Precision Medicine Conferences Compared
PMWC (Precision Medicine World Conference) is a targeted, cross‑sector meeting focused on translating precision medicine into clinical impact — co‑hosted with Stanford and UCSF in Silicon Valley Below is a realistic comparison against common conference categories Last updated: August 11, 2025
| Factor |
PMWC (Silicon Valley)
Co‑hosted by Stanford & UCSF
– Called the Davos of Precision Medicine
|
Oncology Mega Meetings (e.g., ASCO, AACR)1 |
Health‑Tech Mega Events (e.g., HLTH, HIMSS)2 |
Genomics Specialty (e.g., AGBT Precision Health)3 |
Data & Informatics (e.g., BioData World, Bio‑IT World)4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Primary focus | Implementing precision medicine across care delivery: genomics, liquid biopsy, AI, clinical adoption | Broad oncology research & care; thousands of abstracts; bench‑to‑bedside | System‑level health innovation (IT, payers, employers, digital health) not precision‑specific | Genomics & precision health science; sequencing tech; pilots | R&D data, compute, pipelines, ML/AI for life sciences |
| Typical scale | ≈2,500 multidisciplinary attendees; 90+ exhibits5 | Very large: ~23k–40k attendees (AACR/ASCO)6,7 | Very large: 12k+ (HLTH) to 30k+ (HIMSS)8,9 | Smaller, curated scientific meeting10 | Small–mid; thousands at most; Europe/US mixes11,12 |
| Program format | Curated, 12‑track program; 400+ talks; 3 days13 | Abstract‑driven; many concurrent sessions; heavy poster content6,7 | Keynotes/panels + large expo theaters; partner content8,9 | Scientific program; invited + abstract sessions; workshops10 | Multi‑track technical sessions + vendor demos11,12 |
| Government & regulators on stage | Frequent (e.g., FDA, NIH leadership participate)14 | Present; varies by year and topic6,7 | Variable; tends to feature policy & payers more than scientific regulators8,9 | Variable10 | Occasional; more infrastructure‑focused11,12 |
| Liquid biopsy depth | Dedicated multi‑session track annually (early detection, MRD, therapy mgmt)15–19 | Covered within broader oncology agenda6,7 | Occasional sessions; not a central theme8,9 | Covered, often from assay/tech vantage point10 | Covered when data/compute are the focus11,12 |
| AI for clinical adoption & impact | Multiple tracks applying AI to diagnostics, imaging, trials, & operations (e.g., Jensen Huang, NVIDIA)13 | Strong research content; clinical adoption varies by session6,7 | Heavy AI theme but broad (workflow, rev‑cycle, ops)8,9 | Genomic analysis & clinical integration topics10 | ML/AI for pipelines, platforms & R&D use cases11,12 |
| Networking design | Manageable scale; curated mixers; integrated expo; dedicated meeting areas/rooms; attendee chat + AI matchmaking for 1:1s5,20 | Massive scale can dilute targeted 1:1 time | Expo‑centric; many side meetings; great for broad prospecting | Highly targeted; smaller community = easier access, but breadth of stakeholders is limited | Targeted but vendor‑heavy; technical communities |
| Location & access | Santa Clara Convention Center — ~5 miles from SJC (Silicon Valley)21 | Rotates (e.g., Chicago, San Diego)6,7 | HLTH: Las Vegas; HIMSS rotates (e.g., Orlando, Las Vegas)8,9 | San Diego (recent/near‑term)10 | Basel/Boston and other hubs (varies by series)11,12 |
| Recordings / on‑demand | Full recordings included with pass (Tracks 1–4; ~90% speaker consent)22 | Often included for registrants (e.g., ASCO)23 | Varies by event; check organizer8,9 | Varies10 | Varies11,12 |
| Awards & recognition | PMWC Pioneer/Luminary/Outstanding Achievement awards span science, translation & impact24 | Major scientific society awards (field‑specific)6,7 | Industry recognition programs (varies)8,9 | Speaker spotlights; invited talks; some awards (varies)10 | Community/industry awards (varies)11,12 |
Examples & sources:
1 ASCO, AACR program/attendance refs
2 HLTH & HIMSS audience scale refs
3 AGBT Precision Health info
4 BioData World & Bio‑IT World descriptors
5 PMWC attendee/exhibit scale
6 AACR 2024 registrants; event overview
7 ASCO “over ~39,000” context; official pages
8 HLTH “12,000+” attendees
9 HIMSS “30,000+” attendees
10 AGBT Precision Health site
11 BioData World positioning (Europe’s largest); historical attendance refs
12 Bio‑IT World participant pages
13 PMWC program (12 tracks; 400+ talks)
14 PMWC speakers include FDA/NIH leaders
15–19 PMWC liquid biopsy track/session pages
20 PMWC networking/attendee chat (FAQ)
21 Venue proximity to SJC
22 PMWC recordings included (FAQ)
23 ASCO says On‑Demand is included for registrants
