OK. Let me preface by saying that Scripps’ 9th annual Future of Genomic Medicine conference in San Diego was saturated with some of the most insightful and progressive industry elites who are making a big difference in bringing healthcare to the next level.
That said, there were some pretty big issues, in my opinion, with the conference’s structure.
The surfers alongside the campus had much more room to each catch waves than attendees had to actually get a good view of the stage to view presenters. In the actual conference hall, you were lucky to have a seat at all. During breaks or at lunch, Scripps giveaway tote bags filled each seat, holding a fortunate spot for the next session’s returners. Men in suits sat crouched on the stairs, laptops fulfilling their namesake, and many people stood in the back leaning back and forth to potentially see the stage from below.
There was an outside space with picnic-y tables and a direct view of the ocean, extremely pleasant no doubt (maybe more for a nice seaside lunch), but the large screen set up to view the presentations for those practically forced to go outside only showed the slides that were projected inside, there was no video of the actual presenters. Unless you could put a face to a name for each of the dozens of presenters, it was a challenge to know who was even speaking if you stepped away or temporarily lost focus for an intro.
Then, there was the lack of power outlets to charge computers and phones, both of which were clearly essential for practically each attendee. There was a small table with one power strip and only a few accessible plugs sprinkled elsewhere. (I was on edge for at least half of each day knowing my computer and phone could [and eventually did] die.)
AND THEN, Elizabeth Holmes was skipped over in the program.
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Is @eholmes2003 a no-show at #FOGM16?? She was just skipped over in the program… hmmm
— Nicole Oran (@NicoleOran) March 3, 2016
Yes. Yes, she was. Which isn’t really that surprising. But it was bizarre that no one really acknowledged it. (Update: Dr. Eric Topol reached out to note that he opened the conference and did actually mention Holmes’ last minute withdrawal).
Holmes, CEO of Theranos, backed out of appearing at the conference presumably to avoid further criticism/embarrassment.She was going to talk about democratizing genetic information, but with all of the recent controversy surrounding Theranos, not only would it probably be safer to keep quiet in order to potentially keep ties with its biggest current source of revenue, Walgreens, but credibility in the sector is clearly questionable at the moment.
Her message likely wouldn’t have had a powerful impact in terms of innovation – everyone would have just been waiting to see if it was obvious that she had her tail between her legs. (Of course she could have owned up to what’s been going on and it might have been inspirational for other entrepreneurs who’ve had struggles. But chances are her PR is just not willing to take any more risks at the moment.)
Scripps has a very prominent voice when it comes to the future of genomics, and the long list of speakers disrupting the space and changing the face of healthcare is inspiring. But as far as the structure of the conference goes, there were some disappointments, or rather, challenges.
If I wasn’t so mesmerized by the ocean view, considering the fact that I’m escaping Cleveland snow at the moment, I might have been even more peeved.
Regardless, perhaps changes for next year should be considered.
Photo: Flickr user amenclinicsphotos ac
