HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius to Deliver Opening Keynote at 2011 mHealth Summit

 

BETHESDA, MD, November 7, 2011 — The Foundation for the National Institutes of Health (FNIH) today announced Kathleen Sebelius, Secretary of the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), will deliver the opening keynote address at the 2011 mHealth Summit. Since taking office, Secretary Sebelius has demonstrated her commitment to ensuring America continues to lead the world in innovation — including in the mobile health space.

HHS is the main agency responsible for protecting the health of all Americans and providing essential human services, especially for those who are least able to help themselves. The department includes more than 300 programs, covering a wide spectrum of activities. Secretary Sebelius leads efforts to improve America’s health and enhance the delivery of human services to some of the nation’s most vulnerable populations, including young children, those with disabilities, and the elderly.

“We are honored to have Secretary Sebelius join us at the mHealth Summit to share her perspective on the potential of mHealth in America’s most vulnerable communities,” said Richard Scarfo, Director of the mHealth Summit at the FNIH. “The Secretary’s work in promoting wellness and prevention, her support for the adoption of electronic medical records, and her focus on improving health through new technologies and improved care models in America demonstrates her dedication to innovative new approaches, like mHealth.”

This year’s Summit focusing on shaping the future of mobile health, and Secretary Sebelius’s voice, will be an important one in this broad conversation. In the Secretary’s address at the 3rd annual mHealth Summit she will focus on how the Obama Administration is using mobile technologies to promote better health.

The 2011 mHealth Summit has become the global convener of the mHealth ecosystem and brings together leaders from across the world to encourage dialogue and advance collaboration in the use of wireless technology to improve health outcomes. This year’s expanded program offers an analysis of the critical issues surrounding mobile health in the areas of Technology, Research, Policy, Business and Finance. Visionary keynote speakers will headline the event, in addition to an agenda featuring four super sessions and 60 concurrent sessions across 14 tracks.

Presented by the FNIH in partnership with the mHealth Alliance, the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the 3rd annual mHealth Summit will take place December 5-7, 2011 at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in the Washington, DC area.

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For more information:
Visit www.mhealthsummit.org for registration and conference details.

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The event will be open to credentialed media. For press registration, please contact:
Bridgid Myers: 301.402.0114, [email protected]

To become an exhibitor or sponsor, please contact:
Bonnie Knight: 301.435.4493, [email protected]

About the mHealth Summit
The 2011 mHealth Summit presented by the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health (FNIH), in partnership with the mHealth Alliance, the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) is the leading conference advancing cross-sector collaboration in the use of wireless technology to improve health outcomes. The 2011 mHealth Summit, to be held December 5-7 at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center, will connect leaders in government, private sector/industry, academia, and not-for-profit organizations to advance discussion and decision-making related to the intersection of mobile technology, health research, and policy in the United States and abroad. For more information, visit www.mhealthsummit.org.

About the Foundation for the NIH
Established by the United States Congress to support the mission of the NIH — improving health through scientific discovery in the search for cures— the Foundation for the NIH is a leader in identifying and addressing complex scientific and health issues. The Foundation is a not-for-profit, 501(c) (3) charitable organization that raises private-sector funds for a broad portfolio of unique programs that complement and enhance the NIH priorities and activities. For additional information about the Foundation for the NIH, please visit www.fnih.org.

About Health and Human Services
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is the United States government’s principal agency for protecting the health of all Americans and providing essential human services, especially for those who are least able to help themselves. HHS represents almost a quarter of all federal outlays, and it administers more grant dollars than all other federal agencies combined. HHS’ Medicare program is the nation’s largest health insurer, handling more than 1 billion claims per year. Medicare and Medicaid together provide health care insurance for one in four Americans. www.hhs.gov

About the mHealth Alliance: www.mhealthalliance.org

About HIMSS: www.himss.org

Press Contact:
Richard Folkersrfolkers [at] fnih [dot] org
(301) 435-2613