2024 Speakers

Born to a poor immigrant family in New York City, Richard Carmona experienced homelessness, hunger, and health disparities during his youth. The experiences greatly sensitized him to the relationships among culture, health, education and economic status and ultimately shaped his future.

After dropping out of high school, Dr. Carmona enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1967 where he received a GED. By the time he left active duty, he was a Special Forces, combat-decorated Vietnam veteran. He then pursued a college degree and entered medical school at the University of California – San Francisco where he won the prestigious Gold Cane award as the top graduate.

Dr. Carmona became a surgeon with a sub-specialty in trauma, burns and critical care and was recruited to Tucson to establish the first trauma system in southern Arizona which he did successfully. Later, while working full time as a hospital and health system CEO, he earned a master’s degree in public health policy and administration at the University of Arizona.

Dr. Carmona has served for over 34 years with the Pima County Sheriff’s Department in Tucson, including as deputy sheriff, detective, SWAT team leader and department surgeon. He is one of the most highly decorated police officers in Arizona, and his numerous awards include the National Top Cop Award, the National SWAT Officer of the Year, and the National Tactical EMS Award. Dr. Carmona is a nationally recognized SWAT expert and has published extensively on SWAT training and tactics, forensics, and tactical emergency medical support. Dr. Carmona has also served as a medical director of police and fire departments and is a fully qualified peace officer with expertise in special operations and emergency preparedness, including weapons of mass destruction.

In 2006 Vice Admiral Carmona successfully completed the statutory four-year term as Surgeon General and was named vice chairman of Canyon Ranch, CEO of the health division and president of the Canyon Ranch Institute. Dr. Carmona continues his Canyon Ranch leadership role as the Chief of Health Innovations. He also serves on several public corporate boards and works with private equity and venture capital firms to identify emerging science and technology to translate to market for economic and public benefit.

Michelle A. Williams, SM ’88, ScD ’91, is a renowned epidemiologist, an award-winning educator, and a widely recognized academic leader. She recently stepped down as Dean of the Faculty at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health after seven years, and is currently spending a sabbatical year as a Visiting Professor at Stanford University. Following her sabbatical, she will return to the Harvard Chan School as the Joan and Julius Jacobson Professor of Epidemiology and Public Health. Prior to becoming Dean, she was Professor and Chair of the Department of Epidemiology at the Harvard Chan School and Program Leader of the Population Health and Health Disparities Research Programs at Harvard’s Clinical and Translational Sciences Center.

Dr. Williams previously had a distinguished career at the University of Washington School of Public Health. Her research places special emphasis in the areas of reproductive, perinatal, pediatric, and molecular epidemiology. Dr. Williams has published more than 520 scientific articles and was elected to the National Academy of Medicine in 2016. In 2020, she was awarded the Ellis Island Medal of Honor and recognized by PR Week as one of the top 50 health influencers of the year. Dr. Williams has an undergraduate degree in biology and genetics from Princeton University, a master’s in civil engineering from Tufts University, and master’s and doctoral degrees in epidemiology from the Harvard Chan School.

Gloria Caulfield leads health and wellness strategy and planning for the Lake Nona Institute. Gloria is passionate about identifying partners who are skillful at collaboration and have the desire to innovate solutions that have the potential to move the needle on community health and wellness.

Jeff Bezos founded Amazon.com in 1994. Amazon's mission is to be Earth's most customer-centric company. Bezos is also the founder of aerospace company Blue Origin, which is working on the long-term goal of moving all polluting and heavy industry off Earth to preserve the planet. In 2021, Bezos rode Blue Origin’s New Shepard rocket above the Kármán line as part of the company’s first space tourism mission. One year earlier, in 2020, Bezos founded the Bezos Earth Fund, a $10 billion commitment to fund scientists, activists, NGOs, and others to drive climate and nature solutions in this decisive decade. Funds will be fully allocated by 2030, the date by which the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals must be achieved. He is also the owner of the Washington Post, and founder of the Bezos Day One Fund, which provides grants to nonprofits to help homeless families in addition to creating a network of preschools in low-income communities. Bezos graduated summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa in electrical engineering and computer science from Princeton University in 1986 and was named TIME magazine's Person of the Year in 1999.

Amy P. Abernethy, MD, PhD is the President of Product Development and Chief Medical Officer at Verily, where she leads teams in the development and delivery of solutions that bridge the gap between clinical research and care.

