Medical Science Talks 2026 on Healthy Aging and Critical Operations

An aging society, technological progress, increasing digitalization, and rising demands on healthcare are presenting new challenges for medicine. How can people live healthy and independent lives for as long as possible? What role do artificial intelligence, digital technologies, and innovative care models play in this? And how can we design medical innovations in a way that truly supports people?

The Medical Science Talks, held as part of Graz Connects, will address these questions. In doing so, they will explore key issues shaping the future of healthcare.

Healthy Aging: Technology for a Longer and Independent Life

Through its Healthy Aging research focus, the Medical University of Graz is dedicated to exploring how health, quality of life, and independence can be maintained and promoted in older age. This involves not only considering what medical options will be available in the future, but also how new solutions can be successfully integrated into people’s daily lives.

A key aspect of this is the use of smart technologies in healthcare. In the session “Health in the Age of Intelligence,” Lars-Peter Kamolz, Head of the Department of Surgery at the Medical University of Graz, will join other experts to discuss how artificial intelligence, robotics, and connected care concepts can help advance healthcare and create tangible added value for patients and healthcare systems.

“Artificial intelligence and intelligent systems are not an alternative to humans, but rather a tool to enhance their capabilities. They should not replace clinical judgment, medical expertise, and empathy, but rather create more time—by automating routine tasks and avoiding unnecessary hospital stays—for spending more time with patients,” emphasizes Lars-Peter Kamolz.

When Innovations Fail in Practice

The session “Where Good Medicine Goes Wrong” focuses on the fact that medical progress alone does not automatically translate into better care. Even highly sophisticated medical devices can fail in practice if they are too complex or do not sufficiently take people’s needs into account.

Thomas Pieber, Head of the Divison of Endocrinology and Diabetology at the Medical University of Graz, will join experts from the fields of medicine, technology development, and design to discuss why user-centered design is a crucial factor for successful medical innovation.

“Medical devices must be developed for the people who actually use them. Only when users are involved in the development process from the outset can technologies be created that are safe, understandable, and helpful in everyday life,” says Thomas Pieber.

The Future of Medicine Combines Technology and Humanity

The Medical Science Talks thus bring together two central perspectives on the future of healthcare: on the one hand, the question of how people can age healthily and with autonomy; on the other hand, the question of how the healthcare system can remain effective even under challenging conditions. The presentations from the Medical University of Graz demonstrate that progress arises where medical expertise, technological innovation, and people’s needs converge.

#Healthy Aging – Aging Healthily

Healthy Aging at the Medical University of Graz – Research, Teaching, and Practice in Dialogue.