MIT Hosts Forum for Release of New Report on the Future of Health Research

MIT hosts forum for release of new report on the future of health research
Convergence: The Future of Health report examines the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration

WASHINGTON — On Friday, June 24th, MIT will host a forum at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine in Washington, D.C. to present a new report titled Convergence: The Future of Health, which proposes innovative strategies for an integrated approach to scientific research that could lead to advances in biomedicine, health and related fields. The forum, which follows the release of the report on Thursday, June 23rd, will begin at 9:00 a.m.

Led by the report’s three co-chairs from MIT, former president Susan Hockfield, Tyler Jacks, Director of the David H. Koch Center for Integrated Cancer Research at MIT, and Phillip Sharp, Institute Professor and Nobel Laureate, the findings examine the importance of convergence. Convergence is a practice that integrates historically distinct disciplines – including physical sciences, engineering and computational sciences – with life sciences, to create fundamentally new opportunities for advancement. The report focuses on the role convergence can play in the research of cancer, brain disorders, and infectious disease, as well as the challenges this kind of collaboration faces and recommendations on how to overcome those road blocks.

Scientists from all over the country worked on the report, a number of whom will also be on hand to discuss the findings alongside representatives from government and industry, including Academies President Ralph Cicerone, NSF Director France Córdova, DARPA Director Arati Prabhakar, Science Editor-in-Chief Marcia McNutt and NIH Associate Director Philip E. Bourne, among others.

WHAT:
Convergence: The Future of Health Report Release

WHO:
Tyler Jacks, Director of the Koch Institute, MIT
Phillip Sharp, Institute Professor and Nobel Laureate, MIT

WHEN:
Friday, June 24th
8:30 a.m. - 9:00 a.m.: Registration, Refreshments and Press Availability
9:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.: Program

WHERE:
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
2101 Constitution Ave NW
Lecture Room

MEDIA RSVP:
Reporters interested in attending should RSVP to Sarah McDonnell at [email protected] or by calling 617-253-8923.

Contact:
Sarah McDonnell, MIT News Office
[email protected]; (617) 253-8923