Key topics for 2025
Join a global community of healthcare professionals, regulators, innovators, and supply chain experts as we will discuss the most pressing challenges and breakthrough opportunities shaping the future of healthcare.
From personalised medicine to pharmaceutical traceability, from real-time hospital traceability to digital health innovations, this year’s programme dives deep into the latest trends, technologies, and standards transforming healthcare systems worldwide.
Together, we’ll co-create the next chapter of safer, smarter, and more connected healthcare.
Who may attend?
All sessions at the conference are open to anyone interested in the latest trends and best practices in the healthcare sector. Participants typically include healthcare professionals, regulators, suppliers, wholesalers, hospital leaders, solution providers, researchers, and GS1 Member Organisations. Whether you're looking to deepen your expertise, connect with peers, or discover new ideas, the conference offers valuable insights for attendees from all backgrounds and levels of experience.
Keep an eye on this page for upcoming information about all sessions.
7:30 - 8:15
Other
Registration and Welcome coffee
8:15 - 8:30
Plenaries
Opening plenary session
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Open to all attendees | Speakers: Glen Hodgson (Vice President, Healthcare, Global Office, Belgium); Renaud de Barbuat (CEO, GS1 Global Office, Belgium).
8:30 - 9:10
Plenaries
Strategic Horizons: The Next Chapter in GS1 Healthcare
GS1 standards have become central to protecting patients and ensuring trust in healthcare. In this session, leaders and advocates look ahead to the next five years—exploring how global standards, trusted data and interoperability enables safer smarter healthcare.
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Open to all attendees | Speakers: Valerie Finarty (SVP, Enterprise Operations, Strategy & Technology, Medtronic, USA) ; Ron Lavater (CEO, International Hospital Federation, Switzerland) ; Susan Moffat-Bruce (President, Lahey Hospital and Medical Center, Beth Israel Lahey Health, USA) + more to be confirmed soon.
9:10 - 10:30
Plenaries
Healthcare Future in our hands: Empowering the Next Generation of Healthcare Systems
Technology, creativity, and human-centered design are converging to reimagine what healthcare can be more predictive, more personalised, and more connected than ever before. Imagine a world where global standards, digital trust, and bold innovation empower healthier lives and safer systems for generations to come.
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Open to all attendees | Speakers: Kiran Dattani (Healthcare & Life Science - Strategy - Architecture & Cloud Enablement Specialist, Google, USA) ; Anca Petre (Cofounder, MedShake Studio, France); Koen Kas (Healthcare Futurist & Entrepreneur, Belgium).
10:30 - 11:15
Other
Networking coffee break
11:15 - 12:05
Plenaries
Hospitals with Full Visibility: The Power of Real-Time Traceability
This session explores how digital traceability is revolutionising hospital operations by enabling real-time visibility across the entire patient pathway. Attendees will learn how seamless tracking of every patient, every product and every place contributes to smoother workflows, significant error reduction, and enhanced patient safety in today’s complex healthcare ecosystems. Beyond the familiar benefits the discussion will highlight how comprehensive traceability delivers real Return On Investment and tangible impact in clinical settings.
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Open to all attendees | Chair: Dr Stephen Bush (Chief Clinical Information Officer, Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, UK); Speakers: George Nicolaos (Hospital Pharmacist, Hopital Fondation Adolphe de Rothschild, France) ; Fatima AlSubaihi (Sr. Director of Procurement, Planning & Logistics – Supply Chain, Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, UAE); Dr Kengo Miyo (Chief Medical Informatics Officer, Japan Institute for Health Security, Japan).
12:05 - 12:15
Other
Introduction to conference charity: KickCancer
About KickCancer: KickCancer is a Belgian foundation dedicated to eradicating childhood cancer. By funding cutting-edge research and advocating for better treatments specifically tailored to children, KickCancer empowers families and unites researchers, policymakers, and the public in the fight against pediatric cancers. Their mission is simple yet bold: to cure every child, everywhere.
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Open to all attendees | Speaker: Delphine Heenen (Founder, KickCancer, Belgium).
