Industry heavyweights including McCann Health, Publicis Healthcare Communications Group, Hearst, Ogilvy and J. Walter Thompson will lead sessions offering groundbreaking ideas that challenge the status quo. From filmmakers and poets, to statisticians and improv-based comedians, the festival will deliver new ways to tackle the communications challenges facing the healthcare industry.

Themes will inspire attendees to think differently and challenge assumptions that stifle innovation. Delegates will discover how they can help their organisations implement forward-thinking approaches to healthcare communications, that will drive performance and ultimately improve the lives of individuals worldwide.

Fighting for your creative lives

Jeremy Perrott, Global Chief Creative Officer for McCann Health will host a session with two artists who have fought for their creative lives and attracted the attention of millions. Ilya Naishuller, a 29 year-old Russian filmmaker and punk rocker, described as the next Tarantino and Shane Koyczyan a Canadian poet, who has "his finger on the pulse of what it's like to be young and...different."

Tell stories, change lives

Multi-award winning documentary producers, Todd and Jedd Wider, will present a session on the transformative power of film. Their personal brand of artistry and investigative narration - including uncovering hidden stories affecting patients, providers, and the healthcare system - has altered US law and compelled stakeholders to think differently on social and political issues.

They will prove that truth, passion and a precision to visual craftsmanship are the key to the evolution of the healthcare communications industry from being brand champions to champions of health and wellness for all.

Glamorous media brands are the new frontline in patient communications

Louise Court, Editor-in-Chief of Cosmopolitan and Sharon Douglas, Group Publishing Director, Lifestyle Group, Hearst discuss how emotional engagement through thought leading media brands can change the health of a nation. They will show how some of the world's most inspirational brands have developed profound relationships with their audiences and how, through powerful story telling that prompts behavioural change, women are empowering themselves and others to make decisions that transform their lives.

Statisticians and creatives - a marriage made in hell?

A presentation of visually arresting and stimulating work from students and tutors of Central Saint Martins, commissioned by Ogilvy CommonHealth, that tackles the issues and biases associated with interpreting health data and demonstrates how creatives can make a world of difference to some of the most important decisions we have to make.

What healthcare communications can learn from improv-based comedy

With new forms of collaboration appearing that link together different sectors - from CSR to consumer product manufacturers - we need to equip ourselves for new ways of working. J. Walter Thompson's V.P. Creative Director, Jed Churcher and Kevin Frank, Artistic Director of Training and Education from the world's leading authority in comedy-based improvisation, The Second City Toronto, will show how the 'rules' of improv have never been more relevant for the business world as they are today and will provide attendees with new tools they can start using right away.

Commenting on the programme, Louise Benson, Festival Director for Lions Health, said, "Lions Health believes that creativity is the basis of all great work. We are excited to present truly creative speakers from different arenas that will push traditional boundaries towards new forms of healthcare communication."

For more information, go to www.canneslions.com/lions_health/.