Before joining Verily, Dr. Abernethy was Principal Deputy Commissioner and Acting Chief Information Officer of the US Food & Drug Administration. Prior roles include serving as CMO/CSO of Flatiron Health and multiple roles at Duke University, where she was Professor of Medicine.

Dr. Abernethy went to the University of Pennsylvania and then Duke University Medical School, and received her PhD from Flinders University in Australia.

Sekou Andrews is the CEO of SekouWorld, Inc. and one of the most successful spoken word poets in the world. On any given day, this school-teacher turned artist and entrepreneur, who built a 7-figure company on poetry, can be found keynoting at a Fortune 500 company, inspiring thousands at a concert, or performing for Barack Obama in Oprah’s backyard. Sekou is the creator of “poetic voice” – a cutting-edge speaking category that seamlessly fuses inspirational speaking with spoken word poetry, like “Hamilton” meets “TED”. His unique presentations are in high demand from leading associations and global brands like Google, Viacom, Toyota, Nike, and Paypal. He has been featured on ABC World News, CBS, MSNBC, HBO, Showtime, MTV and BET, and Forbes has called him “the de facto poet laureate of corporate America.” Sekou’s accomplishments include two National Poetry Slam championships, two national poetry tours, two Independent Music Awards, three Helen Hayes Awards, the most “Just Plain Folks” music awards in history, the 2020 ABA “Entrepreneur of the Year” award, and the first “Best Spoken Word Album” Grammy nomination for a poet in 30 years. A fearless disruptor of the speaking industry, Sekou also teaches rockstar secrets to public speakers through his Stage Might™ speaker training system that helps leaders become more dynamic communicators. Combining innovation and inspiration, Sekou Andrews is redefining the notion of what a speaker is, and what a poet can be.

Named one of Time’s “100 Most Influential People” in both 2012 and 2018 and recipient of the 2015 National Humanities Medal, José Andrés is an internationally-recognized culinary innovator, author, educator, humanitarian, and chef/owner of José Andrés Group.

A pioneer of Spanish tapas in the United States, he is also known for his groundbreaking avant-garde cuisine and his award-winning group of nearly three dozen restaurants located throughout the country and beyond. José Andrés Group’s concepts include the two Michelin-starred minibar by José Andrés in Washington, DC, the acclaimed NYC food hall Mercado Little Spain, and multiple locations of the Bazaar by José Andrés. José has received the James Beard Foundation’s “Outstanding Chef” and "Humanitarian of the Year" awards.

Andrés is a committed advocate of food and hunger issues and is known for championing the role of chefs in the national debate on food policy. In 2010, Andrés formed World Central Kitchen, a non-profit specializing in delivering food relief in the wake of natural and humanitarian disasters. Since serving nearly 4 million meals to the people of Puerto Rico following the devastation of Hurricane Maria, World Central Kitchen has responded to dozens of disasters worldwide and distributing tens of millions of meals in the process. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the organization has partnered with restaurants, small farms, and community leaders around the country to combat food insecurity. A naturalized U.S. citizen originally from Spain, Andrés has been a tireless advocate for immigration reform and on July 4, 2014 was named by President Barack Obama as that year’s “Outstanding American by Choice.”

Carme Artigas is a recognized Expert in Big Data, Artificial Intelligence and Technology Innovation, with more than 25 years of experience the Technology sector. She co-founded and was the CEO of Synergic Partners, a Pioneer European Big Data Company, which was acquired by Telefonica group in November 2015. She continued serving as company CEO until the company’s full integration into the Telefonica Group at the en of 2018. Since 2019 until her appointment as Secretary of State, she was member of several International Advisory Boards.

She was appointed by the University of Stanford (California) as Ambassador “Women in Data Science (WIDS)”. She was recognized by the American business magazine ”Insight Sucess” as the one among the 30 most influential executives with an international projection. She is among the top women in the world in the data business and she has come the public sector to make Spain a leading country in Digital transition and Technology transformation.

Jennifer is Senior Vice President, 5G Acceleration, Verizon Business. She is an experienced sales leader and general manager with an aptitude for creating diverse teams and fostering global perspectives.

She is responsible for catalyzing the adoption and commercialization of 5G across industries and enabling rapidly scalable deployment of 5G solutions to enterprises in the U.S. and around the world.

With keen knowledge of customers’ operations and unique needs, Jennifer and the 5G Acceleration Team use Verizon’s strength in building reliable networks and intelligent connectivity solutions to help businesses realize new capabilities, solve operational problems, and get to revenue faster.