12:15 - 13:30
Other
Networking Lunch brought to you by Pfizer
13:30 - 14:00
Meet the Experts sessions
Meet the Experts #1 with Domino: 'The Strategic Value of Serialisation Compliance'
What you'll hear about:
This presentation explores the evolving role of serialisation in the pharmaceutical and life sciences sectors, highlighting its transformation from a regulatory requirement to a strategic enabler. It outlines how serialisation supports global compliance, enhances patient safety, strengthens supply chain resilience, reduces environmental waste, and drives innovation. Through real-world examples and forward-looking insights, the session demonstrates how digital coding and traceability technologies can unlock operational efficiencies, safeguard public health, and meet the demands of Pharma 4.0. Attendees will gain a comprehensive understanding of how a unified serialisation strategy can deliver value across the entire product lifecycle.
Speaker: Ian Chapman, Strategic Manager, Digital Coding at Domino.
13:30 - 14:30
Other
The ‘GS1 Healthcare Experience’: A Journey Through Traceability!
A moment to visit the GS1 Healthcare Marketplace and begin your journey through traceability in action.
Step into the 1,000m² Marketplace and set out on your own discovery journey through a world where GS1 standards come to life across the entire healthcare supply chain. Wander through 13+ exhibitor booths, each telling a story of how innovation and global standards connect manufacturing, packaging, distribution, hospitals, pharmacies, and ultimately, patients.
Experience it your way:
Meet innovators like Arvato, Avery Dennison, Byrd Health, Domino, EM Microelectronic, CCL Healthcare, Merck, MM Packaging, SeaVision, SoftGroup, Systech International, Wipotec, and Zebra. Step inside the immersive GS1 Hospital zone to see traceability in real-life settings. Tune in to the Podcast Stage, broadcasting live shows for 3 hours each day, featuring experts, partners, and inspiring stories from the field.
Every corner offers a new perspective on how global standards enable safety, efficiency, and visibility throughout the product and patient journey. This is your opportunity to see, hear, and experience the power of GS1 standards and collaboration, at your own pace.
See you there!
14:00 - 14:30
Meet the Experts sessions
Meet the Experts #2 with Osapiens: 'Let's demystify UDI registration'
What you'll hear about:
Key success in surfing is about learning how to read waves, physical preparation, selecting the right material, and practice: this ensures the surfer flies over the increasing waves instead of drowning , and gets lots of fun out of it.
This is not fundamentally different from being successful in navigating around the UDI regulations proliferating globally. With EUDAMED being mandatory in 2026 for UDI and Vigilance, and other jurisdictions currently implementing their own UDI databases in Australia, Switzerland, Great-Britain, Brazil, Colombia or Egypt, Regulatory Affairs people must familiarize themselves with the laws, but also ensure their companies implement a global vision and strategies to efficiently handle those proliferating requirements and select the right tools to support them.
This session, together with our customer bioMérieux, a leading IVD manufacturer worldwide, is your opportunity to learn from concrete examples how successful companies tackle this increasing challenge and what skills and processes you need to develop to be ahead of the curve list the successful surfers.
Key topics include:
- Comparison between key UDI regulations worldwide
- Analysis of corporate strategies to handle UDI globally
- Technical requirements to support regulatory compliance.
Speakers: Lionel Tussau, Lead Healthcare at Osapiens, Jeff Holzmann, Lead US and Strategy at Osapiens and David Burnichon, Subsidiary Director at Biomérieux.
14:30 - 15:20
Breakout sessions
Online Pharmacies & Digital Traceability
As e-pharmacy grows, authenticity, safe fulfilment and trusted product information are paramount. This session explores how GS1 standards can verify and secure online pharmaceutical supply chains—deterring falsified medicines, enabling consistent cross-border processes, and linking on-pack codes to reliable digital content.
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Open to all attendees | Chair: Senthil Rajaratnam (Senior Director, Global Serialization & Track and Trace, Eli Lilly, USA); Speakers: Mike Isles (Executive Director, Alliance for Safe Online Pharmacy in the EU, UK); Martino Canonico (Head of Brussels Office, European Association of E-Pharmacies, Belgium) + more to be confirmed.
