HIRANI, the Academy of Medical Sciences and the BioIndustry Association (BIA) hosted a cross-sector forum this week to explore how inequality should reframe innovation, not just as technology deployment, but as targeted interventions for people and place-based health systems.
In Northern Ireland there is a fifteen year gap in healthy life expectancy between the least and most deprived areas. This continues to drive stark differences in outcomes, with poorer health linked to reduced quality of life, increased pressure on health services, and higher levels of economic inactivity.
Speakers included Professor Lourda Geoghegan, Deputy Chief Medical Officer, Department of Health NI, Shaun Grady, Chair of BIA and AstraZeneca UK, Professor James Naismith, Vice President (Non-Clinical), the Academy of Medical Sciences, Professor Chris Molloy, Chief Executive Officer, BIA, Professor David Gibson, Ulster University, Professor Ruth Hunter, Queen’s University Belfast and the Health and Social Care Public Health Agency.
By convening diverse stakeholders and drawing on UK-wide insights, the event supported Northern Ireland’s health system reset ambitions, fostered new partnerships, and will drive more equitable access to innovation for everyone.