Prior to joining Verizon Jennifer served as the President, BT in the Americas and MD, Technology, Life Sciences and Business Services where she led BT’s entire Americas team in the United States, Canada and Latin America and ran a global sales vertical focused on Technology, Life Sciences and Business Services customers. As the leader of one of three global vertical sales units, Artley built and grew relationships with BT’s top 800 customers in this ~£1.2B sales channel. She brought together the knowledge, resources, and skills of her global team to address customers’ complex digital transformations with insight, consistency, and agility.

Jennifer earned her Bachelor of Arts at Hobart and William Smith Colleges, her Master of Business Administration from University of Pennsylvania - Wharton School of Business, and her Master of Arts from The Lauder Institute at the University of Pennsylvania. She is fluent in Spanish and proficient in Russian. Jennifer was also a founding member and later an Advisory Board member of Minds Matter of Denver, a non-profit focused on mentoring and supporting unique educational opportunities for high achieving high school students from low income neighborhoods. Jennifer currently resides in Denver, Colorado with her husband and two daughters.

Alex Azar has extensive healthcare experience in the senior-most levels of the U.S. government and the private sector that gives him a unique perspective and background. He has committed his professional career to protecting and enhancing the health of all Americans.

Azar served as the 24th Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (2018-2021), leading over 85,000 employees with a budget of over $1.4 trillion, the largest budget of any cabinet department on Earth. He was the architect of Operation Warp Speed, delivering COVID-19 vaccines and therapeutics in record time. He led the historic transformation of the healthcare system in the United States and HHS’s response to the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic. He drove U.S. Government efforts to tackle the opioid crisis, increase private insurance options, bring transparency of price and quality information to healthcare, expand telehealth, give patients ownership of their health records and make those records interoperable and transportable, enable healthcare provider collaborative care models, remove regulatory barriers to low-cost, high-quality care, transform payment systems to pay for health and outcomes rather than sickness and procedures, reduce drug prices, and transform kidney care for the first time in almost 50 years. Azar also led key public health initiatives such as banning flavored e- cigarettes and reducing youth tobacco use by nearly one-third in one year, creating and implementing the program to end the HIV epidemic in America in 10 years, preparing for and responding to public health threats, crafting the first rural health initiative to improve access and quality of care, and launching a program to reduce dramatically maternal mortality. Azar has played significant roles on
the global health stage, leading many of the U.S.’s global health security efforts, representing the U.S. in the World Health Assembly, working with the WHO to end Ebola outbreaks in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, chairing the most active G7 health ministerial in history in 2020, and convening and leading western hemisphere coordinated efforts to assist with the Venezuelan refugee crisis.

Azar served for five years (2012-2017) as president of Lilly USA, LLC, the largest affiliate of global biopharmaceutical leader Eli Lilly and Company.

Azar earned a bachelor’s degree summa cum laude in government and economics from Dartmouth College in 1988, and a law degree from Yale University in 1991.

Chip Bergh is the former president and chief executive officer of Levi Strauss & Co. and currently serves as executive vice chair of its board. The company experienced a dramatic turnaround under Chip’s 12 years as CEO, marked by sustained profitable growth and a return to the center of culture behind purpose-driven leadership. The company’s revenues grew by roughly 40% during his tenure and its market cap increased five-fold. LS&Co. returned to the public markets with a successful IPO in March 2019.

A self-declared “brand guy,” Chip has led many iconic brands during his 45-year career spanning the U.S., Asia and Europe. Prior to joining LS&Co. as CEO in 2011, Chip spent 28 years at Procter & Gamble (P&G) in roles of increasing scope and complexity in brand management, general management and executive leadership. Among many accomplishments, Chip led the creation and launch of Swiffer, oversaw the turnaround of Old Spice and was the first P&G executive to lead the iconic Gillette blades and razors business globally following P&G’s $57 billion acquisition of Gillette in 2005.

Chip joined the board of directors of HP Inc. (HPQ), the market-leading print and personal systems business, in 2015. He became lead independent director in March 2017 and became chairman of the board in July 2018. Chip served on the board of directors for VF Corporation (VFC) from 2008 to 2011; the Economic Development Board of Singapore from 2000 to 2005; and the Levi Strauss Foundation from 2011 to 2024.

Chip was named one of the World’s Greatest Leaders in 2019 by Fortune magazine and has been widely recognized for his statements and actions on important issues like gun-violence prevention, women’s reproductive rights and social and racial justice.

