Great Challenges Day: An Afternoon of Great Provocations and New Mental Models

Today’s Great Challenges in Health and Medicine are rooted in a complex web of poorly understood interdependencies among social, commercial, economic, regulatory, cultural and medical factors.

Progress against our challenges demands our best thinkers and doers from every discipline, whether in health and medicine or not, to figure out how to connect the seemingly unconnected and create new possibilities.

But, it’s not enough just to convene this community and expect innovation to emerge. Time is too precious to just let it happen. Instead, we must provide a carefully curated program designed to stimulate, inspire and better prepare us to innovate.

We also must learn to share our work with others in ways that scale. Effective storytelling is the key and is carefully integrated into the TEDMED experience. Research and data are vital but so is how we present them to others. Stories create receptivity, engagement and connection that is much tougher with only cold hard facts. To make change in the world around us we need to capture other people’s attention; we need to get them to care; and, ultimately, we need to get them to take action. That’s where storytelling can make all the difference.

Delegates come to TEDMED to refresh their relationship with the world around them and have their “normal” views challenged. They intuitively understand that journeys filled with surprises and amazing new people will stimulate their imagination in ways that create all sorts of new possibilities in their own world and work.

That’s what Great Challenges Day is all about. After spending 3 ½ days experiencing the formal stage program, the power of storytelling, meeting informally with fellow Delegates and learning about the entire innovation landscape in The Hive, Great Challenges Day extends the core TEDMED experience with a more intimate, more hands-on working session. Participants will convene in small groups to dig into the Challenge of their choice, along with 20-30 fellow Delegates. They’ll leverage storytelling as a way to synthesize and simplify the complexities inherent to each of the Great Challenges. It is our hope that participants will perceive the challenge in a new, more visceral and more urgent way, and spur then to action.

The Great Challenges Program seeks to create a comprehensive, updated baseline of understanding of what we face in each Challenge. Without a fuller understanding, the singular efforts of our various specialties to manage these Challenges will have a marginal effect. To get real impact, multifaceted challenges needed multidisciplinary approaches. And, that’s exactly what we hope to catalyze with the program.

In addition to our partnership with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the Great Challenges Day is made possible by the contributions of four leadership companies, each of which will facilitate multiple working group sessions:

1. Booz Allen Hamilton
2. Edelman
3. Innosight
4. Jump Associates
5. George Washington University Faculty

We also thank our host for the Great Challenges Day, George Washington University as well as its faculty and students for their participation.

The Role of the Patient

Patient empowerment can be a double-edged sword. From hospitals and insurance companies to doctors and patients themselves, much of the medical system increasingly treats patients as “customers” or “consumers,” terms that some people love and others hate. If patients are customers, does that mean “the customer is king” or does it mean “buyer beware” — or both? 

If patients retain their traditional role, does that mean doctors are in charge? Are both in charge somehow? How is “power” shared among all stakeholders and how should it be shared?

DISCUSSION FACILITATORS

Managing Chronic Diseases Better

Chronic disease is America’s leading cause of premature death and disability. Heart disease, cancer, respiratory illness and certain others are among the most costly and common health problems, yet they are often among the most easily prevented and controlled.

How can we innovate better approaches to help patients prevent, manage and treat their chronic diseases and achieve better outcomes?

DISCUSSION FACILITATOR

Coming to Terms with the Obesity Crisis (Adults)

In 40 years, the U.S. population has gone from 40% overweight to 68% overweight. Half of American adults are dangerously obese, leading to many chronic conditions and deadly (and expensive) diseases.

The key drivers are our choices of food and activity, but multiple additional factors also play a role — from family dynamics to cultural roots, stress, economics, lifestyle and many more. Unlike smoking or drinking, eating is not optional. How can Americans move to healthier lifestyles — or, if we can’t change these trends, how can the healthcare system cope with the results?

DISCUSSION FACILITATOR

The Caregiver Crisis

An estimated 44 million people provide full-time or part-time care for the elderly, disabled veterans, new mothers, the injured, the sick, etc. — a problem that eventually impacts everyone in the nation.

DISCUSSION FACILITATOR

Eliminating Medical Errors

All humans make mistakes. Doctors and nurses are human; they make mistakes. All systems are imperfect. Medical professionals use systems.

Errors by medical professionals and systems are inevitable (unfortunately, they send 2.4 million patients to hospitals yearly and are directly linked to 200,000 annual fatalities). Regardless of methods used to detect, prove and compensate for medical errors, how much better can we do in reducing or eliminating medical errors and what areas should we focus on to get the best improvements?

