Learn, connect, share: why DevDays matters more than ever

It’s been nearly a decade since I went to my first FHIR DevDays. FHIR has changed enormously since then. (Here we are on the cusp of Release 6!)

But the things that made DevDays special back then are the same things that make it essential today. My greatest realization at that 2017 DevDays was that the people building this standard were approachable, generous, and genuinely excited to help.

For me, the magic of DevDays comes down to being the perfect environment for these three key things: Learn. Connect. Share.

Learn

The impact of learning FHIR has never been higher. AI systems are consuming FHIR-based data at scale. Regulatory frameworks increasingly mandate FHIR-based exchange.

What developers are building today becomes the foundation that intelligent systems and an entire ecosystem of innovation will depend on tomorrow. FHIR-fluent developers are the ones enabling health system transformation around the globe.

Whether you are just getting started with your first FHIR query or architecting FHIR provenance models for AI-generated clinical content, you’ll find that DevDays meets you where you are.

This year’s program spans foundational concepts to the frontier questions we’re grappling with: How should we represent AI-influenced health data? What does trustworthy AI look like built on open standards? How do emerging agent protocols intersect with the FHIR ecosystem?

You don’t need all the answers to show up. Showing up is how you start finding them.

Connect

Here’s one of FHIR’s most under-appreciated features: FHIR’s vibrant, collaborative community is what makes working with FHIR so impactful, meaningful, and transformative.

That collaborative energy is intentional. It’s the engine. And we need it now more than ever, because the challenges ahead — scaling national FHIR programs, cross-border interoperability, security and consent models, AI governance — are not problems any single organization can solve.

That’s why so many DevDays participants are most excited about connecting with others at the conference. Many of your most impactful moments likely won’t be in the sessions themselves (although the programming is great).

They’ll be in the intentional interstitial space of the receptions, the social evening, or in conversations that include “so I was working on something that did that too when…”

Share

The FHIR ecosystem runs on generosity. Open specifications. Open-source tooling. Implementation guides with public continuous builds. Rich content public chat forums.

This culture of sharing is intentional, and DevDays is a concentrated dose.

The structured sessions are designed for sharing relevant nuggets you can use right away, whether it’s a hard-won implementation lesson, a novel approach to AI model documentation, or the latest advancements in the standard.

It’s a great mix of inspiring keynotes, community discussions, practical workshops, and guided coding — all designed to turn ideas into working solutions.

And outside the formal sessions you’ll find an environment where people early in their FHIR journey share fresh perspectives alongside those who’ve been doing this for years.

The creative synthesis that emerges in these spaces turns isolated ideas into shared momentum.

The journey continues

Join us in Minneapolis, June 15–18, 2026. Whether it’s your first DevDays or your tenth, you’ll leave with new ideas, new relationships, and that unmistakable feeling of being part of something that matters.

The journey continues — and it’s better together.