Cynthia Breazeal is a dean for digital learning and professor of media arts and sciences at MIT, where she founded and directs the Personal Robots group at the Media Lab. She is Associate Director of the Media Lab and leads strategic initiatives. She is also Director of the MIT-wide Initiative on Responsible AI for Social Empowerment and Education (raise.mit.edu). She co-founded the consumer social robotics company, Jibo, Inc., where she served as Chief Scientist and Chief Experience Officer.

Breazeal is a pioneer of social robotics and human-robot interaction. Her work balances technical innovation in AI, UX design, and understanding the psychology of engagement to design personified AI technologies that promote human flourishing and personal growth. Her recent work focuses on the theme of "living with AI" and understanding the long-term impact of social robots that can build relationships and provide personalized support as helpful companions in daily life. Her research group actively investigates social robots applied to education, pediatrics, health and wellness, and aging.

Her seminal book, Designing Sociable Robots, is recognized as a landmark in launching the field of Social Robotics and Human-Robot Interaction. She is an international award-winning innovator, designer, and entrepreneur. She has spoken at prominent venues such as TED, the World Economic Forum, the UN, SXSW, CES, and she has keynoted at numerous top academic conferences. She is a recipient of the National Academy of Engineering's Gilbreth Lecture Award, Technology Review's TR35 Award, TIME magazine's Best Inventions where her Jibo robot was featured on the cover. She has received numerous design awards including recognition by the National Design Awards, Fast Company Design Award, Core 77. She has also been recognized as a rising entrepreneur by Fortune and Entrepreneur Magazine. Breazeal did her graduate work at the MIT Artificial Intelligence Lab, received her doctorate in 2000 in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from MIT.

Sharon Brous is the founding and senior rabbi of IKAR, a trail-blazing Jewish community based in Los Angeles. A leading voice at the intersection of faith and justice in America, she has been named #1 Most Influential Rabbi in the U.S. by Newsweek/The Daily Beast. She blessed both President Obama and President Biden at their National Inaugural Prayer Services, and her TED Talk “Reclaiming Religion” has been viewed 1.5 million times. Her work has been featured in the New York Times, Los Angeles Times and Washington Post.

John Hope Bryant is an American entrepreneur, thought leader and philanthropic leader. He is referred to as the Conscience of Capitalism by the CEOs of Delta Air Lines, Walmart, and
countless others. Mr. Bryant is the Founder, Chairman, and Chief Executive Officer of Operation
HOPE, Inc. the largest non-profit provider of financial literacy and economic empowerment services in the United States. Bryant is also Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of John Hope Bryant Holdings, Bryant Group Ventures and Executive Chairman of The Promise Homes Company, the largest for-profit minority-controlled owner of institutional-quality, single-family residential rental homes in the U.S.

Bryant has been recognized as an influential leader by many. He has received hundreds of awards and citations for his work, including Oprah Winfrey’s Use Your Life Award, and the John Sherman Award for Excellence in Financial Education from the U.S. Department of Treasury. Bryant has also received the 100 Black Men of America “Chairman’s Award for Economic Empowerment,” he was listed by The Atlanta Business Chronicle’s “2022 Power 100”, named #2 among 100 inspirational leaders on the “Yahoo Finance Empower Role Model list 2022," Georgia Trend’s “100 Most Influential Georgians” in 2022, 2023 and 2024, Atlanta Business Chronicle’s “Most Admired CEOs of 2018,” Atlanta Business Chronicle’s “The Power 100: Most Influential Atlantans in 2020,” American Banker magazine's 2016 “Innovator of the Year,” and one of Time magazine’s “50 Leaders for the Future” in 1994. Bryant received an honorable mention in Inc. Magazine’s “The World’s 10 Top CEOs” an article that spotlights global servant leaders as the visionaries behind some of the most successful organizations.

Five former U.S. presidents have recognized Bryant’s work, and he has served as an advisor to three sitting U.S. presidents from both political parties. In 2008, Bryant inspired President George W. Bush to make financial literacy the official policy of the U.S. federal government.

Bryant is the author of Up from Nothing: The Untold Story of How We (All) Succeed; The Memo: Five Rules for Your Economic Liberation, How the Poor Can Save Capitalism: Rebuilding the Path to the Middle Class, and LOVE LEADERSHIP: The New Way to Lead in a Fear-Based World (Jossey-Bass, 2009).

