Christian Dameff
Dr. Christian (quaddi) Dameff is an ER doc. He is also an Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine, Biomedical Informatics, and Computer Science at the University of California San Diego. He co-directs the UCSD Center for Healthcare Cybersecurity. He is also a hacker, a former open capture the flag champion, and DEF CON/RSA/Black Hat/BSIDES Speaker.
Session
Hospitals and trauma centers have been increasingly targeted by sophisticated cyber threats that jeopardize patient safety, disrupt critical care, and compromise sensitive health data. In 2025, the healthcare sector remains one of the most attacked industries, with ransomware, phishing, and supply chain disruptions posing daily risks to clinical operations. These threats are especially acute in trauma centers, where even brief system outages can result in life-threatening delays.
This panel will explore the evolving cybersecurity landscape facing healthcare providers, with a focus on high-impact vulnerabilities such as legacy medical devices, unsegmented networks, and third-party software dependencies. Panelists will discuss recent incidents and their cascading effects on emergency care delivery, as well as the broader implications for public health and national security.
The discussion will also highlight emerging policy challenges, including the impact of new federal funding and regulatory frameworks. In addition, the panel will explore operational mitigations such as zero-trust architectures, incident response planning, and workforce training.
Attendees will gain a deeper understanding of the systemic risks facing healthcare infrastructure and leave with actionable insights into how policy, technology, and cross-sector collaboration can strengthen resilience in the face of growing cyber threats.