Cafe Scientifique Q&A: "Health Care Revolutionized by the Digital Age"

Carnegie Science Center's Podcast

This is the Q&A portion of the talk by Dr. Andrew Watson. Healthcare traces its roots back to around 400 BC and the era of Hippocrates, when doctors began realizing how face-to-face treatments could aid in healing. Through the evolution of healthcare we have gone from learning about basic circulation to the role of genetics. The march of time has seen the advent of ever more complicated surgeries, organ transplants and now even video-based procedures. But, with all of the modernization of healthcare and scientific research, we never predicted the digital age and its impact on the face-to-face visit and healthcare. In less than a decade, we've seen patients became empowered with wireless broadband, smart phones, early sensor data and most importantly a global interconnectedness. Traditional geographical boundaries are melting away and the access to information, individuals, and intelligence is at our fingertips. Join Dr. Andrew Rose Watson as he discusses how we are on the cusp of perhaps the greatest paradigm shift in history in how we view healthcare and treat patients. Watson will speak about how care may shift outside traditional locations and how the digital age will empower patients like never before. Dr. Andrew Rose Watson is the Medical Director of the Center for Connected Medicine, The Center, located in Pittsburgh, is a joint venture between global healthcare leaders including GE, IBM, UPMC, Verizon and Alcatel-Lucent. The Center is the only collaborative national executive briefing center in healthcare. A fourth-generation surgeon and the sixth in his family, Watson attended Trinity College and subsequently earned his Master's degree at the University of Oxford in England studying 17th century British architectural history. He attended medical school at Columbia University in New York and returned to Pittsburgh for his surgical training and minimally invasive fellowship at UPMC. Currently he practices in the division of colorectal surgery and specializes in minimally invasive inflammatory bowel disease surgery. More than 75% of Dr. Watson's time is focused on healthcare thought leadership discussions, telemedicine and information technologies. Currently he is a Vice-President of the UPMC International and Commercial Services Division and is an Executive Director for Telemedicine. Recorded at the Carnegie Science Center on Monday, November 11, 2013.