The New York Times sponsored a medical conference this past Thursday called “Health for Tomorrow,” bringing together prominent leaders in the medical field, including physicians and policymakers. 300 guests were invited from around the country to address “medicine, research, policy, and wellness,” and many of the speakers explored the economic ramifications of the recent Affordable Care Act in California and nationwide.

Curious as to how many young people would be there, imagining that I would be the only one there under 20 (I’m the 19-year-old daughter of a physician, considering a career in medicine later in my life), I was pleasantly surprised to find a wide variety of ages, demographics, and specialties at the conference. The New York Times was not just a sponsor of this event: it lent its name, but also nominated a few excellent moderators and contributors to spur discussion. Elisabeth Rosenthal, trained as a medical doctor but has recently focusing on the cost of health care for the New York Times, moderated many events and skillfully used her experience with the topic to draw out engaging conversations with her guests. Quentin Hardy, the deputy technology editor for the New York Times, also did a great job moderating. He focused on the pieces regarding Big Data, especially how new developments in technology can improve the health field.

Throughout the conference, an action-packed day beginning at 8:30 am and concluding at around 5 pm, what I found most notable was the engagement of the audience. After each talk, two microphones were set out on either side of the stage and audience members were encouraged to come forward and ask questions. Many did, and we were able to hear from an oncology nurse who is also involved in big data development in a tech startup, a specialist in cystic fibrosis, and the CEO of a hospital, to name a few. These guests were equally qualified to be on stage telling us about their work and its application to the future of medicine. They asked questions that applied to their work, but also drew in the audience and engaged us in the larger significance of these issues in the world. Because the audience was able to participate in the discussion, it became a community effort as we were united by the common goal to help healthcare help more people. Unfortunately, the insightful questions took longer than expected, so we were cut off after lunch. Guests were still encouraged to approach speakers during breaks to continue these important conversations and make valuable connections.

These breaks were also a great way for audience members to get to know each other and learn new things about diseases, business economics, and tech startups (and many more) from the people who know them best. During lunch, we met a gynecology nurse who was interested in Fibromyalgia, and my mother was able to teach her about the disease. My mother and I also provided human examples of the condition to curious guests, helping to dispel the stereotypes about Fibromyalgia by showing that a young person can be healthy AND have this condition, and that my mother was once very sick and is now highly functional. In that way, we both helped educate people we met, making connections instead of relying on clinical data or research papers. This person-to-person networking allowed people with very little experience with Fibromyalgia, but an engagement with medicine or healthcare policy, to gain a realistic understanding of the condition and its treatment options.