In this symposium, we explore the current state-of-the-art and future directions of digital health ecosystems. We frame future digital health ecosystems as complex cyber-physical socio-technical ecosystems merging cyber space — multiple and accelerating real-time data-streams, connecting, e.g., patient-centric digital health data, health data governance, and emerging health information technologies— to physical space including patients, healthcare facilities, and life science manufacturing. Thus, future digital health ecosystems encompass and datafy the full value chain between people, healthcare providers, life science manufacturers, and regulators, providing the potential to address current and future digital health needs and challenges.

To progress from this point of view, the conceptual construction of cyber space demands the integration of technical systems thinking on hard domains (infrastructure and technologies, e.g., sensors, IoT, AI, and big data analytics), whereas physical space calls for the integration of social systems thinking on soft domains (regulations, policies, demographic trends, skills, and public health). This integration demands a collaborative approach among diverse actors, technologies, and societal elements.

With the accelerating emergence of data-driven technologies changing the landscape of pharmaceutical R&D, medical diagnostics, healthcare services, etc., there is both an opportunity and a need to increase focus within product manufacturing and service supply to increase agility, flexibility, and resilience while ensuring patient safety, data security, and regulatory compliance. How to advance and speed up this process, integrating alternative streams of digital health research with a socio-technical ecosystem approach, is the core topic of the symposium.

In addition to the SWT Leaders listed below, featured speakers include:

• Monica Chiarini Tremblay, Hays T. Watkins Distinguished Professor of Business, Raymond A. Mason School of Business, William & Mary, USA
• Carmen Quatman, Associate Professor with Tenure, Departments of Emergency Medicine and Orthopaedic Surgery, The Ohio State University, USA
• Farzin Ahmadi, Assistant Professor of Healthcare Management, Towson University, USA