On 18 June 2026, Ana Rita Constante spoke at HLTH Europe 2026 on the untapped potential of medical students as a source of healthcare innovation. Drawing on the experience of Católica-Luz Clinical Academic Centre (CAC-CL) and Católica Medical School, the session highlighted how medical students could contribute meaningfully to innovation when they were given opportunities to engage with real-world challenges, entrepreneurial thinking, and interdisciplinary collaboration from an early stage in their training.
The presentation also showcased how the Católica-Luz ecosystem has already begun taking concrete steps to unlock this potential through challenge-based learning formats, cross-sector partnerships, and new initiatives designed to connect medical education more closely with innovation and health system transformation.
Ana Rita Constante’s participation in HLTH Europe 2026 was supported by the ELEVATE consortium, a European initiative funded by the European Union’s EIT HEI Initiative and led by Universidade Católica Portuguesa, whose mission to strengthen innovation and entrepreneurship capacity in higher education closely aligned with the themes explored in the session.
By sharing these early experiences, the session positioned medical education not only as a space for knowledge acquisition, but also as a strategic environment for developing future clinicians who can actively contribute to more innovative and future-ready health systems!