Breakout sessions
From Aid to Ownership: Building Self-Sustaining Systems
Africa is at a pivotal moment in shaping the future of standards and verification solutions. Moving from aid dependency to local ownership requires new models that harness innovation, financing, and the region’s freedom from legacy systems. This session brings together voices from government, industry and development partners, to explore how sustainable business models and partnerships can catalyse this transition. Together, we’ll discuss practical pathways for building resilient, locally driven solutions that move Africa from aid to ownership.
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Open to all attendees | Chair: Megan Toon (Senior Manager, Sustainable Procurement & Transformation, Baringa, UK); Speakers: Arjan Adegeest (Head of Global Artwork Development, Serialization & Digital Supply Chain, Merck Group, Germany); Parambir Gill (Specialist, Supply Chain Digitalization, The Global Fund, Switzerland); Sachin Jagtap (Senior Manager, Digitalization of Supply Chain & Traceability, Gavi, The Vaccine Alliance, Switzerland) ; John Kayode (Assistant Director, Regulatory Innovation Unit, National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) Nigeria).
15:20 - 15:50
Other
Networking coffee break
15:50 - 16:40
Breakout sessions
Standardised Patient Identification at Point of Care
With the increase in GS1 patient demographic identifiers, this session explores how GS1 identifiers are used to support the verification of patient identification for the purposes of positive patient identification.
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Open to all attendees | Speaker: Mark Songhurst (Programme Lead, Scan4Safety, Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, UK); Martin Reitstätter (Product Management and R&D, Dedalus Healthcare, Germany).
Breakout sessions
From Intent to Action: Country Journeys Toward Verification and Traceability in Health Supply Chains
Verification and traceability are reshaping health supply chains—reducing falsified-product risk, improving visibility, and enabling data-driven decisions. This session brings together country perspectives from Africa at different stages of implementation to share what worked, what didn’t and what’s next, highlighting pragmatic adoption paths and the critical role of global data standards in building sustainable, interoperable systems.
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Open to all attendees | Chairs: Wapapha Nthomiwa (Botswana Medicines Regulatory Authority – BOMRA, Botswana); Stew Stremel (Vice President, VTI, USA); Speakers: Ms. Caroline Getrude Samatanga (Head Licensing and Enforcement Division, Medicines Control Authority of Zimbabwe, Zimbabwe) ; Emmanuel Willie (Director of Registration, Evaluation, Data & Records, Liberia Medicines & Health Products Regulatory Authority, Liberia) ; Dr. Abdoulaye Cissé (Agence Sénégalaise de Réglementation Pharmaceutique, Senegal).
17:00 - 18:00
Other
International Government Healthcare Supply Chain ThinkTank
Invitation only.
18:00 - 19:00
Other
Welcome drinks & Networking Reception at the Marketplace brought to you by Merck
8:00 - 8:30
Other
Welcome coffee
8:30 - 9:30
Breakout sessions
Digital Labeling Opportunities: Future-ready solutions for compliance and efficiency
This session will explore how digital labelling is advancing globally and what this means for global alignment. How can GS1 standards support compliance, reduce complexity and improve efficiency across the supply chain? The session will show how that transparent, accessible product information can empowers patients.
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Open to all attendees | Chair: Mike Meakin (Vice President, Global Quality Regulatory & Compliance, DHL Supply Chain, UK). Speakers: Georg Keller (Manager Regulatory Affairs / Coordinator Labeling, B. Braun / Aesculap, Germany) ; Tinne Pauwels (Global Program Manager, Digital Labeling, Johnson & Johnson, Belgium); Anne Moen (Professor in Health Informatics and Nursing, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, Norway).
Breakout sessions
Optimising Master Data Sharing for Better Healthcare Outcomes
Reliable, standardised product master data is critical for safe and efficient care. In this session, we will explore how hospitals and supply chain partners are streamlining internal systems, enhancing collaboration with suppliers, and implementing national strategies. Real-world insights will highlight both the impact and the challenges of making trusted data flow across the healthcare ecosystem.
