Ransel Potter emphasizes lasting international partnerships as Dr. Björn Zoëga outlines expanding clinical research and a new approach to hospital care in Saudi Arabia.

NEW YORK, September 14, 2026 — TN News — Turning scientific breakthroughs into treatments that reach patients sooner emerged as a central message during the opening of the C3 Davos of Healthcare Summit in New York, where speakers called for closer international collaboration and a more practical approach to artificial intelligence in medicine.

The gathering’s theme, “Challenging Science: How Research, AI and Biotech Are Racing to End Disease,” brought attention to the connection between scientific discovery, clinical research and the everyday delivery of care. C3’s official event overview

In his opening address, Dr. Björn Zoëga, chief executive officer of King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Centre in Riyadh, urged healthcare institutions to accelerate progress while maintaining the ethical and safety standards that patients depend on. His role is confirmed by the hospital’s official profile of his leadership.

“We should be courageous and not afraid, but do it right,” Zoëga said.

He acknowledged the excitement surrounding AI while offering a measured assessment of its impact. Healthcare, he explained, has often been slow to adopt digital tools, partly because fragmented systems struggle to communicate with one another.

The opportunity now, he argued, is to connect data, research and clinical practice more effectively—particularly in fields such as genomics—and shorten the distance between a promising discovery and a treatment available to patients.

Zoëga described a substantial expansion in his institution’s research activity. According to figures he presented, active clinical trials had grown from 32 in 2022 to approximately 260 by the month preceding the summit. He also said the hospital conducts close to 60 percent of clinical trials in Saudi Arabia and treats approximately a quarter of the kingdom’s cancer patients.

Those figures underscored his broader argument: research capacity must grow alongside the ability to deliver complex care and train future healthcare professionals.

He also outlined a phased manufacturing facility intended to support advanced therapies. Zoëga said financing had been secured for construction and the first five years of operation, with some cell-therapy capabilities expected to be ready in early 2027. He invited potential research and commercial partners to explore collaboration.

A particularly practical example came from Almather Hospital, the recently opened secondary-care hospital in Riyadh. King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Centre announced its inauguration on August 31, describing a digital platform that uses AI to support appointment scheduling, diagnostic assistance and patient follow-up. Official Almather opening announcement

At the summit, Zoëga described Almather as an opportunity to put digital tools into routine use across a hospital. The presentation outlined applications ranging from patient registration and clinical documentation to scheduling, patient flow and administrative operations.

He said early feedback suggested that some solutions were already freeing nurses’ time. The ambition, he explained, was to expand successful applications beyond pilot projects and eventually introduce them across the larger Riyadh campus.

Reducing waiting was another stated goal. Zoëga described a hospital model designed around smaller waiting areas and a smoother patient journey, presenting this as an operational ambition rather than a measured outcome.

For C3 founder Ransel Potter, the opening also offered an opportunity to reflect on the relationships behind the summit.

Founded in 2012, with former President Bill Clinton as its inaugural keynote speaker, C3 was built around community, collaboration and commerce. Its history includes gatherings in the United States, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and China, with an emphasis on cooperation between the West and the Middle East. C3’s founding history

Potter thanked returning speakers, sponsors and partners, highlighting the longstanding support of King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Centre.

He recalled advice that he attributed to Clinton following the inaugural gathering: build a lasting ripple of connections. Bringing that idea into the room, Potter invited participants to shake hands with someone beside or behind them.

The opening remarks were followed by the introduction of a conversation featuring Dr. Toby Cosgrove, former president and chief executive officer of Cleveland Clinic, and H.E. Ambassador Dr. Deborah Birx, identified in the session presentation as a former White House coronavirus adviser and C3 board adviser.

Zoëga’s closing appeal returned to the purpose of bringing these institutions and individuals together.

“We want real collaborations,” he said—partnerships intended to advance research, improve care and bring new possibilities to patients sooner.