OMRS21: A Special, Virtual Community Moment​

It’s already a tradition. Every year, when December approaches, a special moment of time occurs. A time of sharing and inspiring. A time of knowledge and ideas. A time of the community.

The 2021 OpenMRS Implementers’ Virtual Conference was held on Zoom and lasted for 4 days, from 29th November to 2nd December. During this time, a variety of sessions took place, welcoming every person that wished to join and listen. The conference officially started with an opening ceremony by the OpenMRS Board of Directors, who gave participants a warm welcome, expressing pride and gratitude for the amazing community of OpenMRS. 

As Jan Flowers, Chair of the OpenMRS Board of Directors, said:

“Today, when we’re talking about quality and resilience, we’re really talking about trust. Trust in OpenMRS. It goes beyond the quality of the software, it includes the quality of the community that creates the software.”

Staying true to these words, the 2021 OpenMRS Implementers’ Conference was all about the community. It is the conference participants who drove the agenda, deciding on the things they want to talk about. The most anticipated topics included: OpenMRS 3.0, FHIR, OHRI, OpenHIE, OpenMRS Academy, new OpenMRS products and collaborating practices. There were also newcomers who anticipated meeting new people and bonding with the community.

Participants explored many important issues through this year’s unconferencing sessions. While discussing a variety of projects and questions, they focused on local communities and their needs. They exchanged their views and ideas, and together searched for better solutions to the problems of specific countries and users. As a community that not only speaks, but also attentively listens, conference participants openly shared their stories and worked through challenges together, in harmony with local country representatives. 

The 2021 OpenMRS Implementers’ Conference was an inspiring experience, a celebration of shared knowledge and unity, despite differences. Thanks to everyone for participating! We are honored to be a part of such an amazing community and we’re hoping to meet you all again.

See you next year!