FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg to Keynote 5th Annual mHealth Summit this December in Washington D.C.

WASHINGTON, Oct. 8, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- The mHealth Summit today announced U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Margaret Hamburg will deliver the opening keynote on the fourth day of this year's event on Wednesday, December 11.  The 5^th Annual Summit, the largest global conference and expo focused on the intersection of mobile/wireless and healthcare delivery, will include key policy discussions on the mobile health ecosystem and the future of innovation.

Dr. Hamburg's keynote comes as the mobile technology community – including developers, innovators, investors and providers as well as other stakeholders and policymakers – looks to gain insights and a better understanding of the critical pathways and implications of the recently issued FDA Guidance on Mobile Health apps.

Dr. Margaret Hamburg, the 21^st Commissioner and only the second woman to head the FDA, received her M.D. from Harvard Medical School and completed her residency at what is now New York Presbyterian Hospital-Weill Cornell Medical Center. On the heels of the highly anticipated guidance from the FDA, Dr. Hamburg's talk will focus on the true implications of the new regulations.

"The timeliness of Dr. Hamburg's keynote comes at a critical junction, as the mobile health ecosystem gathers at the mHealth Summit to explore and debate the impact and merit of the FDA guidance on innovation, regulatory risk and consumer accessibility," said Rich Scarfo, Vice President, Events at HIMSS Media and Director of the mHealth Summit.  "This Guidance also has far-reaching implications as mHealth tools are increasingly integrated into the greater healthcare system at the clinical and provider level – as well as directly to the consumer.  The Summit will provide the platform to help answer that question."

The 2013 mHealth Summit will focus on technology and policy through its four day conference program, town hall meetings hosted by the ONC, FDA and FCC as well as the expo floor hosting nearly 300 companies. The ONC town hall meeting will focus on developments in consumer engagement including consumer eHealth strategy and the Blue Button Initiative. Other strategic sessions hosted by the Application Developer Alliance will explore the impact of increased regulation on mHealth as it relates to innovation.

Registration is open now for the 2013 mHealth Summit which runs December 8-11, 2013 at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in the Washington, D.C. area. Agenda details can be found at www.mhealthsummit.org. Additional speakers and special events will be announced leading up to the Summit.

Keep up with Summit news @mhealthsummit and join the conversation using #mHealth13.

About the mHealth Summit
The 2013 mHealth Summit, the global convener of the expanding mobile health ecosystem, explores the disruptions, challenges and opportunities of the expanding integration of mobile and wireless technologies into the healthcare system, and in consumer and patient engagement, for the delivery of better health outcomes. The 5^th annual mHealth Summit will take place December 8-11, 2013 at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in the Washington, D.C. area. The mHealth Summit is presented by HIMSS, in partnership with the National Institutes of Health, the mHealth Alliance and the Foundation for the NIH. For more information, visit www.mhealthsummit.org; and follow at @mhealthsummit or #mHealth13.

SOURCE mHealth Summit