Episode 7: Blockchain for Federated Learning in Healthcare with Mike McCoy, Director of Platform Integration and Technical Partnerships at ConsenSys Health

Beyond pharmaceutical traceability: blockchain for federaed learning in healthcare

From the storing and exchange of sensitive citizen and patient data to vaccine traceability, blockchain's tamper-proof data sharing capabilities have been widely regarded to have various applications in healthcare. In this episode, Mike McCoy talks about federated learning in healthcare and how blockchain provides a promising solution to unlocking its potential without compromising on privacy. He also talks about the challenges specific to implementing blockchain solutions in highly regulated, multi-stakeholder environments such as the healthcare and life sciences and its need for data interoperability standards. Learn about the various initiatives at ConsenSys Health such as the Consensys Covid hackathon, and their how they expect to see blockchain adoption evolving over the next few years. Also, he debunks the myth of the end of intermediaries so widely promised by blockchain, explaining how blockchain is instead making them more effective and efficient.

What is federated learning?
Federated learning ia network of participants to collaboratively train without any participant needing to share their data. Instead of sending data to a centralized repository, federated learning works by “sending the algorithm” to the data stored in its home location. Participants in the network are sent this algorithm and they each improve it by training it on their data locally, thus creating an updated algorithm.

( extracted from Robert Miller's newsetters "Why federated learning is important")

About [ConsenSys Health](www.ConsenSysHealth.com)
ConsenSys Health is a spin-off from ConsenSys, one of the world’s largest blockchain companies, focused on solving the biggest problems in healthcare. They are part of an ecosystem of technology and industry partners seeking to drive positive, inclusive change in healthcare and the life sciences.

About Mike McCoy
Mike McCoy is the Director of Platform Integration & Technical Partnerships at ConsenSys Health working on building an evidence-based, ethics-driven platform based on blockchain, machine learning and privacy enhancing technology for health care, life science and public sector partners. Previously at Accenture and ConsenSys AG, Mike works in technical strategy, development, integration and growth models for people to use and scale emerging technologies to current industry standards.

Mike also is an Adjunct Professor at Thomas Jefferson University's Institute of Emerging Health Professions as a lecturer and course developer for emerging technology graduate certificate courses. He is a member and ambassador to many technical working groups such as IEEE, Frontiers, Blockchain in Healthcare Today, Blockchain for Social Impact and the Hyperledger Working Group.