EHRCON25 wrapped up last Friday after two jam-packed days at Barcelona’s CCCB, bringing together some of the brightest minds in digital health and open standards. From thought-provoking keynotes and spirited panel discussions to lively debates and community celebrations, this year’s conference reminded everyone that openEHR is as much about values as it is about technology.
The event kicked off on Wednesday evening with networking drinks at Bar Ocaña in Barcelona’s buzzing Plaza Real – the perfect spot to reconnect with old friends and make new ones over wine and conversation.
On Thursday, following the opening remarks from our CEO, Rachel Dunscombe and Co-Chair, Tomaz Gornik, Bart De Witte – looking dapper in his bucket hat – kicked off the conference with an insightful keynote, describing a shift in healthcare AI from monolithic large language models to smaller, highly specialised language models working together as agentic swarm intelligence.
Dave deBronkart (e-Patient Dave) followed with his trademark blend of wit and purpose, delivering a Star Wars-themed open data call-to-arms that framed interoperability as justice and open standards as moral infrastructure – not just technical.
Across both days, the agenda balanced technical innovation with reflections on trust, collaboration, and community. With over 60 speakers and four engaging panel discussions, delegates were not just spectators but participants in shaping the future of EHRs and the evolving standards landscape within the context of AI. Alongside our international speakers and delegates, representatives from other standards bodies – HL7 FHIR, SNOMED and OHDSI – joined us, demonstrating a shared commitment to openness and partnership.
The openEHR Fellowship Programme made its debut, with several fellows sharing insights from their inaugural projects – powerful examples of knowledge-sharing and community-led improvement. For the first time, scientific posters and papers were showcased, giving researchers an opportunity to share groundbreaking work, with abstracts set to be published by Springer as a supplement to the conference proceedings.
Professor David Ingram congratulated Silje Ljosland Bakke as the winner of his eponymous award within the openEHR community, describing her as a long-standing and generous supporter of its mission. Unable to attend the event in person this year, he praised the remarkable quality and breadth of the EHRCON25 programme, noting how much the community owes to Silje and her colleagues in Norway for their foundational work. He also commended her quiet, principled leadership and enduring commitment to advancing clinical engagement at the heart of openEHR.
In the evening, delegates let their hair down a little and enjoyed a traditional Spanish dinner and wine at Cal Pinxo, in Barcelona’s scenic harbour. We were treated to entertainment from ‘The Archetypes’, karaoke and some pretty cool mind games from our special guest Isma Zmerli.
Friday saw a deepening of the discussion from technology to values. Grahame Grieve, the ‘Father of FHIR’, reminded everyone that open standards are digital public goods – “public treasure” created through collective effort – a sentiment echoed by Juan Luis Cruz Bermúdez, who noted that “data doesn’t belong to us but to all humanity”.
Kate Ebrill’s session was a highlight, filled with energy and conviction as she spoke about failing fast, embracing imperfection and going further, faster, together.
“EHRCON25 brought together an extraordinary diversity of people – from every corner of the world, across generations, and from all areas of healthcare, technology, and research – united by a shared vision: to make health data ready for the future. My heartfelt thanks go to our members, whose dedication and collaboration make this journey possible.”
Rachel Dunscombe, CEO, openEHR International
The final panel, featuring Grahame, Kate, Heather Leslie, Luke Readman, Matt Cox and Ian McNicoll, closed on a powerful note of belief and trust – in the standards, the community, and the collective effort to drive real change.
Oh yes, we mustn’t forget the giant penguin. 🐧
The openEHR community continues to grow and thrive worldwide, built on mutual respect, shared goals and a collective belief in creating something bigger than ourselves. Huge thanks to our delegates and speakers for shaping such a unique event, and to our sponsors – vitagroup, Better, CSIRO, Medblocks, Tietoevry, CODE24, Ocean Health Systems, AWS and Koloki – for their continued support.
The only question that remains: what’s in store for EHRCON26?
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