Dan Buettner is an explorer, National Geographic Fellow, award-winning journalist and producer, and New York Times bestselling author. He discovered the five places in the world – dubbed blue zones hotspots – where people live the longest, healthiest lives. His articles about these places in The New York Times Magazine and National Geographic are two of the most popular for both publications.
Buettner now works in partnership with municipal governments, large employers, and health insurance companies to implement Blue Zones Projects in communities, workplaces, and universities. Blue Zones Projects are well-being initiatives that apply lessons from the Blue Zones to entire communities by focusing on changes to the local environment, public policy, and social networks. The program has dramatically improved the health of more than 5 million Americans to date.

In his new book The Blue Zones Secrets for Living Longer, Buettner returns to Sardinia, Italy; Ikaria, Greece; Okinawa, Japan; Costa Rica's Nicoya Peninsula; and Loma Linda, California to check in on the super-agers living in the blue zones and interprets the not-so-secret sauce of purpose, faith, community, down-time, natural movement, and plant-based eating that has powered as many as 10 additional years of healthy living in these regions. And Buettner reveals an all-new Blue Zone—the first man-made Blue Zone yet explored.

Buettner also holds three Guinness World Records in distance cycling.

Juju Chang is an Emmy® Award-winning co-anchor of ABC News’ “Nightline.” She also reports regularly for “Good Morning America” and “20/20.”

Chang has been recognized for her in-depth personal narratives set against the backdrop of pressing national and international news. From mass shootings to the Opioid Epidemic, Chang is a veteran journalist with a wide-ranging body of work. Chang reported on the recent rise of hate crimes toward the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community as anchor of the ABC News Live special “Stop The Hate: The Rise In Violence Against Asian Americans” and the “20/20” special “Murder In Atlanta” following the Atlanta mass shooting.

Chang’s decades-long career has been recognized with numerous awards, including multiple Emmy’s, Gracie’s, a DuPont, a Murrow and Peabody awards. In 2017, she was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Front Page Awards.

Born in Seoul, South Korea, and raised in Northern California, Chang graduated with honors from Stanford University. A former news anchor for “Good Morning America,” Chang joined ABC News just after college. Chang is a co-founder of the Korean American Community Foundation and a recipient of the Justice in Action Award from the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund. She is a pandemic gardener, devoted wife and mother to 3 sons who identify as “50% Korean and 100% Jewish.”

Elizabeth Cohen has set the industry standard on health reporting with an unparalleled breadth of sources and her trademark empathy for the people most impacted by the public health challenges and medical mysteries of our time. The Association of Health Care Journalists has called her work “extraordinary,” the Alliance for Women in Television has honored her with three Gracies, including one for outstanding reporter/correspondent, and she’s also received a National Headliner Award and honors from the Society of Professional Journalists, the Newswoman’s Club of New York, the National Association of Black Journalists, and Mental Health America.

As CNN’s Senior Medical Correspondent for more than three decades, Elizabeth’s live on-the-scene reporting included coverage from world events including New York after September 11th, Haiti after the earthquake, and Liberia during the Ebola outbreak. Elizabeth has done documentaries on plastic surgery, obesity, and patient empowerment. She pioneered a weekly digital column, “The Empowered Patient”, which became a TV series, a documentary, and a bestselling book published by Random House.

Elizabeth has received the outstanding alumna award from both Boston University, where she received her master’s degree in public health, and from Columbia College in New York City, where she received her bachelor’s degree in history. She got her start as a print reporter for States News Service in Washington, D.C. and The Albany Times Union in New York. She and her husband, Tal Cohen, are the proud parents of four daughters.

Kenneth Cole is an American designer, social activist, and visionary who believes business and philanthropy are interdependent. His global company, Kenneth Cole Productions, creates modern, versatile, and functional footwear, clothing, and accessories that make daily dressing effortless for Men, Women, and Kids. The brand spans over 28 product categories with 27 licensed partners. For 40 years, Kenneth Cole has leveraged his passion and unique brand platform to make a meaningful impact on people’s wardrobes, as well as in underserved communities.

Kenneth joined amfAR’s board of directors in 1987, and on World AIDS Day in 2004, he assumed chairmanship. Under his leadership of 14 years, amfAR was instrumental in significant breakthroughs in AIDS research, treatment, and prevention for the betterment of millions globally.

In 2016, Kenneth accepted an appointment as a UNAIDS International Goodwill Ambassador with the goal of helping to end AIDS as a public health crisis by 2030.

In 2003, Kenneth joined the board of trustees of the Sundance Institute and has supported advocated for the need for independent story telling.

