Celebrate Healthcare Innovations

Despite easing restrictions in some states, it will be some time still before large-scale gatherings can once again happen safely. As a result, the Austin-based multimedia festival South by Southwest will be held virtually for 2021: set to launch tomorrow, Tuesday, March 16th.

The virtual event will span five days, offering conference sessions, keynote speeches, musical showcases and film screenings, along with networking and collaboration opportunities for international creatives.

Amid a lineup rich with artistic and tech-driven superstars, SXSW will pay special focus to our past year on lockdown, studying the many changes wrought by the ongoing COVID-19 crisis. Sponsored by W2O in collaboration with Real Chemistry, SXSW will provide in-depth conversations on issues of health equity, vaccine confidence, and the long-term impacts of COVID-19.

As tragic as the pandemic has been, not all impacts have been inherently negative. Conversations will focus largely on the awe-inspiring medical advances achieved over the past twelve months, and what these discoveries could mean for the future of modern medicine.

Attendees can look forward to a Featured Session with Dr. Michael Osterholm: Director of the Center for Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota. He will be joined by Jane Sarasohn-Kahn: health economist and advisor to W20. Together, they will host “COVID-19: The New Reality”—examining 2017 warnings from Osterholm about the inevitability of a new pandemic, and how glaringly unprepared we truly were. The panel will study future developments in our fight against the virus, including the concerns surrounding newly-discovered COVID-19 variants. “COVID-19: The New Reality” will be held Wednesday, March 17th, beginning at 4 PM.

Additional events concerning public health will include “Tech-Enabled Health Solutions and Patient Outcomes”, “@Doctor @Patient: Healthcare Trends on Twitter”, “Patient-Centricity Reduces Healthcare Inequality”, and “How a Video Game Changed How We Talk to Patients”.

Organizers will also be hosting the first-ever “Healthcare Media Lounge”: a two-day event offering virtual panels, fireside chats, happy hour events with musical performances, and meditation sessions. All lounge content will be free for those who register, and no SXSW pass is required to participate.

To attend this year’s virtual presentations, guests can register online to purchase a five-day all-inclusive pass for $399 per person. Your SXSW pass will grant access to all event programming, including digital exhibitions, networking opportunities, professional development sessions and more.