Industry leaders Abbott, Microsoft Research, Pfizer, Qualcomm, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Skype and Verizon Wireless have joined the 2010 mHealth Summit as sponsors, the conference organizers announced today.

The 2010 mHealth Summit, a partnership of the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health, the National Institutes of Health and the mHealth Alliance, will connect leaders in health, government, the private sector, academia and not-for-profit organizations to advance discussion and decision-making related to the intersection of mobile technology, health practice and research, and policy in the United States and abroad. The conference will be held November 8-10 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C.

As the Summit date nears a diverse group of sponsors is offering their support, from leading charitable organizations, to pharmaceutical and technology companies, wireless carriers and media groups.

Anthony Lewis, Vice President, Open Development, of Verizon Wireless said: "Verizon works across the technology, research and business communities every day to advance the use of existing and emerging wireless solutions. We are focused on enabling innovation in patient participation, the quality of preventative care and cost controls as well as enhancing communication among medical professions, hospitals and patients. We're pleased to be a part of the upcoming mHealth Summit, where these ideas will be discussed and attendees can learn more about the role wireless will play in the future."

Qualcomm will host a technology pavilion on the exhibitor floor, which consists of 40 companies covering a broad spectrum of innovative wireless health companies. "We are honored to participate in the mHealth Summit, whose participants are working to lower the costs and improve the quality of health around the world," said Don Jones, Vice President of Business Development, Health and Life Sciences, Qualcomm.

Building on the momentum from last year's event, the second annual mHealth Summit will feature an expanded format that includes:

• keynotes delivered by leading corporate executives, philanthropists, policy-makers and social entrepreneurs;
• super sessions with key stakeholders from policy, research and technology communities;
• concurrent sessions addressing a range of relevant topics such as the intersection of mHealth and mFinance, and opportunities for mHealth in the current policy and regulatory environments, and;
• networking events to drive collaboration.
  The event is expected to attract some 2,000 attendees, including international and domestic C-level executives, medical professionals, technologists, researchers, and policy makers, and over 150 exhibitors.

Supporting Organizations include: Research!America, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, PEPFAR, the Rockefeller Foundation, United Nations Foundation and Vodafone Foundation. MobiHealthNews is the premier media partner. Other media partners include VPO (Virtual Press Office) and PR Newswire.

"There are still opportunities for engagement at every level in the 2010 mHealth Summit, which will be the definitive event for advancing innovation and idea-sharing at the intersection of health, research, technology and policy," said Richard Scarfo, Director of the mHealth Summit. Those interested in Summit sponsorship, and speaking and demonstration opportunities can visit www.mhealthsummit.org for further information. The site also is now open for registration.