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Keynote Speakers Announced for FutureLink Chicago: Dr. Bertalan Mesko, "The Medical Futurist"; and "e-Patient Dave," Thought Leader on Patient Engagement

NORTH READING, Mass., Sept. 10, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- TraceLink Inc., the World's Largest Track and Trace Network for connecting the life sciences supply chain and providing real-time information sharing for better patient outcomes, today announced Dr. Bertalan Mesko, "The Medical Futurist," and Dave deBronkart, "e-Patient Dave" as the opening and closing keynote speakers for FutureLink, taking place November 5 - 7 in Chicago.

(PRNewsfoto/TraceLink)

With a customized agenda for global, diversified and clinical stage pharmaceutical companies, wholesale distributors and continuing education (CE) courses for hospitals and pharmacies, FutureLink Chicago is the annual global gathering of commercial, operational, and clinical care leaders from the pharmaceutical and healthcare delivery industries who are driving innovative solutions for digital drug supply, transforming existing commercial and delivery models, and enhancing patient care through information sharing networks. This year, FutureLink will also host an invitation-only VIP Executive Summit, providing C-level peer discussions around how to leverage new technologies and make an early impact on the future of digital drug supply.

As the opening guest keynote at FutureLink Chicago, Dr. Bertalan Mesko, "The Medical Futurist" and Amazon Top 100 author, will address attendees by reviewing the top most promising medical technologies that are expected to have the largest impact on medicine and healthcare. With 500+ presentations including courses at Harvard, Stanford, and Yale Universities, he is one of the top voices globally on digital health technologies and the cultural transformation of healthcare that comes with them. Dr. Mesko has been featured by dozens of top publications and influencers, including the World Health Organization, CNN, National Geographic, Forbes, TIME magazine, BBC, and the New York Times.

"Serialization and digital information-sharing will play a pivotal role in advancing the future of the medical and healthcare industries, which are heading towards a revolutionary merge of the digital and physical world," said Dr. Mesko. "I am delighted to join industry leaders and companies at the forefront of this transformation at FutureLink, and discuss the latest developments in technology that are poised to have a massive impact on the future of healthcare."

The closing keynote will be delivered by "e-Patient Dave," a cancer survivor and international keynote speaker on patient engagement.

Diagnosed with late-stage kidney cancer in 2007, Dave deBronkart was given a median survival time of 24 weeks. After engaging with an online patient platform to learn about a new, clinical-stage therapy, he enrolled in the clinical trial and upon aggressive treatment, has been cancer free for 10 years. Today, e-Patient Dave is actively engaged in working with the life sciences and healthcare industries on introducing information directly to patients, thus creating a new dynamic in how information is delivered, accessed and used by patients. He has spoken at more than 600 events, made over 100 media appearances, was a visiting professor at Mayo Clinic, patient advisor to the BMJ, and is co-founder of the Society for Participatory Medicine.

"This unprecedented delivery of information is revolutionizing the relationship between patient and health care providers, which in turn will impact insurance, careers, quality of life and the distribution of finances across the entire spectrum of healthcare," said e-Patient Dave. "Now is the time to engage with patients – as the convergence of digital technologies collides with patients' needs and desires to be more involved with their medical treatment and healthcare. FutureLink Chicago provides opportunities for leaders and decision makers in the life sciences industry to become more involved in delivering end-to-end benefits in improving outcomes for patients."

Both Dr. Mesko and e-Patient Dave have collaborated together on a "Digital Health Manifesto," which asserts that the paradigm shift in the doctor/patient relationship is caused by breakthroughs in the genesis and flow of information: access to knowledge, and digital tools which enable – but do not alone cause – better health through situational awareness and behavior change.

In addition to the opening and closing keynotes at FutureLink Chicago, there will be over 30 presentations from industry thought-leaders, which are designed to help companies with the next stages of their DSCSA planning and implementation, while also providing forward-looking, insightful sessions focused on leveraging information-sharing networks to shape the future of the digital drug supply. Registration for FutureLink Chicago is open.

Additional FutureLink Resources:

  • Download the agenda with over 30 industry presentations
  • Watch the highlights video from FutureLink Munich in June 2018
  • Register for FutureLink Chicago

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About TraceLink
TraceLink is the World's Largest Track and Trace Network for connecting the Life Sciences supply chain and eliminating counterfeit prescription drugs from the global marketplace. Leading businesses trust the TraceLink Life Sciences Cloud to deliver complete global connectivity, visibility and traceability of pharmaceuticals from ingredient to patient. A single point and click connection to the Life Sciences Cloud creates a supply chain control tower that delivers the information, insight and collaboration needed to improve performance and reduce risk across global supply, manufacturing and distribution operations. A winner of numerous industry awards including three consecutive years on Deloitte's Technology Fast 500 (ranked number 177 in 2017), the Amazon AWS Global Start-Up Challenge Grand Prize, and the Edison Award for Innovation in Health Management, the Life Sciences Cloud is used by businesses across the globe to meet strategic goals in ensuring global compliance, fighting drug counterfeiting, improving on-time and in-full delivery, protecting product quality and reducing operational cost.

TraceLink is funded by Georgian Partners, Willett Advisors LLC, Vulcan Capital, Goldman Sachs, FirstMark Capital, Volition Capital and F-Prime Capital.

SOURCE TraceLink Inc.

For further information: Aimee Genzler, Senior Director, Corporate Communications, agenzler@tracelink.com, 978.396.6150