DAMMAM: Hackathon, the three-day research forum organized by the King Fahad Specialist Hospital (KFSH) in Dammam, called for finding effective ways to create a model health care system along modern lines. Speakers at the forum also stressed the need to promote research activities to better understand the health care needs of the public. Dr. Saad bin Saeed Al-Shahrani, director of research at the KFSH research center, and vice-president of the conference, said the recommendations included finding a mechanism for harmonizing work between field workers and researchers. Speakers called for work to understand population health management and for a platform to collect and use data. Health experts pointed to the importance of establishing research projects aimed at identifying socioeconomic determinants of the health of individuals and communities, and to narrowing research to discover societal values and demographic differences affecting palliative care applications. The forum recommended coordination between research centers and academic bodies to establish a platform.