International conference attracts top medical professionals
Monday, March 12, 2012
The First International Conference on Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Health brought
Oklahoma health care front and center, attracting attendees from Australia, Denmark,
India, Slovenia, South Africa, and Trinidad, as well as 18 states from across America,
.
The conference was held at the Reed Conference Center in Oklahoma City and was presented
by OSU’s School of Entrepreneurship, the Center for Executive and Professional Development
in the Spears School of Business, and the Center for Health Sciences at Oklahoma State
University.
“The Spears School of Business is dedicated to the mission of improving Oklahoma
health care by bringing together physicians, educators and medial executives from
all over the world. We want to help create innovative solutions that will lead to
better health for all Oklahomans,” said Larry Crosby, dean of the Spears School of
Business.
Rubin Pillay, Daniel White Jordan Chair in Entrepreneurship and Creativity for the
School of Entrepreneurship at Oklahoma State University, is the chairperson and host
of the conference. “The hosting of the annual International Conference on Innovation
and Entrepreneurship in Healthcare, coupled with other exciting initiatives, is a
reflection of OSU’s commitment to the transformation of the healthcare industry in
this country and across the world,” said Pillay.
Day one of the conference included scholars in the healthcare entrepreneurship field
who presented ideas and innovations in health. Keynote speakers were Douglas Wood,
Director of Strategy and Policy Center for Innovation at the Mayo Clinic, Rochester,
Minn.; Arlen Meyers, President and CEO, Society of Physician Entrepreneurs, Denver,
Colo.; William Paiva, Manager of Oklahoma Life Science Fund and Partner of Sevin Rosen
Funds, Tulsa, Okla., and Michael Morris, Professor and N. Malone Mitchell, Jr. Chair
and Director of the OSU School of Entrepreneurship.
Featured speakers addressing information technology in the transformation of healthcare on day two included Terry Cline, Oklahoma Secretary of Health and Human Services and Oklahoma Commissioner of Health; Bruce Lawrence, President and Chief Executive Officer of INTEGRIS Health; Kersey Winfree, Chief Medical Officer at St. Anthony Hospital; Bert Marshall, President of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Oklahoma; Dick Flanigan, Senior Vice President of Cerner Corporation in Kansas City, and Martin Harris, CIO and Chairman of the Technology Division, Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, Ohio. Also, Jay Condry, Benefits Consultant of CFR in Tulsa, addressed Benchmarking Oklahoma in the Healthcare Area.
Bert Marshall addressed key topics in information technology. “What we want to tell
the next generation is Healthcare I.T. for entrepreneurs to make a difference to provide
efficiency in the healthcare industry,” said Marshall, who also stated that Blue Cross
and Blue Shield’s efforts to make sure to explore all the ways the Affordable Healthcare
Act will affect Oklahomans has been a primary focus.
The conference also highlighted the importance of a healthy lifestyle. Terry Cline
referred to Oklahoma’s rankings in tobacco usage. According to the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention, Oklahoma’s smoking-attributable mortality rate ranks 47th
among the states for people 35-plus years old. Cline also pointed out that Oklahoma
ranks 48th in both cardiovascular health and overall health. Cline urged Oklahoman’s
and other attendees to remind patients and the public to “put more color on your plate,”
promoting the consumption of fruits and vegetables.
The conference consisted of several key healthcare topics including Innovative Clinical Practices and Processes, Entrepreneurship and Training, Innovations in Public Health, Health Reform, Social Entrepreneurship and the Not-For-Profit Sector, Holistic Health Care and the Role of Information Technology in the transformation of Health Care.
The International Society for Healthcare, Entrepreneurship, Education and Research (I-SHEER) was launched at the conference. Pillay was elected as the first president of the group.