A new event organised by Imperial students and alumni exploring the future of medicine and healthcare is set to take place at the Royal Albert Hall.

Hosted by comedian Dara Ó Briain, Imagining the Future of Medicine will feature talks from leading experts across themes from medical innovation to misunderstood medical concepts. The event celebrates the power of the imagination in creating exciting advances in the field of healthcare.

The Monday 21 April event will feature short talks and artistic performances, including a performance from the Kaos Signing Choir for Deaf & Hearing Children who entertained the world at the London 2012 Olympic Opening Ceremony.

Beyond the main event at the Royal Albert Hall, the day will see biotech showcase The Cell at Imperial’s South Kensington campus.

The Cell, which takes place in the Sir Alexander Fleming building, will showcase a range of innovative health technologies. The most impressive exhibitor at The Cell will get the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to showcase at The Hive TEDMED event in Washington DC and San Francisco this September.

Hasan Asif, Department of Medicine, co-ordinator of The Cell said: “The Cell is a place for entrepreneurs, innovators, inventors and thinkers to come together under one roof to inspire one another and form new ideas.

Dr Ben Goldacre

“We’ve got MSk Lab from Imperial’s own Charing Cross Hospital demonstrating new technologies for orthopaedic surgery and a team from GoodSAM, a new ‘Smartphone Activated Medic’ app that brings first aid responders to patients at the touch of a button. It’s going to be a really exciting showcase.”

Speakers include Curator and Chairman of TEDMED, Jay Walker, doctor, academic and campaigner Ben Goldacre and UCL’s cognitive neuroscience specialists Prof Sarah-Jayne Blakemore and Dr Tali Sharot.

They will be joined by Imperial’s Professor Mark Wilson, Consultant Neurosurgeon and PreHospital Care Specialist at St Mary’s Trauma Centre and London’s Air Ambulance.

The event is being organised by a team of current and former Imperial students led by Ali Rezaei Haddad, who received a medal for outstanding achievement upon his graduation for the similar TEDMED Live Imperial event in 2013.

Ali Rezaei Haddad said: “Our inaugural TEDMED Live event at Imperial College London in 2013 attracted delegates of all backgrounds from California to Tokyo.

“For 2014, we are thrilled to partner with Royal Albert Hall to create a spectacular stage program aiming to deliver a year’s worth of ideas, insights and inspiration about the world of medicine in just one day at the world’s most iconic venue.”

Imaginging the Future of Medicine Trailer

For more information see the Imagining the Future of Medicine website or follow Imagining the Future of Medicine on Twitter and Facebook.