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The first YORIAU Symposium will take place on April 25th with the first anniversary of the organization's establishment, focusing on the value, challenges, and future of online communities for people with lived experiences

March 13, 2025

YORIAILab, a non-profit organization based in Nerima, Tokyo, Japan (Representative Director: Nobutaka Yagi), provides a platform where people living with health conditions, their supporters, and stakeholders from diverse backgrounds can work together to advance social co-creation in healthcare. Our mission is to create an environment that enables people affected by disease to build and sustain their capabilities and contribute to improving health and healthcare.

As digital technologies continue to transform society, patient communities are also evolving rapidly. In addition to traditional face-to-face interactions, online and virtual forms of health communication have become increasingly common, creating new opportunities for connection, support, and collaboration.

At the same time, efforts to develop medicines and healthcare solutions that better reflect patients’ needs are becoming more sophisticated. There is growing recognition of the importance of Patient Experience Data (PED)—information about patients’ experiences, perspectives, and priorities that can be systematically collected and used to inform decision-making across healthcare, research, regulation, and product development. To realize this potential, it is increasingly important to build patient-generated data continuously and collaboratively through ongoing engagement with patients and communities.

Against this background, YORIAILab is pleased to announce the “YORIAI Symposium,” which will be held to mark the first anniversary of the organization’s establishment. The symposium will explore the value, challenges, and future of online patient communities, bringing together patients, patient advocates, healthcare professionals, researchers, industry representatives, and other stakeholders to discuss how patient communities can contribute to the future of healthcare and society.

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Theme

The Value, Challenges, and Future of Online Communities for People Living with Health Conditions

Objectives

To explore the benefits, challenges, and future potential of online patient communities, which have rapidly emerged as an important tool for health communication.
To create opportunities for mutual learning and collaboration through a panel discussion featuring leaders of online patient communities, and to enhance the value of these communities together.
To encourage networking among participants and foster new opportunities for collaboration.
To celebrate the first anniversary of YORIAILab by sharing its achievements to date and its vision for future activities.

Overview

Date & Time: April 25, 2025 (Friday), 15:00 – 19:30

Venue: AP Tokyo Yaesu (In-person) & Online

Participation Fee: Free of charge for YORIAILab members, participants and graduates of the Clinical Trial Ambassador Training Program, patients, caregivers, and family members.

Website: https://www.yoriailab.com/en/symposium

Program

15:10 – Keynote Lecture: Kento Asano / Division of Future Healthcare Development, Osaka University Hospita

A leading expert in the research and clinical implementation of advanced healthcare technologies using Decentralized Clinical Trials (DCTs) will discuss the potential for sustainably co-creating and utilizing Patient Experience Data (PED) in healthcare and research.

16:00 – Panel Discussion

Representatives of online patient communities will discuss: the role of patient communities in a digital society; the evolving value of online communities; how patient voices gathered through these communities can be utilized; the potential of co-created data developed in partnership with patients.

5:00 PM – YORIAILab Anniversary Seminar

An introduction to YORIAILab’s journey over the past year, its key activities and achievements, and its aspirations for the future.

6:00 PM – World Café Networking Session

An informal networking session featuring introductions to online patient community platforms by community leaders and service providers. Participants from diverse backgrounds will have the opportunity to connect, exchange ideas, and explore possibilities for future collaboration.