CONFERENCE CHAIRS
PROFESSOR PAUL DIMITRI
PROFESSOR OF CHILD HEALTH & DIRECTOR OF TECHNOLOGY & INNOVATION, NIHR CHILDREN & YOUNG PEOPLE MEDTECH CO-OPERATIVE
Professor Paul Dimitri BSc, MBChB, FRCPCH, PhD
Professor Paul Dimitri is the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) National Children’s Specialty Lead, UK, the Director of the NIHR Children & Young People MedTech Co-operative (www.cypmedtech.nihr.ac.uk ), and the Clinical Director for the National Technology Innovation Transforming Child Health (TITCH) Network (www.titch.org.uk ). He has previously held national positions on UK national committees at the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH), and the Academy of the Medical Royal Colleges, and is the current Vice President for Science and Research at the RCPCH.
Paul is leading on the development of the National Centre for Child Health Technology, a global first bringing together industry, universities, healthcare professionals, children and young people and their families to develop the most advanced healthcare technologies for children worldwide. Paul has led on the development and implementation of national technology networks that specifically focus on the development and deployment of technology for paediatrics and child health through private and public sector collaboration. Paul currently works at Sheffield Children’s NHS Foundation Trust UK, as a Professor of Child Health, Consultant in Paediatric Endocrinology and Director of Technology & Innovation.
DAVID COLE, MBA
CO-FOUNDER / DIRECTOR, THINKING OF OSCAR & TOO FUTURES
David is an experienced technologist, senior leader, advisor, mentor, and social-impact entrepreneur, with a passion for innovation in healthcare specialising in children’s health. David is a strategic advisor to several children’s hospitals including Alder Hey and Sheffield Children’s, where he focuses on commercial growth and sustainability. David was recently awarded his MBA from the Open University with distinction, which included a research paper on the environment and resources required to advance children’s health outcomes through a culture of innovation, that delivers impact and sustainability; whilst understanding whether innovation within children’s services should differ to that of general health services.
Previously, David had a distinguished career with IBM spanning over 24 years and has experience working across the UK, Europe, Australia, and the US. Most recently he was a senior leader within IBM’s healthcare consulting division, and before that as the EMEA Leader for Watson Health.
David is the co-founder of children’s charity, Thinking of Oscar, which funds technology and innovation within paediatrics, whose mission is ‘to bring the future of healthcare to children’. He hosts the Not Mini Adults Podcast – “Pioneers for Children’s Healthcare and Wellbeing”.
David is a start-up mentor and is currently chairing a children’s health impact accelerator on behalf of Innovate UK. He was recently appointed onto the digital health committee of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health and is a mentor and advisor at the University of Oxford’s Saïd Business School.
PROFESSOR WENDY TINDALE, OBE
SCIENTIFIC DIRECTOR, SHEFFIELD TEACHING HOSPITALS
Professor Wendy Tindale is Scientific & Innovation Director at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals, UK. She holds a Chair at the University of Sheffield and is Director of the National Institute for Health Research ‘Devices for Dignity’ MedTech Co-operative – a catalyst for development of innovative medical devices and healthcare technologies. She has a passion for combining clinical excellence with business opportunities through commercial translation of innovative technologies and has worked with public and private sectors to facilitate collaborations.
Wendy has advised the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence and multiple funding bodies on strategy, medtech funding and adoption.
She holds a Beacon Award for outstanding contribution to healthcare and an Inspirational Women award for outstanding leadership. She received an OBE for Services to Healthcare in 2014 and was England’s Healthcare Scientist of the Year in 2016, receiving a lifetime achievement award in 2022.
Within the NHS, Wendy leads a large Clinical Directorate supporting scientific services and innovative practices spanning imaging, clinical engineering and medical physics.