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Open to all attendees | Chair: Lionel Tussau (Lead Healthcare, Osapiens, Belgium); Speakers: Blair Korman (Sr. Director, Digital Identification & Traceability, Johnson & Johnson Services Inc., USA); Wesley Berga (Purchasing Manager, Frisius Medical Center, Netherlands); Jay Crowley (VP Medical Devices and UDI Lead, USDM Life Sciences, USA).
9:35 - 10:25
Plenaries
Advancing Healthcare Through Global Standards Collaboration
This session highlights the essential role GS1 plays in advancing digital health by fostering global collaboration on standards. Attendees will learn how GS1 contributes to the development of system compatibility frameworks that enable seamless data exchange, interoperability, and integration across diverse digital health platforms. By uniting stakeholders worldwide, GS1 standards help build a more connected, efficient digital health ecosystem, supporting innovation and improving healthcare outcomes on a global scale.
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Open to all attendees | Speakers: Peter O’Halloran (Chief Digital Officer, Australian Digital Health Agency, Australia); Dr Nnenna Osuji (Chief Executive Officer, North Middlesex University NHS Trust, UK); Dr. Charles Gutteridge (Chief Clinical Information Officer, SNOMED International, UK); Herko Coomans (Head of International Digital Health, Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport of The Netherlands).
10:25 - 11:15
Plenaries
Scanning the Future: Opportunities for GS1 in Healthcare
Explore how GS1 identifiers are transforming healthcare from unlocking seamless access to digital product information, to tracing personalised therapies or scaling global vaccine delivery. This plenary will explore real-world use cases and future scenarios where standards act as powerful enablers of impact.
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Open to all attendees | Chair: Chair: Oskana Pyzik (Associate Professor Pharmacy Practice & Policy, UCL School of Pharmacy, UK) ; Speakers: Scott Mooney (Vice President, Distribution Operations, McKesson Corporation, USA); David Braun (Head of Commercial Operations & Customer Engagement, Global Digital Health, Merck Group, Germany); Anil Suresh (Director, Product Management – SAP Life Sciences Serialization, USA) ; Mr. Rajinder Suri (CEO, Developing Countries Vaccine Manufacturers Network (DCVMN), India).
11:15 - 11:55
Other
Networking coffee break
12:00 - 13:00
Breakout sessions
UDI-based Traceability in Clinical and Operational Workflows
From reliable product data to real-time action. This session showcases how hospitals apply UDI and GS1 standards across clinical and operational workflows closing the loop, reducing waste and supporting compliance.
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Open to all attendees | Chair: Olivia Chauvel (Hospital Pharmacist, Fondation Rothschild, France); Speakers: Iris Moes (Data Scientist, DBIR at DICA & PhD Candidate, University Medical Center Utrecht, Netherlands); József Váncsodi (Department of Traumatology & Hand Surgery, University of Pécs, Hungary); Claus Ørum (Section Manager and Purchasing Manager, Aarhus University Hospital, Denmark).
Breakout sessions
Global Pharma Regulatory Landscape: Stay Compliant, Stay Ahead
In this session we will delve into international regulatory requirements and initiatives for pharmaceuticals.
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Open to all attendees | Chair: Chiara Bernini (Senior Manager, Public Policy Healthcare, GS1 Global Office, Belgium); Speakers: Dennis Black (Vice President, Industry Relations, BD, USA); Gert Vleugels (Executive Director, Supply Chain Digital, Merck Group, Belgium).
13:00 - 14:00
Other
Networking Lunch brought to you by Pfizer
14:00 - 15:00
Other
The ‘GS1 Healthcare Experience’: A Journey Through Traceability!
A moment to visit the GS1 Healthcare Marketplace and begin your journey through traceability in action.
Step into the 1,000m² Marketplace and set out on your own discovery journey through a world where GS1 standards come to life across the entire healthcare supply chain. Wander through 13+ exhibitor booths, each telling a story of how innovation and global standards connect manufacturing, packaging, distribution, hospitals, pharmacies, and ultimately, patients.
