So what's really the point of TEDMED? To liberate from routine and help our most innovative thinkers take chances and do things they wouldn't normally do, see things through a different lens. Innovate our way to a better future.

photo courtesy of TEDMED Earlier this month, President Obama announced a proposal to fully map the activity of the human brain. The initiative wo...

Making delegates believe their attendance at a conference will change the world -- and dashing off to do it as a result -- is surely the Holy Grail of conference organizers. Perhaps they should be looking to TED/TEDMED for clues to the formula.

The problem is actually that we're living longer, but the longevity is fueled by very expensive chronic diseases that were preventable. The dream of living a long, healthy life has been replaced by living a long, sick life.

This week, I have seen a potential future of the nation's health -- and heard from and interacted with some of the players that are trying to impact and improve it.

Next week, 1,200 innovators, entrepreneurs, industry and government stakeholders, artists, and health care practitioners will attend the annual TEDMED conference in Washington, D.C.

Understand sleep, and you could have the key to unlock some of the biggest neurological disorders affecting our health. Alzheimer's, schizophrenia, de...