Professor Dr. Apichat Asavamongkolkul, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, said Siriraj intends this forum to serve as a central academic platform where researchers from leading institutions worldwide engage in evidence-based discussions on how technology can elevate public health.
Institutions such as MIT, Stanford, Harvard, Tsinghua, and Peking contribute. For Thai doctors, researchers, and entrepreneurs, hearing diverse perspectives in one forum is a true benefit of being the ASEAN health innovation hub. This year prominently features an academic platform for medical AI researchers from leading countries.
Experts from the United States and China exchanged knowledge and debated how technology can enhance public health. Panelists included Prof. Eric Grimson from MIT, an expert in computer vision and medical image analysis, and Prof. Dr. Michael V. McConnell from Stanford University School of Medicine, discoverer of McConnell’s Sign.
Also present were representatives from Tsinghua and Peking Universities, including Prof. Yang Liu of Tsinghua, a co-creator of the world’s first AI Agent Hospital, and Assistant Prof. Shenda Hong from the National Institute of Health Data Science at Peking University, an AI health researcher published in NEJM AI.
The event’s theme reflects a major technological shift: from AI predicting disease risk or trends to systems capable of planning and acting in patient care processes. The key question shifts from "Can technology do this?" to "How reliable is it, and who is responsible for patient outcomes?" This issue will be further explored in the LLM-athon workshop on 19 October 2026.
Led by Dr. Leo Anthony Celi from MIT Laboratory for Computational Physiology and Harvard Medical School, the workshop highlights a critical limitation of large language models (LLMs): clinical questions phrased differently may yield different answers, directly impacting patient safety and health equity, especially in countries using both Thai and English.
The Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital has signed a three-year cooperation agreement (2025–2027) with MIT Hacking Medicine to continuously hold health innovation conferences and Hackathons in Thailand, aiming to advance Thailand as the ASEAN Health Innovation Hub.
This collaboration extends to Si x MIT BeyondHack, offering alumni teams from previous Hackathons continuing development opportunities to present to MIT experts and investors. This year, 20 teams have registered. Winners join the BeyondHack Accelerator, working intensively with MIT for four weeks with investor discussions, then present finals in Boston, USA, in 2027. Hackathon winners also receive Golden Tickets to MIT Grand Hack in Boston, with travel, accommodation, and registration fully covered by the Siriraj Foundation.
Mr. Zen Chu, Director of MIT Hacking Medicine Initiative and Harvard-MIT Health Sciences & Technology Program, said many institutions want to hold Hackathons, but few create lasting impact. Siriraj succeeded; teams formed over a weekend in Bangkok now have pathways leading to presentations in Boston—a path that did not exist three years ago. Now, companies from Siriraj x MIT Hacking Medicine are preparing for fundraising and global expansion.
Over 14 years, MIT Hacking Medicine has held more than 200 Hackathons in over 30 countries, spawning over 100 companies that have raised more than 2.5 billion USD. Notable alumni include PillPack (acquired by Amazon for 1 billion USD), RubiconMD (acquired by Oak Street Health for 190 million USD), and Overjet.ai.
Siriraj x MIT Hacking Medicine 2026 is divided into three phases: the Hackathon from 16–18 October 2026 at Siriraj Hospital, focusing on cardiovascular diseases and oncology.
Followed by the BeyondHack presentation on 18 October, Workshop Day on 19 October at Knowledge Exchange Center (KX), King Mongkut's University of Technology Thonburi, and the main academic conference on 20 October at Grand Centre Point Hotel Lumpini, Bangkok.
Conference tickets for 20 October are priced at 5,000 baht for students and educators, 10,000 baht for Early Bird, and 15,000 baht for general admission. Workshop Day tickets on 19 October are 1,000 baht for students and educators, 1,500 baht Early Bird, and 2,000 baht general. Early Bird sales end on 30 September 2026.
Siriraj x MIT Hacking Medicine 2026 receives support from government and private partners. Diamond-level sponsors include InterSystems, Krung Thai Bank (KTB), and Dr. Pongsak Huntakul and Mrs. Nontana Thanabanchai Foundation (PNF). Platinum-level sponsor is Muang Thai Life Assurance (MTL).
Also supporting are the National Innovation Agency (NIA), Thanes Group, and ten Gold-level sponsors. Third-year continuous supporters include Krung Thai Bank, PNF, NIA, Muang Thai Life Assurance, Berlin Pharma, and PT. Second-year supporters include InterSystems, iNT, KX, DataOne Asia, and Earthshine. Interested parties can find details and register at the website.www.sirirajxmithackmed.com