Experience it your way:
Meet innovators like Arvato, Avery Dennison, Byrd Health, Domino, EM Microelectronic, CCL Healthcare, Merck, MM Packaging, SeaVision, SoftGroup, Systech International, Wipotec, and Zebra. Step inside the immersive GS1 Hospital zone to see traceability in real-life settings. Tune in to the Podcast Stage, broadcasting live shows for 3 hours each day, featuring experts, partners, and inspiring stories from the field.
Every corner offers a new perspective on how global standards enable safety, efficiency, and visibility throughout the product and patient journey. This is your opportunity to see, hear, and experience the power of GS1 standards and collaboration, at your own pace.
See you there!
14:00 - 14:30
Meet the Experts sessions
Meet the Experts #3 with Avery Dennison
Join specialists from Avery Dennison to discover how innovative labeling and materials solutions can enhance product security, sustainability, and supply chain transparency. This session provides an opportunity to engage directly with experts, explore real-world applications in healthcare, and gain practical insights into how smart labeling supports compliance and patient safety.
Speaker: Jenni Krohn, Market development Manager at Avery Dennison.
14:30 - 15:00
Meet the Experts sessions
Meet the Experts #4 with Arvato Systems: Building Digital Transparency in the supply chain
What you'll hear about:
What if regulatory requirements could become the foundation for innovation? As healthcare embraces digital product information and transparency standards, new value emerges, from safer patient access to more efficient, resilient supply chains. This session shows how to move from obligation to opportunity through digital transparency and collaboration. Get an insight on a showcase demonstrating how data could be leveraged to different stakeholders in the supply chain.
Speaker: Alexander Pohl, Product Manager CSDB at Arvato Systems.
15:00 - 15:40
Plenaries
The Empowered Patient: How standards enable safer, smarter, more personalised care
This session highlights how patient-centred innovation makes healthcare safer, more efficient, and truly tailored to individual needs. Join us to discover practical strategies for embedding patient empowerment at the heart of healthcare transformation.
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Open to all attendees | Chair: Robert Flack (Regional Director, HCRG Group, UK); Dr. Pius Waldmeier (Head of Compliance, Safety & Security, Head of Global Roche Anti-Counterfeit Commission, F. Hoffmann-La Roche, Switzerland) ; Penilla Gunther (President, European Patient Safety Foundation (EUPSF), Sweden); Valentina Strammiello (Interim Executive Director, European Patient's Forum, Belgium).
15:40 - 16:20
Plenaries
Local Innovation with Global Impact
This session showcases how grassroots initiatives in low- and middle-income countries, such as barcode scanning for patient safety and community-level traceability, can leverage GS1 standards to deliver meaningful results. We explore the journey from local pilot projects to influencing global frameworks, highlighting the crucial role of collaboration and shared learning.
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Open to all attendees | Chair: Pascal Aulagnet (Director Market and Regulatory Engagement, Pfizer Serialization Centre of Excellence, France). Speakers: Megan Toon (Senior Manager, Sustainable Procurement & Transformation, Baringa, UK); Josh Bolin (Associate Executive Director, National Association of Boards of Pharmacy, USA); Max Kabalisa (Supply Chain Manager, Digitalisation and Traceability, UNICEF, Denmark).
16:20 - 16:50
Other
Networking coffee break
16:50 - 17:50
Breakout sessions
Global Medical Devices Regulatory Landscape
This session will examine the evolving global regulatory landscape for medical devices, distilling current frameworks, principal challenges, and the most relevant emerging trends.
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Open to all attendees | Chair: Chiara Bernini (Senior Manager — Public Policy Healthcare, GS1 Global Office, Belgium); Speakers: Dennis Black (Vice President, Industry Relations, BD, USA); Gert Vleugels (Executive Director, Supply Chain Digital, Merck Group, Belgium).
Breakout sessions
A Hospital’s Journey to Full Barcode Scanning Adoption
Achieving full barcode scanning adoption in a hospital setting can be very challenging. In this session we will learn from hospitals in different moments of this journey, and hear how they began using GS1 barcodes in one department and successfully expanded adoption across other departments. Focus will be given to the strategy behind this expansion, how the team secured leadership buy-in, overcame internal barriers, and built momentum.