DISCUSSION FACILITATOR

Achieving More Medical Innovation, More Affordably

New medical tests, treatments and devices are often very expensive when first introduced. Eventually, market forces bring the prices down. However, since most patients don’t pay for healthcare out of their own pockets, they don’t want to wait.

Patients disproportionately demand the latest, best medical products and services immediately — often, even if the demanded good is of marginal relevance to their condition. Leaving out questions of universal access and rationing, how can we make more medical innovations more affordable, more quickly, for more people?

Which proven strategies from Silicon Valley, the Moon landings, the Manhattan Project or other successful models could be applied effectively to achieving faster, yet less costly innovation in health and medicine?

DISCUSSION FACILITATOR

Reducing Childhood Obesity

The challenge of childhood obesity is significantly different, some argue, from the challenge of adult obesity. Children don’t have the power over their lives, decisions, and lifestyles that adults have (parents and adults make many decisions for them and have the power to enforce certain behaviors).

Social institutions have more impact on kids than on adults (like church, YMCA, and especially school — including school lunch programs, mandatory gym classes, possible nutritional education, etc.).

Finally, there is the fact that kids are less set in their ways than adults, so it’s easier to change their behaviors and teach them new concepts. The number of obese children has just passed 20% and continues to grow. What is the full range of underlying causes for this trend and which combined causes are chiefly responsible?

DISCUSSION FACILITATOR

Coming to Grips with End-of-Life Care

Modern medicine has extended the life expectancies of many terminally ill Americans. In turn, prolonging lives can mean incurring more intensive care and the associated costs.

In 2010, Medicare paid $55 billion for doctor and hospital bills during the last two months of patients’ lives. Quality end-of-life care requires balancing the input of doctors, families and patients themselves. And making crucial end-of-life decisions can take physical and emotional tolls on patients and their loved ones.

How should we help people manage end-of-life care choices to maximize individual well-being and minimize social cost?

DISCUSSION FACILITATORS

Preparing for the Dementia Tsunami

It’s no secret that mental health tends to decline as we age (Alzheimer’s, dementia, etc). Some is natural cognitive decline; some is disease with severe cognitive impairment due to diseases associated almost entirely with aging.

By 2020 there will be 43 million Americans over 65 and 15 million over 85 (double the figures of 1980). Almost certainly, we are facing an unprecedented number of mentally impaired citizens.

Hope for cures is not a strategy. What should we be doing to prepare to meet the needs of tens of millions of mentally impaired older citizens?

DISCUSSION FACILITATOR

Addressing Whole-Patient Care

Regardless of patients’ roles in their own healthcare, there will always be questions about how doctors should approach medical problems — by focusing more on the symptoms and disease, or on the patient who has them?

Most doctors specialize due to a variety of pressures and incentives from economic and technological to social, professional and educational. The number of medical specialists (and specialties) continues to grow while the number of primary care physicians continues to shrink.

In the process, the goal of fitting all these specialties together for effective whole-patient care becomes ever more elusive. How can we treat the whole patient rather than the disease?

DISCUSSION FACILITATORS

Making Prevention Popular and Profitable

America spends $2 trillion a year on healthcare — mostly treating people after they become sick. How can we unlock prevention as a trillion-dollar business in America so we spend less on “sick care” and get Americans to “buy” healthy lifestyles?

DISCUSSION FACILITATOR

Improving Medical Communication

Physicians are not typically trained in interpersonal communications and are not rewarded based on their communication skills.

Equally important, patients are often intimidated when talking to doctors and often feel they don’t have a receptive audience, especially when doctors are rushed. What can be done about this on both sides of the challenge (patients and doctors) — including possible initiatives in areas ranging from education to technology, to possible changes in the physical workspace? How do we make this issue a priority?

DISCUSSION FACILITATOR

Faster Adoption of Best Practices

Best Practices Medical progress only occasionally depends on double blind, placebo-controlled studies. Most healthcare improvements come through small, incremental steps across tens of thousands of surgeries, procedures and protocols — from a better way to take a temperature to a better stitch or a better way to ask a question in the ER. But most of these improvements are not captured, shared and replicated across the healthcare system.

Even when best practices are identified and publicized, many providers seem slow to adopt them. What can we do to capture millions of improvements per year and make best practices available to benefit many more providers and patients?

