Synopsis
Emerging technologies (e.g., artificial intelligence, blockchain, mobile apps, social media, social robots, virtual reality) continue to play an integral role in the provision of healthcare spanning fields such as digital health, mHealth, telemedicine, telecare and telehealth.  International institutions, like the European Commission and World Health Organization, have steadfastly promoted the use of technologies to transform the healthcare sector and to facilitate cross-border services. Healthcare technologies are useful in providing direct access to healthcare and in facilitating and supporting healthcare-related functions. Examples include medical data storage (electronic health or medical records, cloud computing), data sharing (locally, nationally, and across borders), data analytics, and access to healthcare services.  Policy makers and businesses continue to seek ways to use healthcare technologies to provide benefits to stakeholders including patients, healthcare professionals, clinics and hospitals, governments, research initiatives, and business ventures. These and other developments in healthcare technologies bring challenges that raise questions spanning legal, ethical, social, and governance concerns, particularly for the scale-up and implementation of health IT.

Themes covered

Workshop topics include legal, ethical, social and governance challenges regarding the following below.

Artificial intelligence (machine learning) and data science in healthcare	International issues, including regulatory harmonisation and best practices
Advances in digital health, mHealth, telemedicine, telecare and telehealth	Internet pharmacies and online medical services
Blockchain technologies in healthcare	Liability
Bioinformatics, biorepositories	Mobile health apps
Capacity-building and workforce skills/training.	Patients’ rights
Data privacy, protection, security, and integrity and governance	Personal health records
Decision support systems and prognostic scoring systems	Public health informatics and policy analysis/decision-making
Disabilities and technology, health informatics, and informatics use throughout the life-course	Privacy and confidentiality in healthcare
Electronic health records or electronic medical records	Remote presence healthcare and medical use in homes
Electronic prescribing	Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR)
Green/environmental aspects of healthcare IT.	Robots, including social robots, and digital or virtual companions
Government regulation of health informatics tools	Social networking and healthcare
Health data (secondary use of data)	Software engineering and coding
Health disparities, health inequities, digital divides	Threats to healthcare IT infrastructure  (e.g. cyber security, network security)
Informed consent	Virtual reality in healthcare
Interoperability (technical, semantic, organisational, legal) and infrastructure	Visual analytics in healthcare

Call for papers

Short position papers (with a maximum of 1,500 words) on any of the  topics listed above are welcomed (references not counted in word count). The papers can and should relate particularly to research currently being undertaken and applications either being developed or more specifically deployed in a variety of jurisdictions: e.g., Africa, Canada, European Member States, the Middle East, South America, the United Kingdom, the United States of America and beyond.

After the workshop, authors will be invited to develop their position papers into full papers for publication in a journal or edited book. 

Participants should use the Springer Word Temple (available here).

Submissions should be sent to:  c.george[at]mdx.ac.uk

Deadlines
Submission of position paper: Monday 24th March 2025.
Notification of acceptance of position paper: Monday 21st April 2025
Confirm attendance: Monday 28th April 2025 (Registration Form).

Costs
The workshop is free to attend for all attendees, but you are expected to fund your own transportation and accommodation costs. You will need to confirm your attendance via the registration form by Monday 28th April 2025.

Location
Middlesex University, Committee Room 1, Hendon Town Hall, The Burroughs Hendon, NW4 4BT. See travel information below.

Time
Thursday. 26th June 2025,  12:30 - 5pm
Friday:  27th June 2025,  9:30am – 4pm

Programme
A preliminary workshop programme will be published by the end of April 2025 (after acceptance of position papers).

Workshop Organisers/Committee

Dr Carlisle George: Associate Professor and Barrister (Middlesex University, London).

Ms. Diane Whitehouse: eHealth Consultant. Former Scientific Officer (European Commission’s DG CNECT on ageing, disability and health).

Dr Penny Duquenoy: Former Associate Professor (Middlesex University, London). Former Chair (British Computer Society’s ICT Ethics Specialist Group).

Prof Kenneth Goodman: Professor (Department of Medicine) Miami University. Founder and Director – Institute for Bioethics and Health Policy Director (University of Miami Ethics Programs). Director – Data Ethics and Society (Institute for Data Science and Computing, University of Miami, USA).

 
Accommodation in Hendon

Click here for a list of suitable hotels in Hendon, close to Middlesex University. Otherwise there are excellent public transport links to Middlesex University from all areas of London.

We are working with Middlesex University's accommodation team to see whether nearby student ensuite accommodation can be made available for rent to workshop participants on the night of Thursday 26th June 2026. This will be confirmed by April 2025.