Data First, AI Later - Trailblazers

  Bleddyn is Deputy Chair of the European Connected Health Alliance and Chair of the Digital Health Society.  With over 30 years of experience, Bleddyn is a leading healthcare lawyer specializing in complex deals and regulations. His unique blend of private and public sector experience gives him a deep understanding of the healthcare industry. As a driving force in digital health, Bleddyn is shaping the future of healthcare through his roles in key industry organizations. 

 He has unique experience for a private sector lawyer having spent almost four years seconded to the Commercial Directorate of the UK Department of Health as General Counsel in the early 2000’s. Bleddyn has advised Health Ministers and through his secondment he has a detailed understanding of the NHS and the UK health sector. 

Professor Dipak Kalra is a pioneering leader in health informatics and the President of the European Institute for Innovation through Health Data (i~HD). With a background as a London-based general practitioner and a Professor of Health Informatics, he has played a key role in shaping the global landscape of Electronic Health Record (EHR) research and development. Professor Kalra has been instrumental in creating ISO standards for EHR interoperability, personal health records, and data protection. His contributions extend to multiple European Commission-funded projects, driving the adoption of digital health innovations, enhancing data quality and interoperability, and advancing the reuse of health data for research. Through his work on the European Health Data Space and AI-powered federated learning platforms, he remains dedicated to transforming healthcare through trustworthy, patient-centered data use.

Elena Petelos is a Senior Lecturer in Evidence-Based Medicine and Public Health at the University of Crete and Maastricht University. She also lectures at Charité University Medicine Berlin. With a background in molecular oncology and health economics, her research interests include public health, primary care, patient-centered care, and health outcomes research. 

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Elena serves as the Vice President of the Health Technology Assessment (HTA) section at the European Public Health Association (EUPHA) and co-chairs the Real-World Evidence and Artificial Intelligence Interest Group at HTAi. She holds key roles in international health bodies, including advisory groups such as the Healthcare Professional’s Working Party of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and the Advisory Forum of HERA at the European Commission. Her work focuses on international collaboration, real-world evidence, benefit/risk communication, and integrating new technologies in healthcare to achieve digital equity and improve global health outcomes. 

With a medical degree from the New University of Lisbon and specialization in Internal Medicine, has an extensive academic background, including a Master in HIV/AIDS and a PhD in Management from the University of Cambridge. He also pursued a Master in Law at the Portuguese Catholic University.

Professionally, Martins was President of SPMS, leading Portugal's eHealth/IT authority, and has been involved in significant national and EU digital health initiatives. Currently, he is an independent consultant in eHealth and a professor in Portugal, teaching health management and medical informatics. For more details, you can visit his website.

Henrique Martins' concept of KIWI hospitals is a modern blueprint for digital healthcare systems, encapsulating four key elements: Knowledgeable, Intelligent, Wise, and Interoperable.

 Liesbeth Siderius is a Dutch pediatrician and researcher who specializes in child health, with a particular focus on rare diseases. She is known for her work advocating for integrated social and medical approaches in treating children with chronic conditions. Siderius has contributed to the field of digital child health, aiming to improve early diagnosis and care through international collaboration and advanced modeling of child health data. Additionally, she is involved in various initiatives to promote the well-being and rights of children with rare diseases​ 

 Rachel DunscombeStands at the forefront of digital health innovation, leveraging her role as a Visiting Professor at Imperial College London and Co-Chair of openEHR. Her advocacy for open standards and interoperability is key to her influence, notably contributing to the Europe-India Digital Health Summit's goals of fostering global collaboration.  With a rich background as CEO of the NHS Digital Academy and Director of Digital at the Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust, Dunscombe has effectively implemented digital solutions that have had a profound impact on healthcare. Her work with the UK AI Council further emphasizes her commitment to ethical AI use in healthcare, marking her as a pivotal figure in shaping the future of digital health. 

 Professor Rhidian Hurle is a leading voice in digital health, serving as Executive Medical Director and Chief Clinical Information Officer for Digital Health and Care Wales. A Consultant Urological Surgeon, he combines frontline clinical expertise with digital leadership to drive data-centric healthcare transformation.

With an MD in prostate cancer research, a Master’s in Digital Health Leadership (Imperial College), and recognition as Professor of Practice (University of Wales Trinity Saint David, 2023), he is a Founding Fellow of the Faculty of Clinical Informatics. His work ensures data integrity, interoperability, and governance remain at the heart of AI-driven healthcare innovation.

A champion of the Data First, AI Later movement, Professor Hurle advocates for structured, high-quality data as the foundation for ethical AI, improving patient outcomes, efficiency, and trust in digital healthcare.

 Saleem Sayani is a leader in digital health, driving technology-driven solutions to improve healthcare access across Asia and Africa. As Director of the Technology Innovation Support Centre at Aga Khan University and AKDN dHRC, he leads initiatives in telemedicine, virtual care, and biomedical engineering, securing multimillion-dollar funding from global organizations.

With over a decade of experience, Saleem has pioneered AI, AR/VR, and wearable medical devices, filing 20 biomedical patents (14 granted in the U.S.). Under his leadership, award-winning mobile health apps—Teeko, Nighedaasht, and Hayat—have transformed maternal and child healthcare in underserved communities.

Committed to bridging technology and medicine, Saleem continues to drive innovation and research, ensuring sustainable, tech-enabled healthcare solutions that enhance global healthcare access.