DISCUSSION FACILITATORS

Addressing Healthcare Costs and Payment Systems

The U.S. remains locked in a decades-long controversy over how citizens should pay for healthcare, what healthcare should cost, who should pay, how much, and what incentives, if any, should be “paid” to patients who stay well (or try to).

How do we foster a thoughtful, civil dialog that focuses on science and the public interest, in a way that has a reasonable chance of eventually creating an approach we can all support?

DISCUSSION FACILITATOR

Addressing the Impact of Poverty on Health

The 46 million Americans who live in poverty are measurably less healthy and have far worse health outcomes than the rest of the population. Less certain is how much of these negative health outcomes are directly caused by poverty and how much is caused by other factors.

America would be better off if everyone were healthy, regardless of income — especially since government programs cover some of these costs directly. How should we think about the role and impact of poverty within the larger question of health?

DISCUSSION FACILITATOR

Promoting Active Lifestyles

There is no disagreement that people who are more active have dramatically better overall health. Yet today’s average American adult burns 500 fewer calories per day than farmers and factory workers did 100 years ago — while consuming many more calories.

How do we invent broadly popular and achievable ways for people to become more active, so as to replace those “lost” energy expenditures?

DISCUSSION FACILITATOR

Inventing Wellness Programs that Work

From corporate America to the U.S. government and its armed forces, small businesses and even religious and educational institutions, many large-scale organizations have a strong economic motive to encourage their workforces to adopt healthier lifestyles (worker wellness means lower insurance rates for employers).

Many organizations have discovered elements that support worker wellness to some degree, but no group has put it all together for large scale, long-term success. Compounding this problem is a disagreement over the relative responsibility of the individual versus the responsibility of the organization for employee health (with issues ranging from workplace environment and stress, to on-the-job support for healthy lifestyles—or the lack of such support).

What kinds of innovation should we be thinking about and how can we encourage them to come to market as soon as possible?

DISCUSSION FACILITATOR

Waking Up to the Causes and Effects of Sleep Deprivation

While sleeping too few hours each night can have serious health consequences, we now know that better sleep is a tool that can be applied to many other Great Challenges of health and medicine. More and better quality sleep can fight obesity, help reduce medical errors, improve outcomes for the chronically ill, help special needs children cope better in society, fight stress, etc.

Sleep fights an uphill battle as American society seems to conspire against it.  Children set off for school at dawn. Tough financial times push cash-strapped workers to take multiple jobs. Shift work conflicts with the body’s natural clock. Type A personalities push themselves to work long hours and take redeye flights. Undiagnosed sleep apnea is rampant. Med students work 30-hour shifts with no sleep. Teenagers text into the night.

What is the full range of causes (social, medical, technological, economic, etc.) that engender and promote this widespread problem? What are the first-order and second-order effects, and beyond, of sleep deprivation? What would it take, and what would it mean, for America to view sleep as the third pillar of total health, alongside diet and exercise?

DISCUSSION FACILITATOR

Coping with the Impact of Stress

Tranquilizers, antidepressants, sleeping pills and antianxiety medications exceed 33% of annual U.S. prescriptions. Unhealthy levels of stress are far more prevalent than most people recognize, and stress contributes to many other mental and physical health problems.

Given that stress is difficult to quantify and varies from person to person, how do we better understand the role of stress in the larger picture of health?

DISCUSSION FACILITATOR

Shaping the Future of Personalized Medicine

Science is harvesting more and more information about the human population, and individual patients specifically. Medicine is understanding the roles of genomics and the environment in a patient’s medical history. Yet translating this data to practice has proved difficult. The fundamental question for a physician is still: will this treatment work for my patient?

How can the wealth of medical information be factored into patient medical records and into everyday care — more quickly, more usefully and more completely?

How can insights into individual patients — gleaned from in vitro and in vivo diagnostic tests — allow us to zero in on targeted therapies?

DISCUSSION FACILITATOR

TEDMED secured rooms at discounted rates at nearby hotels. Though these hotels are now sold out, there is still availability at other properties nearby. You are responsible for booking your own hotel rooms. We will provide complimentary transportation to and from the Kennedy Center and evening event from the hotels listed below. You may take advantage of this service even if you are staying somewhere else in the area.

