Denise Silber

Denise Silber

Denise Silber is an international digital health pioneer and strategist, with a considerable social media following. She is on a mission, since the early days of the WWW, to improve the quality of care through the awesome combination of digital health deployment, patient participation, and communication.

A senior pharmaceutical executive turned eHealth entrepreneur, Denise Silber spotted the importance of the clinical uses of Virtual Reality in 2015. She brings to VRforHealth.com her strategic vision and leadership, knowledge of the field, and her exceptional global network in healthcare and technology.

Denise Silber founded Basil Strategies digital health communications agency in 2001, launched the international Doctors 2.0 & You conferences in 2010 and launched VRforHealth.com in 2019.

In 2011, she was awarded the French Legion of Honor, France’s highest civilian honor, for her contribution to eHealth and patient engagement and in 2018, was named to the #InspiringFifty women in tech. A Harvard MBA, Denise hosts podcasts for Harvard Alumni Entrepreneurs, is an Honorary board member and VP emeritus of the Harvard Club of France. She is also the Secretary-General of FNIM professional association. And finally, an ex-New Yorker in Paris, Denise Silber has worked on three continents and is also fluent in French and Spanish.

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Dr Rafael Grossmann, MD, FACS

Rafael J. Grossmann Zamora, MD, FACS is an immigrant, surgeon, educator, speaker, patient advocate, and healthcare futurist.

Dr Grossmann and Denise Silber first connected over Google Glass in 2013, when he made one of the first-ever live, on-stage demonstrations of its Augmented Reality features, in Paris at Doctors 2.0 & You, the international conference she created.

Dr Grossmann was a supporter of VRforHealth’s mission, from the moment he heard of the idea. As a Clinical Advisor to VRforHealth since 2021, Dr Grossmann brings his invaluable experience as a trauma surgeon, his longstanding focus on new technologies, and in particular, immersive ones, and his deep support of patient engagement.

Originally from Caracas, Venezuela, Rafael did his surgery residency in Ann Arbor, MI, USA. After training as a general surgeon, he settled in the USA, where he is a full-time practicing trauma surgeon. Attracted by the paradoxical power of technology to facilitate more humane medical care, Dr. Grossmann was the first to use Google Glass in the operating room, probably the first iteration of Augmented Reality during live surgery. He keeps abreast not only of new software applications but of innovation in hardware and the digital health space in general.

Dr. Grossmann is engaged in multiple facets of Immersive Reality (XR) as a new medium to improve connectivity and communication in healthcare. He has helped develop and optimize several VR and AR platforms and serves as an advisor to XRHealth, AnimaRes, and LevelEx, among others.

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Rita Prota

Rita Prota and Denise Silber connected in 2020, when Denise went searching for a brilliant, dynamic project manager for the soon to launch VRforHealth.com. And that was Rita Prota, a biotechnology engineering grad with a background in both Italian and French cultures,.

Rita combined her technical expertise with a profound understanding of marketing and specialized in life sciences communication and marketing. In recognition of her work, Rita was honored by The Next Web (TNW) in 2021 as one of the "Under 26 TOP 500 Digital Talents in The Netherlands."

Rita supports several companies operating within the healthcare and sustainability ecosystems in The Netherlands, Belgium, and France, as the founder of RPV Consultancy.

Fueled by her ambition to make a lasting impact in the healthcare field throughout her career, she continues to bring innovation and expertise to her endeavors.

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Dr. José Ferrer Costa, MD

Dr Ferrer Costa and Denise Silber connected in 2022, over their shared interest in the clinical uses of Virtual Reality. In 2023, Denise had the great pleasure of inviting him as a keynote during the Frontiers’ Health Virtual Reality conference session she composed and in which she also keynoted.

At VRforHealth, Dr Ferrer Costa is a contributing author, publishing a regular update on the latest clinical research in virtual reality, the #SundayDeepDive.

Based in Barcelona, Dr. Ferrer has dedicated the majority of his career to clinical work in primary care since 2004, mentoring residents and serving as a CPR instructor at Badalona Serveis Assistencials (BSA). Alongside his clinical roles, he seamlessly integrated acupuncture and oriental medicine into his approach. In 2020, he delved into the realm of virtual reality, crafting immersive landscapes that serve both educational and well-being purposes, gaining global resonance.

In 2022, marking a pivotal transition, Dr. Ferrer shifted his focus from assistential roles to join the innovation and projects team at BSA. Here he passionately leads research, with a particular emphasis on VR's role in healthcare and medical education. Among his most notable initiatives is the 'Projecte Benestar,' leveraging VR's transformative potential to combat healthcare worker burnout and promote well-being at work.