2025-10-16 –, Alan Turing
European healthcare communication is at a turning point. Fragmented national systems are reaching their limits, while the need for interoperable, secure, and user-friendly digital spaces across borders continues to grow.
This talk explores how the open-source Matrix protocol has become a strategic foundation for secure messaging in healthcare — powering derived solutions like TI Messenger and CGM Messenger. Our approach highlights not only the technology itself but also the importance of collaboration with the open-source community, especially through our partnership with Element, to drive innovation, scalability, and trust.
Key themes include deep integration into primary systems, the use of headless clients, and tackling challenges around usability, eID identity models, and technical complexity.
We argue that while Matrix alone is not the silver bullet for interoperability, it provides the missing bridge between siloed infrastructures and the vision of a unified European Health Space — rooted in open standards and coordinated implementation.
Patrice Zoe Brend'amour is a Vienna-based technology leader with extensive international experience spanning Germany, the United States, and Austria. Having led diverse, globally-distributed teams across the US, South Africa, and Europe, she brings a unique perspective to healthcare product management and development, understanding firsthand the complexities of cross-border collaboration and the critical need for seamless communication infrastructure in healthcare settings.
Her career has focused on shipping healthcare products while managing international development teams, navigating diverse regulatory environments, and fostering collaboration across time zones and cultural boundaries. This global leadership experience has provided deep insights into the challenges healthcare organizations face when coordinating care, sharing data, and maintaining communication across different jurisdictions and technical standards.
Drawing from her international product development background and understanding of varied regulatory frameworks, Patrice advocates for open protocols that enable healthcare organizations to transcend geographical and institutional barriers. Her work consistently emphasizes solutions that maintain rigorous security standards while enabling the collaborative workflows that modern healthcare demands.
At this year's Matrix Conference, Patrice will address "Matrix as a Bridge – Enabling Cross-Border Healthcare Communication Through Open Standards," exploring how decentralized communication protocols can transform international healthcare data exchange and support seamless provider collaboration regardless of location. This presentation will demonstrate practical approaches for implementing open standards that break down current silos limiting cross-border healthcare innovation.