After the devastating earthquake in Haiti in 2010, Kenneth opened a Health Center in Cité Soleil, serving the most underserved population in the northern hemisphere, in an effort to enable access to basic healthcare services to over 1.5 million Haitians in need.

In 2020, in the midst of the COVID 19 crisis, Kenneth launched an initiative to address what was arguably an even larger pandemic: Mental Health. The Mental Health Coalition (MHC), a coalition of the nation’s leading mental health organizations, brands, and individuals who have joined forces to end the debilitating stigma surrounding mental health and to change the way people talk about, and care for, mental illness.

The Coalition’s mission is to build a like-minded community who will work together to destigmatize all mental health conditions, and enable equitable access to vital resources and support for all. The Mental Health Coalition was formed with the understanding that the mental health crisis is fueled by a pervasive and devastating stigma, preventing millions of individuals from being able to seek the critical treatment they need. MHC is committed to not relent until mental health is no longer associated with stigma, shame, or judgement and all people feel empowered to openly discuss and address their individual mental health needs.

Steven H. Collis is Chairman, President, and Chief Executive Officer of Cencora, Inc. Under Steve’s leadership, the company has experienced tremendous financial growth with annual revenue tripling from $80 billion since being named CEO in 2011, as well as significant global expansion with more than 46,000 team members spread across more than 50 countries.

Under Steve’s direction, several strategic investments and acquisitions enabled the company to expand its breadth of services and solutions, resulting in unprecedented partnerships, increased global reach, and deep expertise that is accelerating innovation and improving access to healthcare in meaningful ways. In 2012, Steve spearheaded Cencora’s (formerly AmerisourceBergen) acquisition of World Courier, which strengthened the company’s worldwide offerings to biopharmaceutical partners and expanded specialty services outside of North America.

The following year, Steve established an innovative partnership with Walgreens Boots Alliance, marking the first time a national pharmacy chain turned over its pharmaceutical distribution to a wholesaler and collaborated for generic pharmaceuticals sourcing. Then in 2015, Steve’s vision to deliver value in diverse aspects of patient care and expand in growing markets led to the acquisition of MWI Veterinary Supply.

In 2021, Cencora completed the acquisition of European-based Alliance Healthcare, enhancing the company’s reach within pharmaceutical distribution, increasing the breadth of its global manufacturer services and solutions, and advancing the company’s ability to provide innovative solutions for customers and patients. To unite the company’s businesses and better reflects its global reach and position at the center of the pharmaceutical supply chain, Steve oversaw the transition of the company from AmerisourceBergen Corporation to Cencora, Inc. in 2023.

In addition to serving as chairman of Cencora’s board of directors, he serves on the board of the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Wholesalers, is a founding Vice Chairman of the American Cancer Society’s CEOs Against Cancer Greater Philadelphia Chapter, and serves on the board of governors for the American Red Cross.

He earned a Bachelor of Commerce degree with honors from the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Dan Costello is in his 18th season with the Phoenix Suns. As Executive Vice President and Chief Revenue Officer, Costello oversees all revenue generation departments including Ticket Sales and Service and Global Partnership Solutions. Costello also oversees the organization’s strategies involving business intelligence/strategy, broadcast media as well as the Phoenix Suns and Phoenix Mercury's interest in the Legends Entertainment District.

Under Costello’s leadership the team has set franchise records for revenue and has been recognized by the NBA as a Changemaker, winning the league award twice for the creation of partnerships that shape an industry (PayPal in 2019, Footprint in 2022). Costello began his career in television advertising with Cox Media, and while there he had successful years as a local account executive focusing on local business, national sales manager focusing on bringing national ad sales dollars to the state of Arizona, and national Hispanic sales manager.

Costello was a former Honorary Commander at Luke Air Force Base and currently serves on the Phoenix Suns and Phoenix Mercury Foundation Advisory Board of Directors. A graduate of the University of Nevada Las Vegas, Costello and his wife, Melissa, (an attorney with Bryan Cave) have two children, Logan and Dylan.

