Lucien Engelen, renowned long-time healthcare innovator, speaker, faculty member at Next Med Health, and co-curator of the ICT&health World Conference as a member of its Conference Board, is excited to bring together an exceptional lineup of global leaders in health, technology, and public impact for a series of keynote sessions featuring unique and iconic speakers:
Dr. Larry Brilliant (USA)
A pioneering and legendary epidemiologist who played a central role in the WHO’s smallpox eradication programme in India, culminating in the global eradication of the world’s most deadly disease by 1980. Beyond this historic achievement, he co-founded the Seva Foundation to restore eyesight to millions, led Google.org as founding executive director, served as senior adviser to the Skoll Foundation, and was named one of Time’s 100 most influential people. He is also a TED Prize winner. His experience covers global health threats—from polio to pandemics—and his memoir, Sometimes Brilliant, captures this extraordinary journey.
Dr. Daniel Kraft (USA)
A Stanford- and Harvard-trained physician-scientist, inventor, and innovator. He is the founder and chair of Next Med Health (formerly Exponential Medicine) and has served as Faculty Chair for Medicine at Singularity University since 2008. He also founded Digital.Health, invented the FDA-approved MarrowMiner, and holds patents across medical devices, immunology, and stem cell technologies. His work has been published in Nature and Science, and he chairs the XPRIZE Pandemic & Health Alliance. A renowned speaker, with multiple TED and TEDMED talks, Dr. Kraft focuses on leveraging exponential technologies to enhance healthspan, diagnostics, therapeutics, and global health.
Dr. Jack Kreindler (UK)
An emergency physician turned healthtech entrepreneur, Dr. Kreindler founded London’s Centre for Health & Human Performance (CHHP) in 2007 and has launched innovative startups like Klarismo (affordable MRI), Sentrian (AI remote monitoring), Certific (telehealth trials), and Wellfounded, among others. His work blends high-altitude physiology, machine learning, and real-world applications. He has spoken widely on translating innovation into practice, urging the tech community, “How we get these technologies into the hands of doctors and patients… today,” with a focus on improving healthspan rather than lifespan.
Dr. Rasu Shrestha (USA)
Chief Innovation and Commercialisation Officer at Advocate Health, one of America’s largest health systems. Previously, he was Chief Innovation Officer at UPMC, where he built the industry’s largest health innovation and venture engine. Recognised as “Executive of the Year” by Healthcare Dive and among the “Top 20 Health IT Leaders Driving Change,” he is a board member and thought leader shaping future healthcare technology and policy. Recently, he spearheaded the creation of Pearl at Advocate Health and the collaboration between Samsung and Xhealth.
Why This Matters
Through Lucien Engelen’s leadership, this collaboration merges: • ICT&health’s commitment to digital health systems • Next Med Health’s global vision of exponential innovation in biomedicine for Europe • A unique platform for public-private partnership, cross-border impact, and technology adoption • The exploration of the convergence of technology, medicine, and patient empowerment • Actionable insights from the world’s foremost experts • Building bridges between leading global health innovation communities for tangible impact
These first four voices represent the full spectrum, from disease eradication and startup ecosystems to enterprise innovation, futuristic but realistic tech. Their combined insights lay the foundation for real-world, scalable impact.
Whether you’re involved in building health systems, designing wearables, developing new public health strategies, or pioneering breakthroughs in AI, medicine, and healthspan improvement—these speakers offer unparalleled perspectives on how ICT and healthcare must evolve together.
In addition to their keynote addresses at the ICT&health World Conference (January 27–29, Maastricht, the Netherlands), they will also participate in a separate, top-tier masterclass co-curated by Lucien Engelen during the conference days, with details to be announced later.
Join us!
This isn’t just a conference, it’s a movement, uniting technology, policy, patient empowerment, and exponential innovation. We look forward to welcoming you to ICT&health World Conference 2026 + Next Med Health, where the future of 21st-century health is being shaped today.
