Where do healthcare, tech, and telecom collide? At the 13th edition of the Global Health Connector Summit (formerly the Digital Health & Wellness Summit).
Recently hosted at Barcelona’s MWC / 4YFN, our flagship event gathered the leaders and innovators shaping the next generation of digital health from across Europe and beyond.
Beyond the Summit, we hosted a series of exclusive gatherings with our ecosystems, partners, and ambassadors. These sessions provided the ideal environment to exchange insights, map out future collaborations, connect and drive impact.
Global Health Connector continues to grow its network of partners and ambassadors, building a future where health and technology work strategically together to improve health and wellbeing for all.
At their core, our gatherings embraced “CollaborAction” — turning collaboration into action.
This year’s programme, ‘‘From Connectivity to Care: Scaling Digital Health Together’’, explored how AI, data interoperability, 5G connectivity, and digital innovation are shaping the future of healthcare.
The Summit brought together 25+ speakers from around the world, from Kenya to Singapore, to discuss collaboration and real-world digital health solutions.
Sessions explored global perspectives on digital health, including the Asia-Pacific vision for connected care and the role of diagnostics in supporting ageing populations.
Cross-sector discussions also highlighted how aligning health, finance, science, and economic strategy can accelerate innovation through stronger partnerships and smarter investment.
Speakers from MedTech Europe, the Catalan Health Service, IQVIA, HL7 Europe, Health Parliament, and Ulster University discussed the safe and ethical adoption of AI, data interoperability, and the frameworks needed to enable cross-border health data innovation.
The programme also highlighted inclusive innovation, including digital connectivity for people with disabilities.
”I enjoyed exploring the overlap of healthcare, telco connectivity and People With disability – the best stress test for the patient journey in healthcare and we can all benefit.” — Chris Lewis, Founding Director of Lewis Insight
The role of connectivity between digital health and telecommunications, as well as investment in mobile and digital technologies to transform healthcare, was also a key focus.
Speakers from Imagine Wireless and National University Health System discussed 5G private cellular network (PCN) technology for HoloLens, VR, and AR, and its growing impact in hospitals — helping to reshape the future of healthcare.
A key highlight of the Summit was the launch of our Global Cancer Ecosystem (GCE), introduced by Brian O’Connor, Chairman of Global Health Connector, along with Professor Mark Lawler and Eduardo Pisani (all members of the GCE’s Steering Group), aiming to reduce cancer inequalities through collective global action. The Global Cancer Ecosystem will focus on:
1. Addressing social and equity gaps in prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and survivorship
2. Enabling global–local translation and capacity building
3. Strengthening digital and data infrastructure for smarter, ethical, and more equitable cancer care
During our time in Barcelona, we organised a series of multi-stakeholder gatherings to explore opportunities for international CollaborAction and showcase regional innovation in digital health.
These discussions brought together our ecosystems from the United States, Asia-Pacific (APAC), Africa — including Africa Health Business and Africa Digital Health Network — and Northern Ireland, highlighting regional strengths and opportunities for partnership.
Nashville was recognised as a growing innovation hub within the US healthcare ecosystem. In Asia-Pacific, countries such as Singapore, South Korea, and Japan are leading in 5G-enabled healthcare solutions, including robotic medication logistics and remote surgery.
Northern Ireland, particularly Belfast, was highlighted as an emerging hub for health and life sciences innovation.
Participants also emphasised Africa’s strong investment potential, driven by its young workforce and growing innovation capabilities, and discussed how to build stronger, mutually beneficial partnerships.
Separate meetings with Global Health Connector ambassadors reinforced their role as co-architects and key force multipliers in strengthening the network and advancing global collaboration.
The Digital Health Summit, co-organised with GSMA, set the strategic context for why connectivity is critical to the future of health systems.
Discussions highlighted where advanced connectivity is already delivering impact: interoperable health platforms, real-time clinical data exchange, AI-enabled services, scalable virtual care, and infrastructure models that move beyond pilots.
Sessions explored how we can power the patient journey and use digital health to its fullest potential, bringing together leaders from pharma, technology, and public health systems to examine how cross-sector CollaborAction is reshaping patient-centred care.
We are grateful to all our partners, ambassadors, and attendees for coming together in Barcelona, and we look forward to turning these insights into action to accelerate health for all.
