On Thursday, April 11 and Friday, April 12, Missouri Southern State University (MSSU) will host the first annual Willcoxon Innovation in Health Sciences Summit, thanks to a generous donation by Bob and Dot Willcoxon. The event will break ground on the Roy Blunt Health Science Innovation Center and celebrate the future of healthcare with leaders in the industry.
At 1:00 p.m. on Thursday, Senator Roy Blunt will kick off the Summit with a presentation, “Stories of Health and Higher Education Innovation.” The Innovation Center, located on the campus oval, will open in 2025. It will train future healthcare workers with immersive learning opportunities for undergraduate students, including a simulated hospital with the latest technology, facilities for acute care, labor and delivery, and emergency care, a radiological technology lab, an expanded cadaver lab, and a global research space.
Keynote speaker Dr. Christa Lese Martin, PhD, FACMG, is Chief Scientific Officer and Vice Dean for Research at Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine and founding Director of Geisinger’s Autism and Developmental Medicine Institute. She will deliver Friday’s opening presentation on the future of healthcare.
Beginning at 10:00 a.m. on Friday, healthcare professionals will present three sessions. Session one, Future Delivery of Healthcare, will feature presentations and a Q&A with Dr. Catherine Satterwhite, Executive Director for the Center for Population Health and Equity (CPHE) at Kansas City University, and Dr. Robert McNab, Vice President of Medical Education at Freeman Health Systems. Session two, Advances in Technology and Therapy, will present speeches and a Q&A by industry leaders. Session three, Envisioning the Future of Healthcare in the Four State Region, will include a moderated panel and Q&A with representatives of Mercy and Freeman Hospitals.
Dr. Sherry Whiteman, Healthcare Administration Department Chair, is excited to hear from these industry experts about healthcare trends. “I think the greatest upcoming innovations are generative AI and Telemedicine 2.0,” she said.
While analytical artificial intelligence (AI) has been used in healthcare for many years, generative AI is a relatively new technology, capable of creating new content as well as summarizing and translating existing content.
“Generative AI is already here and transforming the landscape,” Dr. Whiteman said. “It has the ability to transform the patient journey through personalized recommendations, access to chatbots and virtual assistants, and the development of medical AI algorithms based on live patient data.”
Telemedicine, popularized during the COVID-19 pandemic, virtualizes healthcare services. Telemedicine 2.0 exceeds the convenience of the 1.0 model by facilitating the collection of patient data and analysis by healthcare professionals.
“Telemedicine 2.0 takes virtual healthcare to the next level,” Dr. Whiteman said, “using wearable devices for in-home diagnostics and even virtual medical wards where patients are monitored in their home instead of in the hospital.”
The Summit will commemorate the importance of our region and our campus as a touchstone of the healthcare industry as it evolves. Open to all, current students and healthcare professionals are encouraged to attend. This event is a unique opportunity to learn from industry professionals and network with representatives from medical schools and healthcare organizations.
“Missouri Southern offers the whole package,” Dr. Whiteman said. “We have more degree programs in health and life sciences than any other public university in the state of Missouri. We focus on immersive learning experiences to create graduates who are sought after by facilities across the nation. And we have a long history of strength in healthcare education with long-time one hundred percent licensure pass rates and one hundred percent job placements for many of our programs. When you choose MSSU, you will likely find the program of study that suits you best, train on advanced equipment in state-of-the-art immersive spaces to hone your skills, and move from the role of student to practitioner with ease.”
Register for the Willcoxon Innovation in Health Sciences Summit here.
Schedule of Events
Thursday, April 11, 2024
1:00 p.m. groundbreaking for the Roy Blunt Health Science Innovation Center at the MSSU Oval
2:00 p.m. Willcoxon Innovation in Health Sciences Summit Kick Off Presentation by Senator Roy Blunt, “Stories of Health and Higher Education Innovation” at the Taylor Performing Arts
center
Friday, April 12, 2024
7:30 a.m. registration, check-in, and breakfast in the lobby of Taylor Performing Arts Center
8:30 a.m. presentation by Keynote Speaker Dr. Christa Martin on the future of healthcare in Taylor Performing Arts Center
9:50 a.m. break
10:00 a.m. Session 1: Future Delivery of Healthcare with Dr. Catherine Satterwhite, Executive Director for the Center for Population Health and Equity (CPHE), Kansas City University and Dr. Robert McNab, Vice President of Medical Education, Freeman Health Systems, and Q&A at the end of the session
11:10 a.m. break
11:20 a.m. Session 2: Advances in Technology and Therapy and Q&A at the end of the session
12:00 p.m. lunch in Young Gymnasium
1:30 p.m. Session 3: Envisioning the Future of Healthcare in the Four State Region: Perspectives from Major Health Providers, a moderated panel with representatives of Mercy and Freeman who will answer questions about the future of healthcare in the region
2:30 p.m. closing remarks and details about the 2025 Willcoxon Innovation in Health Sciences Summit