HOTELS WITHIN 5 MINUTES WALKING

Washington Guest Suites

801 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, D.C. 20037

From the hotel's website: Experience a warm welcome at the Washington Guest Suites Hotel in the heart of beautiful, historic Foggy Bottom in Washington DC. Relax in our all-suite accommodations designed for optimal space and comfort. Only a five-minute walk to the Foggy Bottom metro station, the Washington Guest Suites Hotel in Washington DC is conveniently located for all that the capital has to offer. Enjoy easy access to George Washington University and the Kennedy Center for Performing Arts and only a short trip from the White House, Smithsonian Museum, and National Gallery of Art.

The George Washington University Inn

824 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, D.C. 20037

From the hotel's website: Discover a warmer, more personal side of the Nation's Capital at The George Washington University Inn. Conveniently located just two blocks from The George Washington University and the John F. Kennedy Center for Performing Arts, this quaint Washington, DC inn offers convenience and all the personalized service of a boutique hotel. Make yourself at home in spacious rooms and suites appointed with every comfort imaginable for short leisure visits or extended business stays. Explore DC at a delightful pace, with most major businesses and attractions no more than a few minutes' walk away. Cozy and inviting, The George Washington University Inn blends classic tradition with personalized comfort.

HOTELS WITHIN 10-15 MINUTES WALKING

The Melrose Hotel

2430 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, D.C. 20037

From the hotel's website: Ideally located just two blocks from Georgetown and the Foggy Bottom Metro Station, the Melrose Hotel is within easy reach of leading landmarks, museums and places of interest in Washington, DC while providing an oasis of calm from the city hustle. The generously oversized rooms and brick wall interiors at the Melrose Hotel Washington, DC provide sophisticated travelers with a multitude of layouts, peaceful and quiet evenings and luxurious amenities.

One Washington Circle Hotel

One Washington Circle NW, Washington, D.C. 20037

From the hotel's website: One Washington Circle Hotel is located in the heart of Washington, DC’s vibrant Foggy Bottom neighborhood, and within a leisurely stroll of both Georgetown and Dupont Circle. The cool vibe of One Washington Circle Hotel is noticed by guests the moment one steps through the front doors of our hotel. The stylish lobby overlooking Washington Circle, coupled with the friendly staff members who welcome each guest with a genuine smile create that cool, yet warm vibe. Experience our modern, contemporary boutique hotel offering a prime downtown location, excellent dining and warm, welcoming service that make this the ideal DC hotel for the mid-week corporate traveler and weekend leisure guest alike.

HOTELS WITHIN 15-20 MINUTES WALKING

Park Hyatt Washington

1201 24th Street NW, Washington, D.C. 20037

From the hotel's website: Find a sophisticated sanctuary in Washington's fashionable West End Georgetown neighborhood within this elite Washington DC luxury hotel. Just steps from boutique shopping and minutes to the White House and other historic sites, the modern-designed Park Hyatt Washington offers discriminating travelers exceptional accommodations in a premier location. Award winning dining, uncompromising service and luxurious touches make this urbane DC hotel an enclave of refined taste.

Renaissance Washington, DC Dupont Circle Hotel

1143 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, D.C. 20037

From the hotel's website: Sophisticated and contemporary, the Renaissance Washington, DC Dupont Circle Hotel offers intimate boutique hotel style accommodations with luxurious touches. Recently completing a multi-million dollar redesign, this Dupont Circle hotel is the area's newest Renaissance. This hotel is conveniently situated near Georgetown, Dupont Circle, and the DC Metro - just minutes from iconic sites. Discover the newly remodeled guest rooms and suites, which elevate the boutique hotel experience to extraordinary new heights.

Washington Marriott

1221 22nd Street NW, Washington, D.C. 20037

From the hotel's website: Experience urban sophistication at the Washington Marriott hotel in Washington, DC located near historic Georgetown, the refined West End District and the Nation's top attractions. As a renowned Washington, DC luxury hotel, this Georgetown hotel features 470 well-appointed hotel rooms near George Washington University (GWU) and the Kennedy Center. Enjoy a fine dining experience at The Atrium, a welcoming Georgetown Washington hotel restaurant serving fresh, chef-crafted cuisine in a vibrant setting. Discover a revitalized Dupont Circle hotel combining impeccable service, a premier downtown location and unparalleled style at the Washington Marriott luxury hotel in Washington, DC.

Embassy Suites Washington DC

1250 22nd Street NW, Washington, D.C. 20037

From the hotel's website: The Embassy Suites Washington DC hotel is conveniently located downtown near many top Washington DC attractions. Nestled in the prestigious West End, between historic Georgetown and DuPont Circle, the hotel is only four blocks from the Metro (subway) system. Besides convenience to many attractions, each guest will enjoy the hotel’s spacious two-room suites including a spacious living room, private bedroom, luxurious bathroom, two televisions, mini refrigerator, microwave oven, coffee maker, two telephones with data ports and well lit dining/work table.

