Disruptive technologies to the rescue of people's health
We live in a moment of accelerated transformation, where disruptive technologies and new social expectations are redefining what healthcare systems must become. Understanding where we stand and where we need to go is essential to guide this evolution with clarity and ambition.
Countries that are advancing most quickly — particularly in the Anglo-Saxon and Nordic spheres — have already outlined strategic frameworks that guide their reforms. In contrast, we still lack a shared, structured framework to guide initiatives in a coherent and aligned way. This absence generates dispersion, inefficiency and, above all, frustration among many professionals.
With this in mind, Innohealth Academy organised the II Symposium on the Future of Healthcare, bringing together leading experts to explore how disruptive technologies — especially artificial intelligence and quantum technologies — can accelerate system transformation and to discuss the foundations of a new people-centred healthcare model.
The symposium was organised around two main themes:
- How revolutionary technologies can transform healthcare systems and organisations, with a focus on the opportunities and limitations of AI and quantum technologies.
- How to redesign healthcare around what truly matters, presenting a proposal for a proactive, predictive and person-centred model aligned with long-term sustainability.
The discussions highlighted the urgent need to move from a reactive, disease-centred system to a model that prioritises prevention, personalisation and health outcomes; to promote cultural transformation and new governance models; and to ensure Europe develops its own technological capabilities to maintain sovereignty and equity.
Innohealth Academy remains committed to contributing, from independence and collaboration, to the design of a shared framework that enables the transformation our system needs.
Overviews
Section 1: Revolutionary Technologies that Improve Health
The Disruptive Potential of AI in Healthcare Systems and Organizations
How Revolutionary Technologies Are Transforming Health
The first section explored how cutting-edge technologies such as artificial intelligence and quantum science are reshaping healthcare. Speakers highlighted the disruptive potential of AI, its rapid evolution, and the challenges of integrating probabilistic systems into clinical environments. The session also introduced the emerging impact of quantum technologies—from ultra-precise sensors to future advances in computing and secure communications—showing how they could open new frontiers in diagnosis, research, and data protection.
Speakers
Pep Martorell
Academic background
Pep Martorell holds a degree in Physics from the University of Barcelona and a PhD in Computer Science from Ramon Llull University.
Professional experience
He served as Deputy Director of the Barcelona Supercomputing Center (BSC), where he led strategic initiatives in high-performance computing, data infrastructures and innovation.
Current position
He is currently a Partner at Invivo Partners, contributing to the development of a new €100 million fund at the intersection of AI and science.
John Calsamiglia
Academic background
He holds a licentiate degree in Physics from Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB). He earned his PhD in Theoretical Physics from the Helsinki Institute of Physics.
Professional experience
He held post-doctoral positions at the Harvard‑Smithsonian Centre for Astrophysics & UConn, the Ludwig‑Maximilians‑Universität München, and the Universität Innsbruck. He returned to UAB as a Ramón y Cajal researcher and has been a tenured professor since 2010.
Current position
He is a Full Professor at the Department of Physics of the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, specialising in quantum information theory.
Section 2.
Redesigning What Truly Matters in Healthcare
Redesigning What Truly Matters in Healthcare
The second section presented a forward-looking model for a people-centred health system. The speakers outlined why the current model is no longer sustainable and proposed shifting from reactive, disease-focused care to a proactive, predictive and preventive approach. They emphasised integrated care, shared goals across all actors, new financing models that reward keeping people healthy, and the need for citizens to own and control their health data. The session highlighted that meaningful transformation requires cultural change, collaboration across silos, and strong alignment between clinical, social and organisational perspectives
Speakers
Josep Manel Picas
Academic background
He studied medicine and later developed a strong focus on health information systems and data management in healthca
Professional experience
He has held key managerial roles in healthcare organisations (including being Director of Primary Care in Barcelona) and has extensive experience in the integration of ICT in health and social care context.
Current position
He is President of SalusCoop and continues working on initiatives related to health data governance and citizen-centred information Systems.
Josep Maria Piqué
Academic background
He holds a degree in Medicine from the University of Barcelona and a PhD in Medicine from the same institution.
Professional experience
He began his medical career at the Gastroenterology Service of the Hospital Clínic de Barcelona, later became Head of that service, then held roles such as Medical Director and Sub-Director General. He was appointed General Director of the Hospital Clínic in 2011.
Current position
He is now an international health consultant, providing advisory services in healthcare systems and innovation.