Health and Science in Philadelphia

Like many cities economic change can occur that either leads to permanent losses or new opportunities. In my new role I focus mainly on cloud infrastructure within Life Sciences and Healthcare and I’ve lived in the Philadelphia area for many years. This week is Tech week in Philadelphia showcasing the areas strengths in technology and innovation. Our area is blessed with world class healthcare facilities, universities doing cutting edge research, and great city lifestyle with good schools and affordable housing; fantastic restaurants; and a growing culture around arts and music.

So I was impressed this past Monday with a panel of civic, university, startups and investments firms all based in the area to discuss how health and sciences are thriving and growing in this city. Changes in traditional life sciences have added to the economic loss for the region, yet in the area of digital health and medtech is where the major investments will be in the coming years.

I came looking for answers to the following questions:

• How can established tech companies support the region and get involved in this growth field?
• Can established companies work with startups and universities to get the next big idea for HealthcareIT to the market?

Healthcare technology will be a key source of opportunities and jobs in this area. You can get to work with technology to improve healthcare outcomes with benefit of contributing to to the local economy. I’ll let you know how my questions get answered and at the same time describe how technology can improve healthcare.

Thanks,

Jim