Fairmont Washington, D.C., Georgetown

1201 M Street NW, Washington, D.C. 20037

From the hotel's website: Located in Washington's fashionable West End and adjacent to historic Georgetown, The Fairmont Washington, D.C. welcomes guests in capital style. A sunlit urban oasis that soothes the spirit, the Fairmont, perfect for business or leisure travel, celebrates many local Washington traditions. Known for its engaging service and stylish surroundings, the Fairmont offers 415 spacious guest rooms and suites that provide our guests a welcome retreat. A relaxing visit to the Fairmont Fitness Center, indoor pool and serene courtyard garden will also provide guests with an array of rejuvenating experiences.

A Full Three and a Half Days

Though much of the focus of our event is on stage, it is important to remember that TEDMED is a fast-paced, all-encompassing and immersive event that will provide stimulation and exciting discourse from start to finish…onstage and off.

It’s also important to clear your calendar. TEDMED is unlike any other event - our goal is not only to recruit brilliant, interesting speakers, but also to secure an equally talented audience. From breakfast through after-dinner socials, there will be amazing people to meet and great ideas to discuss. You won't want to miss a minute.

Come prepared to think; come prepared to interact -- but most of all, come prepared to have fun! You're sure to find TEDMED an unforgettable experience.

Transportation

The closest airport is Reagan International Airport in Arlington, VA, which is a 25- to 35-minute drive to downtown D.C., depending on traffic. The airport is also a stop on the Metro rail line. Please follow these links for ground transportation options and driving directions.

Dulles International Airport in Chantilly, VA, is a 35- to 45-minute drive to downtown D.C., depending on traffic. Click here for ground transportation options and driving directions.

Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall airport, just south of Baltimore, is 50 minutes to just over an hour to D.C. in non-rush-hour traffic. Click here for ground transportation options and driving directions.

When to Arrive

It's best to arrive early so that you have enough time to settle in before the event begins. Delegate credentials pickup begins at 4:00 pm on Tuesday, April 16th. We’ll send more information about how and where to pick up your credentials – the TEDMED badge -- as the event gets closer.

Following credentials pickup, TEDMED will host a reception at the Kennedy Center on Tuesday evening. There, Delegates are invited to unwind and meet the other talented folks with whom they will be spending the next three days. The first session kicks off following the reception. You won't want to miss a moment, so be sure to leave yourself plenty of time to travel, unpack and settle in before we jump into full swing.

Leaving

Do plan to stay until the very end of the last session. Each and every one of our talks is integral to the experience.

Also, this year we will cap off TEDMED 2013 with a brand new, full afternoon session (1:00-5:30pm) called “Great Challenges Day.” Organized around the 20 Great Challenges of Health and Medicine and leveraging the science of storytelling, we will get together in small work groups in search of new insights and a more complete understanding of the key issues that impede a healthier future. Opt in to attend during registration - find out more. 

We suggest making post-event travel plans, as Washington, DC is full of superb museums and landmark attractions. Many folks stay the weekend to relax and continue the conversation. Should you decide to do so, please make the appropriate hotel accommodations.

Weather

During the event, you should expect the weather to be around 65 degrees F during the day and 40 degrees F at night. The climate in this region is quite wet at this time of year so be sure to pack your rain gear. To find out more click here.

What to Wear

Casual dress is encouraged for TEDMED – we want our Delegates to be comfortable. Jackets, suits or ties are not required nor expected. Please plan on wearing comfortable shoes, as you may be walking a bit to and from sessions, breaks, meals and evening events. It gets chilly at night, so you may want to carry a sweater, jacket or scarf.

TEDMED will provide complimentary transportation between the hotels listed here and the Kennedy Center and evening events. The Kennedy Center also has a shuttle bus from Foggy Bottom Metro Station that runs every 15 minutes. A transportation schedule will be available before the start of the event.

For suggestions on transportation to and from airports, please click here.

For ways to get around Washington DC for non-TEDMED related activities, click here.

For private transportation in DC, we recommend the following:

New Era Transportation, Inc.
Serving Washington, DC Metro Area Airports and Union Station
Office: 1-703-820-2720
Fax: 1-703-852-7166
Cell: 1-202-431-0691
Email: info@neweralimo.com