Presented by Global Health Innovators and Global Health Connector, in collaboration with the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce, the Global Health Innovators Summit III (GHIS III) is Nashville, Tennessee’s premier gathering for global health leaders.
Presented by Global Health Innovators and Global Health Connector, in collaboration with the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce, the Global Health Innovators Summit III (GHIS III) is Nashville, Tennessee’s premier gathering for global health leaders.
On 16 September, the summit brought a full house to The Cannery, where founders from around the world met investors, policymakers, clinicians and community builders. The theme, “Where Health Lives”, reflected the idea that health is shaped as much in communities as in labs and in Washington. The programme featured five panels, four fireside chats, short talks, a visual storytelling session and the International Pitch Competition.
The day opened with America’s $50 billion rural health programme. In Tennessee, 97% of counties face primary-care shortages and more than 20 have no hospital, so speakers called for capital that changes care models, stronger workforce pipelines and modern health IT.
Investors from a16z (Marina Kusserow) and Frist Cressey Ventures (Derek Dedeker) said AI has raised the bar for fundable companies. They look for a technical founder paired with a strong healthcare operator, and see customer demand as the best evidence of all.
Leaders from CMS (Amy Gleason), CMMI (Marissa Lee, Gita Deo, Laurent Shiels) and HHS (Stephen Konya) described a federal approach that moves at industry speed. About 90% of health records are now digital, but connecting those systems, and fixing visit-based reimbursement, remain the big challenges. CMS is also hiring for a new Nashville location.
“We are here, we are public servants, we don’t make policy for policy sake – we are here to support health innovators like you.” – Stephen Konya, HHS
Ecosystem leaders from Nashville 9 (Katie Smith Green, Lori Odom), Florida (Adriana Carreño) and Leeds (Barry Singleton) compared how they welcome international health innovators, a question central to Nashville’s role as the US hub of Global Health Connector.
A separate panel found that AI is being adopted fastest in low-risk uses where a clinician stays in charge, with trust, liability and cost holding it back more than the technology.
“If it’s not human-led AI, it’s never going to work.” – Kumar Kolin, TxPulse
Megan Zweig of Rock Health Advisory noted that capital is concentrating in fewer, larger, AI-driven deals. Solome Tibebu shared how Behavioral Health Tech grew from a webinar into a community of thousands. Judge Alberto Gonzales made the case for bringing Major League Baseball to Nashville, and singer-songwriter Annie Mosher closed her session with a moving performance of “Goldfish”.
“Find founders who have lived in the world that they are selling to.” – Megan Zweig
Thirteen finalists, chosen from more than 30 applicants, pitched companies in areas from cardiology and oncology to migraine care and pharmacogenomics. Congratulations to Sophia Fang of Peachy Day, winner of the competition for her migraine tracking and prediction platform, and to Cardiovolt.ai, the Imperial College London spinout whose AI-enabled ECG aims to predict heart disease years early, which came second and was named audience favourite.
For more pictures from the event, browse the photo gallery here.