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Open to all attendees | Chair: Olivia Chauvel (Hospital Pharmacist, Fondation Rothschild, France); Speakers: Karen Melchior Jensen (Project Manager, Pilot Region Nordjylland, Denmark); Nilson Malta (Hospital Pharmacy and Automation Specialist, Einstein Hospital Israelita, Brazil).
19:00 - 23:00
Other
Networking gala dinner and GS1 Impact Awards in Healthcare
Network, celebrate and make memories at our signature gala dinner!
As part of this special 40th edition, we will host an extraordinary gala evening. More than just a dinner, this celebration is a chance to unwind, enjoy fine cuisine, and engage with fellow healthcare leaders, regulators, and innovators in a relaxed, elegant setting.
It’s the perfect moment to build new relationships, strengthen partnerships, and celebrate two decades of global collaboration, with a few surprises in store to make the night truly unforgettable.
More details to come, stay tuned and don't forget to register!
8:00 - 9:00
Other
Welcome coffee
9:00 - 10:00
Plenaries
One Product, One Barcode: Creating a Single Source of Truth for Global Healthcare
In a world of increasingly complex healthcare supply chains and digital ecosystems, the need for trusted, consistent product data has never been greater. This session explores the transformative vision of "One Product, One Barcode", a global approach to uniquely identify medical products using a single, standardised barcode. By aligning manufacturers, regulators, and healthcare providers around one global identifier, we can ensure accurate product information, reduce risk, and streamline traceability across every point of care. Join us to understand how this initiative supports global harmonisation, improves patient safety, and drives digital health innovation through a single source of truth.
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Open to all attendees | Chair: Pavan Heda (Vice President, Synthetics Value Chain Management, Innovative Medicine Supply Chain, Johnson & Johnson, USA). Speakers: Nenad Miljković (President, European Association of Hospital Pharmacists, Belgium); Matthew Sample (Senior Vice President, Manufacturer, Quality & Replenishment Operations, Cencora, USA) ; Michael Kinsella (Centres of Expertise Director, Global Supply Chain, Servier, France).
10:00 - 10:30
Other
Networking coffee break
10:30 - 11:30
Plenaries
From One Barcode to One Patient Record
From digital patient records to safer treatments, from interoperable systems to real-time insights, this session brings together thought leaders in healthcare data and digital health to explore what becomes possible when one barcode connects products, people, and outcomes. Building on the "One Product, One Barcode" vision, the discussion will highlight how stanadardisation enables trusted data flow across the global healthcare ecosystem, supporting everything from digital supply chains to patient-facing information.
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Open to all attendees | Chair: Susan Moffatt-Bruce (President & Cardiothoracic surgeon, Lahey Hospital & Medical Center, Beth Israel Lahey Health, USA) ; Speakers: Kristen Miles (Vice President, Healthcare Product Strategy, Oracle, USA); Tim Ho (Medical Director, Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust, UK).
11:30 - 12:10
Other
Special Guest & Keynote Speaker: Visionary insights from Mark Neuenschwander
Mark Neuenschwander (Founder, The Neuenschwander Company, USA) is a healthcare visionary and internationally recogniSed thought leader on medication-use safety. Known as “The Barcode Guy,” he has been at the forefront of promoting barcode point-of-care systems and advancing patient safety through digital transformation in healthcare for more than 25 years.
Don’t miss this exclusive opportunity to hear Mark’s keynote and gain first-hand insights that will inspire the future of healthcare!
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Open to all attendees.
12:15 - 12:30
Plenaries
Closing Remarks & Invitation to the next GS1 Healthcare Global Healthcare Conference
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Open to all attendees | Speakers: Glen Hodgson (Vice President, GS1 Healthcare, Global Office, Belgium); Susan Moffatt-Bruce (President, Lahey Hospital and Medical Center, Beth Israel Lahey Health, USA); Additional speakers to be confirmed from the host GS1 Member Organisation of the 2026 GS1 Healthcare Global Conference.
Stay tuned...!