The XR Health Alliance is dedicated to the responsible development, investment and adoption of immersive technologies in healthcare. Bridging the gap between industry, research and healthcare to unlock new cross-sector innovation and collaboration. XRHA aims to share best practice, support and connect inclusive and diverse communities of patients, creators, researchers and healthcare professionals.
Fiona has worked at the nexus of innovation, technology and the creative industries for over 25 years. She founded Immerse UK, the UK’s immersive technology network in 2017 and is currently Chair of Eirmersive, the voice of the immersive sector in Ireland. Working primarily with government funded innovation programmes, Fiona is highly experienced in leveraging potential to support innovation & growth in businesses, programmes and organisations. She has led multiple industry ecosystem reports outlining the UK’s capacity opportunities and barriers in the Immersive, Health and Creative & Digital sectors. Fiona is currently Head of Immersive (maternity cover) at Story Futures Academy at the National Film and Television School with Royal Holloway.
Ross O’Brien is the Associate Director of Innovation and Technology at Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust in the UK. He was formerly the Service Lead for the Grenfell Health and Wellbeing Service which is the NHS mental health service established following the Grenfell Tower fire in London in 2017 claiming 72 lives. He established the service to support the traumatised and bereaved community affected by the tragedy.
Ross pioneered the use of VR in healthcare in the immediate months following the tragedy.Ross is also the Programme Lead of the London Digital Talking Therapies Programme at NHS England and is working to establish a digital single point of access for all Londoners accessing NHS psychological therapy services. Ross is a recent graduate from the Digital Health London Digital Pioneer Fellowship, and holds a Human Rights Masters from the University of London.
Sarah is an XR healthcare specialist, working broadly across research, creative producing and curation of XR experiences at the intersection of immersive technology, participatory art, and storytelling to improve physical and mental health.She is the co-founder of the XR Health Alliance, and founder of Hatsumi (which means to see for the first time). She is the producer at Explore Deep, an award-winning clinically validated breath controlled VR experience designed to reduce anxiety, developed in close collaboration with the Games for Emotional and Mental Health Lab, Radboud University. She has worked with a number of organisations across the immersive and healthcare space including Immerse UK, Healthcare Education England and the XR Safety Initiative Medical Council and continues to create opportunities to bring together practitioners across academia, healthcare and the creative industries to create an equitable and just future. She is also an End of Life Doula in training, a non-medical support for people going through the end of life process.