NextMed Health 2025 wasn’t just a conference—it was a live prototype of where healthcare is headed.
From March 30 to April 2, leaders in medicine, technology, and policy converged in San Diego to rethink how we diagnose, treat, and care for people. The core focus: merge medical practice with tech advancements and person-centred care principles.
They left behind a surge of momentum, bold ideas, and a glimpse of a future already unfolding.
Here’s a gist of everything that happened at NextMed Health 2025!
A meeting of pioneering minds
NextMed 2025 wasn’t just a conference of passive lectures, it was a collision of brains and breakthroughs with 70+ global visionaries. From deep-tech pioneers to frontline clinicians, the world’s top leaders gathered to chart a new course for health.
They gave deep insights into the “right-now” environment. It wasn’t about “what if”. It was about what’s now and what’s next.
These experts didn’t just paint pictures of possibility. They shared hands-on lessons and broke down the “how-to’s” of getting past the real-world challenges and turning next-gen tech into practical, scalable, everyday care.
Deep dives and hands-on exploration
NextMed Health has always stood apart for its highly curated, interactive format, and the 2025 edition elevated this further.
The main stage delivered bold ideas complemented by 30+ interactive sessions where the magic happened. Here AI met diagnosis, equity met innovation, and attendees rolled up their sleeves to explore XR in the clinic, ethics in automation, and tech-driven community care.
Meanwhile, at the Innovation Lab, 60+ startups showcased tools to reshape the biomedical and health landscape.
Attendees didn’t just listen—they engaged, debated, and co-created solutions in real time. With a mix of keynote debates, hands-on tech demos, and visionary startup pitches, the event didn’t just predict the next decade of healthcare—it built it live on stage.
NextMed Health 2025: Highlights and experience
Day 1: Laying the foundation for disruption
AI takes centre stage
The event kicked off with a pre-conference deep dive into AI, led by Dr. Anthony Chang (AIMed) and Dr. Daniel Kraft (NextMed Health Founder). Attendees learned:
- How large language models (LLMs) are transforming diagnostics
- The rise of “agentic AI” in medical research (AI that doesn’t just analyze but acts)
- Ethical landmines—bias, regulation, and the doctor-AI power dynamic
A standout moment: Steven Brown’s demo of an AI “health agent” that could autonomously book a patient’s MRI, interpret results, and draft a treatment plan—all before the doctor finished their coffee.
Health equity gets a blueprint
Dr. Joseph Betancourt (The Commonwealth Fund) reminded the healthcare community that “AI won’t save healthcare if it only serves the wealthy.“
He proposed tech-enabled community health workers as a solution, spotlighting scalable solutions like low-cost diagnostic tools already saving lives in Nigeria.
XR goes clinical
Dr. Rafael Grossmann stunned the crowd with a live mixed-reality surgery demo, overlaying holographic anatomy onto a mannequin. His demonstration proved that “Soon, every OR will have a ‘digital twin.’”
Day 2: Biotech, longevity, and the “Hospital at Home” revolution
The AgeTech boom
Ken and Maddy Dychtwald (AgeWave) pointed out that 1 in 4 Americans will be over 60 by 2035. They highlighted how healthspan optimisation has become a trillion-dollar market ripe for innovation.
The AgeTech boom is fueled by breakthroughs such as AI-powered menopause advisors and precision biomarkers for ovarian ageing leading the charge.
AARP’s AgeTech Collaborative showcased startups like Elemind using sound waves to enhance deep sleep—no pills required. It’s no meds, no side effects, just better rest.
Surgery 3.0: AI in the OR
The packed session showcased two groundbreaking approaches to surgical training:
- Level Ex’s video game platform turned surgeon training into tablet-based gameplay
- Tempus AI ran live genomic cancer analysis during surgery.
Our favourite quote:
“Tomorrow’s operating rooms may feature robotic surgeons—with pro gamers overseeing their moves.”
Dean Kamen’s keynote: Inventing the impossible
Dean Kamen, the visionary behind the iBOT wheelchair and FIRST Robotics gave reality checks. He said ‘We’ve built a trillion-dollar sick-care system, not healthcare. And the antidote to this is to create innovations too transformative to ignore.”
He says:
“We don’t need to fix healthcare—we need to replace it with something radically better.“
Day 3: Brain tech, diagnostics, and the “Super Ager” secret
Neuroscience gets wild
Dr Adam Gazzaley of Neuroscape unveiled a groundbreaking approach to cognitive care. He showcased clinically validated video games that outperform traditional ADHD medications in improving focus and executive function.
Across the exhibit hall, Sheila Nirenberg of Bionic Sight demonstrated how optogenetic technology has successfully restored vision in animal models—with human clinical trials now on the horizon.
Prenuvo’s full-body MRI debate: Is MRI cost worth the price and stress?
The debate ignited when panellists grappled with a critical question: “Does the value of early tumour detection justify its high cost—and the anxiety of false positives?”
They discussed how next-generation AI analysis could finally tip the scales, by distinguishing between harmless anomalies and actual threats with remarkable accuracy.
The consensus: With AI refining accuracy maybe it will be worth it.
Dr Eric Topol’s longevity masterclass
The “Super Agers” author, Dr Eric Topol revealed that our gut microbiome can help predict dementia 10 years early. He also emphasised that combining AI and wearable data could add 5 years to the human lifespan.
He says:
“Stop calling it ‘ageing’—call it ‘living longer better.’”
Day 4: The Future—Now
Ray Kurzweil’s mind-bending forecast
The legendary futurist doubled down:
“Artificial intelligence will achieve indistinguishable human-like conversation by 2029”
“Nanobots will perform precision genetic editing by 2035”
Addressing concerns about AI’s potential dangers, Kurzweil responded: “Our greatest threat isn’t advancement – it’s hesitation.”
Headlines from the future: Envisioning tomorrow’s medicine
Adding a unique and forward-thinking dimension to the event was the “Headlines from the Future” initiative.
This engaging challenge invited participants to share their visionary predictions for the future of medicine. It also recounted remarkable instances where past speculative headlines have turned into present-day realities.
The top-voted entry was rewarded with a coveted free registration to NextMed Health 2026.
The MEDy Awards: Celebrating trailblazing startups
A highlight of NextMed Health 2025 was the prestigious MEDy Awards, a competition designed to recognize and celebrate industry-changing startups.
Early-stage companies with the potential to make a significant impact vied for recognition in five distinct categories: Convergence, One to Watch, Outstanding Pitch, Most Disruptive, and Most Likely to Scale.
Each MEDy Award winner received recognition and an opportunity to demo their innovative product from the main stage. This gave the startup invaluable visibility in front of investors and industry stakeholders.
A community at the forefront of innovation
At its core, NextMed Health 2025 fostered a strong sense of community among individuals passionate about the future of healthcare.
The Healthcare Innovation Lab didn’t just showcase startups, it showed the future of care—the most promising innovations that will revolutionise medicine, healthcare and the biomedical industry.
It was a space where attendees could directly engage with innovative technologies, interact with visionary entrepreneurs, and witness firsthand the transformative power of innovation.
The takeaway: The future isn’t coming—it’s here
NextMed Health 2025 made one thing clear: Healthcare is at a turning point.
With AI co-pilots for doctors, decentralised “hospitals,” and consumer-driven longevity tech, the next decade will rewrite medicine’s rules. And we’re not waiting for it—we’re building it!
The revolution’s just getting started, and the question is: “Will you adapt—or be disrupted?”
-By Alkama Sohail and the AHT Team
