Virtual Medicine symposium brings great minds together

Sold-out conference at Cedar-Sinai in Los Angeles explores the clinical challenges and benefits of prescribing VR for patient care.

Virtual Medicine was developed by Dr. Brennan Spiegel, Director of Health Research and a pioneer in the use of therapeutic virtual reality. The conference is brought about in conjunction with Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, the Marc and Sheri Rapaport Fund for Digital Health Services and Precision Health, and the Mayday Fund. This two-day symposium and workshop that brings together the best in the world to discuss the challenges and benefits of using virtual reality for patient care.

Team assembles tote bags. Credit: @BrennanSpiegel 

Lectures, case studies, vignettes and simulation workshops all help attendees understand VR better, and includes:

• Reviewing the evidence of the efficacy of medical VR
• Studying patient success stories
• Learning best practices
• Discussing the cost-effectiveness of these programs
• Hearing from patients who have received therapy of this kind

There are almost 30 speakers lined up for the symposium, and it is set to cover a broad range of topics related to VR and its therapeutic applications.

Each day of the symposium carries different themes. The first part of Day 1 (March 28) is called “The Present and Future of Medical VR: Evidence Review & Lessons Learned.” The second half of Day 1 is called “Virtual Reality for Pain Management.”

 Day 2 begins with “VR in the Clinic: Case Studies & Patient Vignettes.” The second part of Day 2 is “More Roundtables with the Experts.” A third part is titled “Supercharging VR: New Tech to Deepen Therapeutic Immersion,” followed by “What’s Next for Medical VR?”

Conference set up. Credit: @BrennanSpiegel 

The event takes place at the Harvey Morse Auditorium at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles at the end of March. The symposium is already sold out, but it will be livestreamed on www.virtualmedicine.health/livestream