Rice University and Houston Methodist will host the inaugural Digital Health Institute Summit Oct. 8 at Rice, launching what will become an annual gathering at the forefront of digital health and innovation.
Established in 2024, the institute is building an ecosystem that brings together clinicians, engineers and entrepreneurs to accelerate technologies that improve patient care and expand access to precision medicine. In its first year, the institute has:
- Launched more than 20 active projects pairing Rice engineers and Houston Methodist clinicians to move discoveries more quickly from lab insights to bedside applications.
- Grown to include 21 Rice faculty and Houston Methodist faculty from nine departments with new hires who have expertise in areas including augmented reality/virtual reality for surgery, artificial intelligence (AI) for mental health and AI/machine learning for biomarkers and aging.
- Advanced digital health scholarship through multiple publications, including a collaborative AI-powered cardiology study that revealed “hidden” patient groups in heart valve disease, underscoring the potential for more personalized treatments.
- Dedicated 10,000 square feet of office and lab space in Rice’s Bioscience Research Collaborative building, featuring visualization and virtual reality labs, imaging suites, advanced fabrication facilities and state-of-the-art computing infrastructure.
The program will begin with remarks from institutional leaders followed by research talks from Houston Methodist clinicians and Rice engineering faculty. Morning and afternoon sessions will also feature panels with national digital health companies and leading venture capital investors, capped with networking opportunities.
What: Rice-Houston Methodist University Digital Health Institute Summit
When: Wednesday, Oct. 8, 8:30 a.m.-6:30 p.m.
Where: McMurtry Auditorium, Duncan Hall, Rice University, 6100 Main St., Houston, TX 77005
“This summit is about building bridges between clinicians, engineers and innovators so that digital health solutions can move from the lab to the bedside faster and with greater impact,” said Pothik Chatterjee, DHI executive director.
The event is free and open to the public, but registration is required. For the full program, livestream access and registration, visit the Digital Health Institute website.
Media planning to attend should contact media relations specialist Silvia Cernea Clark at silviacc@rice.edu.