John F. Crowley is the Executive Chairman and founding CEO of Amicus Therapeutics, a biotechnology company focused on the development of treatments for rare genetic diseases. Crowley also currently serves as Vice Chair of the Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO). Crowley’s involvement with biotechnology stems from the 1998 diagnosis of two of his children with Pompe disease—a severe and often fatal neuromuscular disorder. In his drive to find a cure, he became an entrepreneur as the Co-founder, President and CEO of Novazyme Pharmaceuticals, which he credits as ultimately saving his children’s lives. The 2010 movie, Extraordinary Measures, is inspired by the Crowley family journey. Crowley served as a commissioned officer in the U.S. Navy Reserve from 2005-2016, and is a veteran of the global war on terrorism, with service in Afghanistan. He graduated with a B.S. in Foreign Service from Georgetown University and earned a J.D. from the University of Notre Dame Law School and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School. He was awarded a Doctor of Laws Degree from Notre Dame. The Crowley family received the Family Exemplar Award from Notre Dame. Crowley serves as a member of the Board of Directors of Intellia Therapeutics, Inc. and Entrada Therapeutics, Inc. He is the former National Chairman of the Make-A-Wish Foundation of America and is a Henry Crown Fellow at the Aspen Institute. In 2023, he was inducted as a member of the Horatio Alger Association.

Katie Dahler is KPMG’s National Managing Partner of Growth and Strategy, which comprises our Sectors & Markets, Strategic Planning, Sales Enablement, Marketing, KPMG Sports Sponsorships and KPMG Economics. In this role, she serves on the KPMG Extended Management Committee, and drives KPMG’s commitment to success in the market through a focus on growth, brand, and the professional development and success of our people and communities.

Katie has over 25 years of experience in Corporate Consulting and Business Strategy. Over her career with KPMG, she has served as a Global Lead Account Partner, the National Advisory Leader for the Life Sciences industry practice, and the Advisory lead partner for the New Jersey market. She has also served on the Board Nominating Committee of KPMG, as part of the US Advisory Leadership Team and on the global Life Sciences Leadership Team. Prior to joining KPMG, Katie held a leadership position in the Organizational Change Management practice of another leading consulting company and was the EVP of a boutique Learning & Development company. Earlier in her career, Katie worked as an editor and linguistics consultant to law firms in NYC and Washington, DC.

Katie is passionate about the advancement of women in business, and currently serves on the KPMG Women’s Advisory Board. She also served on the National Advisory Board of the Healthcare Businesswomen’s Association (HBA), and on the executive committee of the NJ Women’s Network to Network organization, which connects women’s networks across major corporations based in New Jersey.

Over recent years, Katie has received numerous awards and recognition, including being named to Consulting Magazine’s list of “Top 25 Consultants” in the country and to their list of “Top Women Leaders in Consulting”. She has also been named to the NJBIZ list of Best 50 Women in Business in New Jersey, and has received a Healthcare Businesswomen’s Association “Rising Star” award.

Katie holds a Bachelor’s degree in English from Colby College, and a Masters and Ph.D. (ABD) in Linguistics from Georgetown University. Katie lives in Bernardsville, NJ with her husband, award-winning journalist and author Don Dahler, and their two children.

Dr. Wyatt Decker was named executive vice president for UnitedHealth Group and chief physician, innovation and value-based care in July 2023. In this role, Decker serves as the lead ambassador working across the enterprise and externally with key stakeholders to further advance accountable models of care. Decker previously served as chief executive officer of Optum Health.

Prior to Optum, Decker served as CEO of Mayo Clinic in Arizona. In that role, he established Mayo Clinic in Arizona as the safest hospital in the United States, according to U.S. News & World Report. He also launched a state-of-the-art cancer center and the second campus of Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine. At Mayo Clinic, Decker pioneered the use of digital technologies, including telemedicine and artificial intelligence. He also served as the founding chair and a professor at the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, where he established and directed the emergency medicine residency training program.

Decker earned an M.D. from Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine, an MBA from Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, and a Bachelor of Science from University of California Santa Cruz. He has published numerous scientific articles and is recognized among the nation's top 100 health care leaders by Modern Healthcare.

Named by Fortune as one of the “World’s 50 Greatest Leaders,” Peter Diamandis is the Founder and Executive Chairman of the XPRIZE Foundation, which leads the world in designing and operating large-scale incentive competitions. He is also the Executive Founder of Singularity University.

As an entrepreneur, Diamandis has started over 25 companies in the areas of health-tech, space, venture capital and education. He is Co-founder and Vice-Chairman of two public companies, Celularity and Vaxxinity. Dr. Diamandis is Co-founder & Chairman of Fountain Life, a fully-integrated platform delivering predictive, preventative, personalized and data-driven health. Finally, he also serves as Co-founder of BOLD Capital Partners, a venture fund with a half-billion dollars under management investing in exponential technologies and longevity companies.

