22/04/2022 | BlogPost
Upskilling in a digital health world
It’s no secret that digital technologies are playing a significant role when it comes to shaping the next era of healthcare. Necessity accelerated the adoption of new and sophisticated technologies and systems throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, but this seismic shift towards digital health has opened up a gap in education.
To successfully navigate the potential of digital technologies in healthcare, attention must be focused on upskilling professionals in the field to equip them with the necessary digital health competencies.
This was the subject of a recent pharmaphorum webinar, sponsored by Healthware International, where Healthware CEO Roberto Ascione and Politecnico di Milano (MIP) Professor Emanuele Lettieri laid out plans for a new executive education programme in digital health innovation.
"There is no way we can find enough people that are really skilled about these new modalities, these new interactions, and way of doing things," explained Ascione. "We need to train people and professionals that have a tonne of experience, specifically in the Life Science industry, but then I want to fast track their skills when it comes to digital health."
The need for a new programme
Change, as is often said, begins at the top. And with adoption of digital health on an upward trajectory across life sciences, industry leaders face a choice between actively learning and preparing for changes brought about by the rise of digital, or risk being left behind as the industry evolves.
Even for the brightest minds, the rapid evolution of technology in healthcare presents a significant challenge. As Lettieri noted during the webinar, "Every 36 mins we have a new medical patent in Europe and every nine minutes we have a new app related to healthcare."
This growing need for education and awareness around digital health was a significant driving force in the creation of the Executive Programme in Digital Health Innovation.
"Digital acceleration has opened up numerous opportunities but has also sat out of the comfort zone and skill set of a lot of people working in the industry," explained Ascione. "Essentially, we are on an accelerated transformative path and there is less and less time to get up to speed".
To help professionals and executives navigate the ongoing transformation, Healthware International and the MIP Graduate School of Business joined forces to develop a comprehensive education programme. The aim of the project was simple: provide participants with the tools and understanding needed to effectively formulate a strategic vision in the digital age.
