We are enormously proud to have hosted another successful year of the Annual Podium Institute Conference on Sports Medicine and Technology, and we feel we achieved exactly what we set out to do. Held at the University of Oxford, our event brought together a remarkable community of researchers, clinicians, engineers, and sports professionals for two days of high-impact exchange focused on improving athlete health and safety.

Professor Constantin Coussios OBE OBE FREng FMedSci opened the conference with a warm welcome and an overview of the Podium Institute’s mission: to advance multidisciplinary research that protects and empowers athletes through innovation in science, medicine, and technology. His remarks set the tone for a programme that was both ambitious and collaborative.

With over 30 excellent presentations, the conference tackled key issues including concussion, biomechanics, injury prevention, wearable technologies, and the ethics of biometric monitoring. Standout sessions revealed fresh insights into cumulative head impacts and CTE, novel approaches to ACL reconstruction, and data-driven strategies to support youth athlete wellbeing. Spirited debate sessions added energy and edge, encouraging open dialogue on the role of data, surveillance boundaries, and the balance between performance and long-term health.

Some of the conference’s most engaging sessions were its spirited end of the day debates. Experts went head-to-head on topics such as the role of data in athlete care, the fine line between monitoring and surveillance, and the tension between performance optimisation and long-term health. The tone was both rigorous and refreshingly candid encouraging open dialogue across disciplines and keeping the conversation in full swing.

Our invited Keynote speakers delivered a powerful lineup of perspectives. Dr Mark Hart tackled the challenges of promoting athlete safety across international sport federations, while Professor Keith Stokes shared findings from instrumented mouthguard research in rugby. Dr Dario Cazzola introduced physics-informed machine learning as a breakthrough tool for invisible athlete monitoring, and Professor Johannes Weickenmeier, Podium’s own faculty member, explored multiscale modelling of traumatic brain injury. Rhys Hughes from Gloucester Rugby brought practical insights into screening for lower limb injuries in elite athletes, and Dr Thomas Parker examined the long-term neurological effects of head impact exposure. Wrapping up the keynote series, Dr Lee Goldstein presented new biomarkers linking repetitive head trauma to CTE, underscoring the urgency of interdisciplinary teamwork in protecting brain health.

The formal dinner at New College, on Thursday evening offered a memorable setting for networking and across-sector collaboration. Founded in 1379, New College is one of Oxford’s oldest and most architecturally striking colleges, known for its medieval cloisters, iconic chapel, and tranquil gardens nestled against the city’s ancient walls.

The evening was punctuated by light-hearted and witty speeches from Podium Steering Committee members Professor Dame Sara Springman, Prof Constantin Coussios and Peter Hamlyn, adding a touch of humour and camaraderie to the historic surroundings. The venue provided a fitting backdrop for a conference that blends tradition with forward-thinking innovation.

A heartfelt thank you to all who joined us, including our closest allies, Podium Analytics, and collaborators from TopSpin Technologies Ltd., ORB Innovations, Gloucester Rugby, Concussion Toolkit, and others, as well as participants from further afield who travelled from the US, Africa and Europe.

The energy, insight, and commitment shown by all participants helped raise the bar for the future of sports medicine and technology. The conversation is in full motion, and we’re just getting started!

To learn more about our annual conference, including the full programme, abstracts, and details of past events, please visit our Conferences page

Photography by Andrew Bailey.