Global Health Connector Summit at 4YFN/MWC Barcelona

Network Event

Global Health Connector Summit at 4YFN/MWC Barcelona

Start: 2 March 2026

End: 4 March 2026

Location: Barcelona

, Spain

Global Health Connector will return to Barcelona in March 2026 with a strong presence across 4YFN and Mobile World Congress.

On Monday, 2 March, Global Health Connector will host the 13th edition of the Global Health Connector Summit (formerly the Digital Health & Wellness Summit) at 4YFN, taking place on the Sky Stage, Hall 8 (North Entrance). The summit will bring together leaders and innovators from digital health, healthcare, telecoms, and startup ecosystems from Europe and beyond.

Under the theme “From Connectivity to Care – Scaling Digital Health Together,” the programme will explore how AI, data interoperability, 5G connectivity, and innovation are shaping the future of healthcare, with a strong focus on real-world hospital use cases and cross-border health data exchange. Fireside chats and ecosystem dialogues will provide space for practical insight-sharing and collaboration.

On Tuesday, 3 March, Global Health Connector and GSMA will organise the Digital Health Summit under the theme: “Connectivity, Interoperability & Infrastructure”. The discussions will be moderated by our Deputy Chair, Bleddyn Rees, and will convene healthcare leaders, policymakers, innovators, and the connectivity ecosystem to examine how advanced connectivity technologies are transforming care delivery.

🔗 More information on the MWC Digital Health Summit session here.

Agenda

Global Health Connector Summit

15:00 - 15:05

Introduction

Bleddyn Rees - Deputy Chair, Global Health Connector
Karolina Mackiewicz - Innovation Director, Global Health Connector

15:00 - 15:05

15:05 - 15:15

Keynote: Connectivity between Digital Health & Telecommunications

Dr. Mike Short CBE - Chair, UK Telecomms Innovation Network Advisory Board

15:05 - 15:15

15:15 – 15:35

The Asia-Pacific Vision for the Future and the Role of Diagnostics in Digital Health

Gisela García-Álvarez - Co-founder and CSO, LEX GLOBALMINDS (Speaker and Host)
George Margelis - Chief Technology Advisor, Ageing Australia
John Jeans - Chair, DxD Hub

15:15 – 15:35

15:35 – 15:45

Women’s Health in Africa and the Opportunities for Technologies (Fireside Chat)

Karolina Mackiewicz - Innovation Director, Global Health Connector (Speaker and Host)
Esther Ruiter - Head of Growth and Strategy, Africa Health Business

15:35 – 15:45

15:45 – 16:10

Connecting the Economy, Finance, Health and Science to Unlock Digital Health Opportunities

Brian O’Connor - Chair, Global Health Connector (Speaker and Host)
Amit Thakker - Executive Chairman, African Health Business, and Chairperson of Kenya Health Professions Oversight Authority
Jean Philbert Nsengimana - Chief Digital Advisor, Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention
Joan Cornet - Founder and Promoter, InnoHealth Academy
Declan Kirrane - Chairman and Managing Director, Annual NY Science Summit coinciding with United National Science Summit (UNGA)

15:45 – 16:10

16:10 – 16:35

Responsible Digital Health, Including AI Adoption at Scale for Healthcare Systems

Eric Thraikill - Executive Director US, Global Health Connector (Moderator)
Verena Thaler - Manager Data Governance & Digital Regulation, MedTech Europe
Kabir Kasargod - Senior Director, Qualcomm

16:10 – 16:35

16:35 – 17:00

Access to Health Data for Research & Innovation

Karolina Mackiewicz - Innovation Director, Global Health Connector (Moderator)
Prof. Rajendra Pratap Gupta - Founder, Health Parliament
Prof James McLaughlin Cbe - Director Engineering Research Institute And Nibec Centre, Ulster University (Northern Ireland)

16:35 – 17:00

17:00 – 17:20

The Future of Digital Connectivity for People with Disabilities

Chris Lewis - Lewis Insight, Founding Director

17:00 – 17:20

17:20 – 17:45

Investing in Digital and Mobile to Transform Healthcare

Richard Eagleton - Business Impact and Growth Director, Global Health Connector
Prof. Rajendra Pratap Gupta - Founder, Health Parliament
Rossana Alessandrello - Value Based Procurement Director, Agència de Qualitat i Avaluació Sanitàries de Catalunya (AQuAS)

17:20 – 17:45

17:545 – 18:10

5G PCN Technology for HoloLens, VR and AR in Hospitals

Norman Fekrat - Managing Partner, Imagine Wireless
Dr. Yujia Gao - Assistant Group Chief Technology Officer, National University Health System

17:545 – 18:10

18:10 – 18:30

Global Cancer Ecosystem Launch

Brian O’Connor - Chair, Global Health Connector
Eduardo Pisani - CEO, All.Can International asbl
Prof. Mark Lawler - Chair in Translational Cancer Genomics, Queen's University Belfast

18:10 – 18:30

18:30 – 19:00

Networking Drinks

18:30 – 19:00

Day 2

Thursday, August 31, 2020

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Thursday, August 31, 2020

Day 3

Thursday, August 31, 2020