Digital eXtended Reality (XR) technologies are increasingly adopted in many domains. Notably, XR technologies are being experimented with in healthcare, wellbeing and medicine. To address the growing research in these areas, the XR Health 2025 workshop will occur during IEEE VR 2025 (Saint-Malo, France), focusing on XR (AR/VR/MR) technologies broadly applied to health, wellbeing, and medicine. It builds upon the 2022 edition and 2023 editions. 

The ubiquitous use of XR devices creates an excellent opportunity to further XR research to help support healthcare professionals and the wellbeing of people. XR has demonstrated many advantages to various healthcare and wellbeing areas; however, more research is required. Therefore, we aim to gather the intersection of researchers working in XR for healthcare, wellbeing, and medicine from the VR/AR/MR, AI, and HCI communities to come together to share their ideas and discuss possible future grand challenges. 

The organizers solicit short paper submissions (up to 4 pages excluding references in VGTC conference format submitted via precision conference) with presentations at the workshop. Paper submission must be anonymized to ensure double-blind review process. Submission types include but are not limited to the research papers on the introduction or evaluation of systems developed for healthcare/wellbeing/medicine and healthcare/wellbeing/medicine application areas where XR has been deployed. The papers are to appear in the IEEE Digital Library.

The workshop provides a platform for early-career researchers to present their work and engage with experienced professionals. Break-out sessions and panel discussions enable vivid exchange. We further invite students in this field to contribute to our "present your thesis speed dating" session, allowing PhD candidates to briefly showcase their thesis projects in 1-2 minutes, fostering quick exchanges of ideas. The majority of the workshop will be held in person. We strongly recommend physical attendance. However, in case of travel restrictions, remote access to keynotes and paper presentations can be provided. Please note, that online attendees will still need at least a workshop registration and remote paper presenters a full conference registration.

Lars Riedemann, MD

Heidelberg University Hospital, Germany

From Innovative Tech to Clinical Impact: How to Solve Critical Healthcare Problems with Extended Reality

Rapidly evolving extended reality (XR) technologies have the potential to transform the intentionally rigid landscape of clinical medicine. This presentation focuses on strategic solutions to accelerate the meaningful use of XR in medicine, including forming partnerships to drive innovation, developing cost-effective technologies for seamless integration into clinical workflows, and ensuring rigorous clinical validation to meet regulatory standards. By emphasizing these solutions, healthcare professionals and technology developers can efficiently collaborate to integrate XR seamlessly into clinical practices, enhancing patient outcomes and medical education.