Oregon Bioscience Association (Oregon Bio), a nonprofit member association based in Oregon, and the Technology Association of Oregon (TAO) are collaborating to cultivate Oregon's health information technologies, personal digital health products, bioinformatics and health analytics industries. Both organizations will coordinate support for companies, entrepreneurs, research institutes and care organizations to expand Oregon's life sciences and digital health economy.

"The current wave of IT adoption is expected to significantly impact patient care. Oregon Bio and TAO are natural partners in fostering a thriving health IT industry to expand Oregon's leadership in this space. Fortunately, Oregon has active industry groups in high tech, medical technology and bioscience. Now is the time for us to fully commit to supporting digital health care," said Matt Smits, Oregon Bio board chair and president of Medspire.

The agreement addresses members' needs regarding common areas of networking, advocacy, educational events and industry-specific training.

"Companies in the technology sector, specifically those focusing on emerging health technologies, are evolving and a key part of a growing Oregon technology ecosystem. We are really excited to help support this," said Skip Newberry, president of TAO. "The intersection of software and hardware development, medical technology and bioscience is a growing phenomena not only in Oregon but nationally.”

Dennis McNannay, executive director of  Oregon Bio, said, "As health care and medical devices continue to become increasingly reliant on wireless connectivity, biosensors, embedded software, nanotechnology and big data to make clinical decisions, it is important that organizations like Oregon Bio and TAO cooperate to support this rapidly growing industry sector. Together we can help companies leverage our regional base of technology, device manufacturing and workforce expertise to grow Oregon's share of the emerging digital health market."