Cambridge focuses on healthcare with diverse events this autumn

First up is the Wesley Church Centenary Lecture, The future of the NHS next Saturday, October 24th (10:30am) at the Wesley Methodist Church,  Christ Pieces, CB1 1LG, which features Hugh Pym, BBC News Health Correspondent.

Admission is free, with donations to the The Sick Children's Trust. Find out more.

On Wednesday November 18th, you have the opportunity to hear Simon Stevens, Chief Executive of the National Health Service, talking about Future Directions for the NHS at the annual Cambridge Centre for Health Services Research (CCHSR) lecture in conjunction with RAND Europe.  Taking place at Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute, Li Ka Shing Centre, Robinson Way, Cambridge, CB2 0RE, this event opens at 5pm with tea and coffee, with the lecture starting at 5.30pm. It will be followed by wine and nibbles.

Simon Stevens has held a wide variety of healthcare posts both within the UK and internationally and has served as an adviser to several major political figures, including Tony Blair. He has served in his current position since April 2014 and has received wide acclaim for his expertise within the health sector, having been described as knowing ‘more about NHS problems and market solutions than any man alive’.  Find out more.

Another prestigious speaker, Professor Dame Sally Davies, Chief Medical Officer for England, provides the keynote address at BioBeat15 - Rethinking bio-innovation: Translating genomics into biobusiness, which takes place from 9am at the Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridge, on Friday November 20th. This one-day conference brings together stakeholders in genomics, pharma, biotech and beyond to share insights and meet like-minded individuals.

Miranda Weston-Smith, founder of BioBeat, says: “Traditionally, drug development has been driven by potential market size, with drug regulation, clinical trials and reimbursement designed around this assumption. Genomics is disrupting this model, moving us into an era of niche medicines. Now more than ever, we need to be more visionary in the ways in which we translate genomic science into patient care, more inter-disciplinary, and more collaborative."

BioBeat15 presentation themes include ‘Challenges of the Genomics Landscape’ and ‘Mindsets, Money and Innovation’ (Dr Julie Barnes, Abcodia, Chair). Panel sessions focus on ‘Inspirational Stories’ and ‘Driving Capacity and Growth with Teams and Boards’ (Dr Fiona Marshall, Heptares Therapeutics, Chair). Find out more.

Finally, on Tuesday November 24th (6-8.30pm)  Cambridge Network offers insight into the exciting new ideas and technologies being developed at the University of Cambridge at its second Industry meets Emerging Science event. Like its popular predecessor held in January this year, the meeting will feature a series of succinct two-minute explanations of advances in a mix of disciplines. Research projects will be drawn from various departments from the university and clinical schools and will have a ‘research that can be applied to healthcare’ focus.

Co-chaired by Prof Sir Mark Welland and Dr Hermann Hauser, the event will include shotgun explanations that give key messages from the project, envisaged applications and impact, and will be followed by some mingling and discussion in the Hauser Forum West Café  (Charles Babbage Road, Cambridge CB3 0GT), designed to bring Cambridge research to the attention of Cambridge Network member businesses.

Find out more and sign up here.