleep apnea as well. Looking ahead, their action on the brain is prompting research to gauge their value in curbing drug, alcohol, and nicot...
Artificial intelligence is generating enormous excitement for its potential to predict health risks, speed diagnoses, and guide medical decision making. At the same time, the algorithms that make AI so powerful carry an inherent danger of bias, as some models are known to return lower accuracy results on risk assessment or even exclude certain populations from clinical stu...
Managing disease is getting personal. With the genomic revolution upon us, we now understand that many diseases don't always follow the same predictable course and personalized treatments often work best. The recognition that disease patterns are greatly influenced by individual genetic makeup, combined with advances in technology and gene therapy, are driving a paradigm s...
Scientists are deeply engaged in efforts to slow aging and eliminate age-related diseases by editing genes, reprogramming cells, and developing novel molecular therapeutics. AI-driven technologies are sorting through existing compounds to repurpose them for longevity. Biotech companies are developing therapies that target metabolic aging to improve the effectiveness of new...
Human beings sometimes forget they are animals themselves. The biological and emotional patterns of other mammals—seen in cancer among golden retrievers, high blood pressure in pregnant giraffes, the social behavior of insects, and connections among elephants that safeguard against loneliness—have much to teach us about our own health. The emerging field of zoobiquity, whi...
There is clear evidence that broader, more equitable access to primary care generates better health outcomes. But the traditional paradigm—seeing a family doctor in the office—is shifting in tandem with changing technology, new attitudes among young people, and physician shortages. Digital portals and other telehealth tools, walk-in clinics, and community-based facilities...
This storytelling event will feature deeply personal stories highlighting the lived experiences of health workers. Hear how they are working every day to solve challenges and deploy solutions in their own communities, closing the gap between communities and care and helping to achieve global health equity. A reception will follow the session from 5:10-5:45pm. (Presented by...
At the edge of innovation, government initiatives like the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) are pursuing moonshots, venture capitalists are looking for impact and profits in the health space, and dedicated researchers are confronting diseases such as cancer in novel ways. All are eager to accelerate high-value, scalable breakthroughs that fill treatmen...
History was made this year when the first FDA-approved CRISPR-based gene editing therapy became available to patients, designed to cure sickle cell anemia. That represents ground-breaking progress, but the treatment involves a months-long ordeal with often-brutal side effects and it is hugely expensive. With dozens of CRISPR therapeutics in the second phase of human tri...
Health systems are joining hands, swallowing up competitors, acquiring new practices, and growing bigger. Like it or fear it, a tidal wave of consolidation is rocking healthcare, with uncertain impact on access, quality, and pricing. Perhaps mergers and acquisitions will allow providers to operate more efficiently so they can maintain clinical services in rural and other u...
The mission of healthcare is to meet the needs of individual patients while public health is driven by a commitment to the health of broad populations. For too long, the two fields have operated largely in parallel, with only weak ties to connect them. Although the COVID-19 pandemic illustrated the urgency of building bridges, we are now at risk of pandemic amnesia. It is...
Environmental stressors are a more potent influence on human health than genetic predisposition, a finding that has galvanized the emerging, interdisciplinary field of exposomics. Satellite technology, machine learning, and AI models are allowing experts at Mount Sinai’s Institute for Climate Change, Environmental Health, and Exposomics to reshape our understanding of what...
Today's young people (Gen Z) are the most diverse generation yet, have grown up as digital natives, and report poorer mental health outcomes than previous generations. Venture capitalists and philanthropies have the opportunity to help fuel innovation and growth and usher in a new era of effective, inclusive, and affordable behavioral health care.
Opportunities and risks evolve as we reach the age of 50 and consider how best to celebrate our second half of life. With people living so much longer than in the recent past, cultivating health-building habits and putting supportive public policies in place has never been more important. Developing social connections, fostering a sense of purpose, and soliciting advice fr...
AI is transforming health, with implications for early disease detection, diagnostic accuracy, medical decision making, precision surgery, and personalized treatments. By speeding data collection and analysis, it can accelerate research, refine drug development, identify disease outbreaks, and enhance remote patient monitoring. But efficiency is not a substitute for empath...