UCD Zoom for Thought with Eric Topol, Covid-19 expert, June 23rd

When and where is it on?

On Tuesday, June 23rd at 5.30pm (Irish Standard Time), one of America’s most famous clinicians, Eric Topol – whose forensic Covid-19 graphs are the go-to for his 265,000 Twitter followers – will speak exclusively to Irish audiences about “digital tools to individualise medicine”. The founder and director of California’s Scripps Research Translational Institute is guest of honour on UCD Institute for Discovery’s Zoom for Thought, a weekly 15-minute interview series delivered to the general public for free via Zoom.

June 17th, US states #COVID19 worry-watchlist
There are 20 heating up with new cases https://t.co/UrkY40FJsc
6 make the top tier because of their metrics and that they're seeing an associated rise in hospitalizations pic.twitter.com/cO6eK1X0Yg

— Eric Topol (@EricTopol) June 17, 2020

Individualised medicine? What’s that?

Rather than a one-size-fits-all approach to treating patients, individualised medicine – also known as precision or personalised medicine – is the idea that prediction, diagnosis, treatment and, eventually, prevention of disease can be tailored to an individual patient based on genetics, environment and lifestyle.

Eric Topol, UCD, covid-19, zoom for thought

How does it work?

Key to this will be patients having access to their own medical records on their smartphones, along with the availability of other digital tools and apps that are “going to be the future of medicine” according to Topol.

Our smartphones? Really?

“The medicalised smartphone is going to become the centre of your health,” he confirms. “You can do ultrasound imaging of the entire body through a smartphone – high resolution, the same quality as in a hospital or an outpatient clinic lab. Most of the physical exam can be done through a smartphone, medical records can be accessed, the patient can be looked at through the phone and you can summon a doctor at any time.”

Isn’t this the stuff of science fiction?

Individualised medicine has attracted one of the largest ever US National Institute of Health research grants to a consortium led by Topol, some $207m – so it is very much a reality. Cardiologist Topol told a TED audience that he already has long-time patients who send him their smartphone cardiograms.

What will this new medical landscape look like?

In his book The Patient Will See You Now: The Future of Medicine is in Your Hands, Topol argues that digital technology enables all of us to take charge of our health rather than rely on the old adage of “doctor knows best”. In his other book Deep Learning: How Artificial Intelligence can make Healthcare Human Again, he argues that liberating doctors from their keyboards will allow them to look their patients in the eye. In other words, AI in medicine will always need human back-up. But it will be much cheaper, less time consuming and more democratic for patients.

How do we book tickets for Topol’s event?

Register here: https://www.ucd.ie/discovery/zoomforthought/digitaltoolstoindividualisemedicine.html

What is this Zoom for Thought series?

After lockdown, and because of restrictions to their Visiting Global Fellow Programme, UCD Institute for Discovery launched Zoom for Thought – brief interviews with a wide range of global thought leaders. Coming to you live each week from your now-familiar Zoom screen, host, UCD Discovery Director Patricia Maguire, micro-chats with some of the world’s finest interdisciplinary minds on a range of thought-provoking topics.

What was the inspiration to start it?

Because everyone is so busy these days – juggling home, work and family lives – Zoom for Thought experts know the clock is ticking. They have five minutes to present brilliant, bite-sized information and will answer your questions for another ten. This short-but-sweet format suits a wide audience, as evidenced by the calibre of both guests and attendees each week.

What tips would you give to people attending to get the most out of it?

Time is of the essence and there are usually lots of questions for each speaker, so submit your questions on the Zoom chat function as early as possible so host Maguire has ample time to get to yours.

www.zoomforthought.ie

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