Diamandis is a New York Times Bestselling author of three books: Abundance – The Future Is Better Than You Think, BOLD – How to go Big, Create Wealth & Impact the World and The Future is Faster Than You Think. Most recently he co-Authored the #1 best seller LIFE FORCE with Tony Robbins which chronicles the extraordinary healthcare and biotech revolution unfolding before our eyes.

He earned degrees in molecular genetics and aerospace engineering from MIT and holds an M.D. from Harvard Medical School. Diamandis’ favorite saying is “The best way to predict the future is to create it yourself.”

John Driscoll, Executive Vice President and President, U.S. Healthcare, brings more than 25 years of health care experience to Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. Driscoll oversees U.S. Healthcare for WBA with responsibility for Walgreens healthcare assets including VillageMD, Shields Health Solutions and Carecentrix, Walgreens acquisitions team, PBM contracting as well as Walgreens organic health care initiatives across the enterprise.

Driscoll joined WBA in October 2022, when WBA acquired ownership of CareCentrix, where he served as Chief Executive Officer since 2013. CareCentrix is now an integral part of WBA’s U.S. Healthcare segment and the only independent, home-centered platform that coordinates care to the home for health plans, patients and providers.

Prior to CareCentrix, Driscoll served as President at Castlight, a healthcare technology company. Previously, he served as Group President for new markets at Medco, where he led all acquisitions and investments, retail contracting and developed the first 'five star' Medicare part D plan. He also founded and chaired the Surescripts ePrescribing Network, building the first cross-industry technology collaborative with competing Retail, PBM, and Health Plans cooperating to enable e-prescribing nationally.

Earlier in his career, Driscoll was a member of the executive team at Oxford Health Plans, serving as Corporate Vice President for government programs. In addition, he was selected by the White House for its Entrepreneurs in Residence program in 2011 to advise the Food and Drug Administration on new paths for innovation.

He has a B.A. and M.B.A. from Harvard University and holds an MPhil from Cambridge University in England. Driscoll served as a Captain in the U.S. Army Reserve. He chairs the Waystar Corporation as well as serves on the boards of directors of the Alliance for Hunger, Business Executives for National Security and Johns Hopkins Medicine.

ALISTAIR ERSKINE MD MBA serves as the Chief Information and Digital Officer at Emory Healthcare and Vice President for Digital Health at Emory University. Entrusted with the digital transformation of the Emory institution, Dr. Erskine leverages a strategic, platform-based, and experience-focused approach. He and his team of over 550 professionals are dedicated to optimizing the experiences of patients, care teams, researchers, and ensuring the fiscal robustness of the establishment. His expertise encompasses the seamless integration of avant-garde technologies such as predictive, conversational, and generative AI into both clinical and administrative procedures.

Before joining Emory, Dr. Erskine distinguished himself as the Chief Digital Officer of Mass General Brigham, the esteemed teaching hospitals and clinics affiliated with Harvard Medical School. In this role, he spearheaded MGB’s Digital Health Strategy and Digital Health division, overseeing functionalities including the Electronic Health Record (eCare), Health Information Management/Interoperability, Virtual Care, and Data Analytics. His academic contributions are recognized with a faculty position at Harvard Medical School.

Earlier in his career, as the Chief Informatics Officer of Geisinger Health System, Dr. Erskine established Geisinger’s Unified Data Architecture, a data management solution amalgamating Hadoop/Big Data with conventional relational database methodologies. He was the Associate Dean of Medical Informatics at Virginia Commonwealth University and served on the Board of the Medical College of Physician Practice Plan. Appointed to the Virginia Governor’s Health Information Technology Commission, Dr. Erskine played a decisive role as a voting member of the Health Information Technology Standards Committee. His global experiences include a two-year tenure in Doha, Qatar, as Chief of Health Informatics at Sidra Medical and Research Center. A respected voice in the domain, Dr. Erskine frequently contributes to peer-reviewed journals and serves on the boards of several publicly listed and nonprofit entities.

An alumnus of Brown University and Virginia Commonwealth University Health System, Dr. Erskine is triply board-certified in Internal Medicine, Clinical Informatics, and Pediatrics. He also completed a Business Analytics and Artificial Intelligence program at the MIT Sloan School of Management. Dr. Erskine is multilingual, proficient in English, French, and Spanish.

As Chairman of Oracle Health, David Feinberg, M.D., is committed to making healthcare more accessible, affordable and equitable. His work advances thought leadership and strategy related to unleashing the healing power of data through an open and connected healthcare ecosystem.

Previously, David served as president and CEO of Cerner, now Oracle Health, where he led teams delivering tools and technology to improve the patient and caregiver experience.

As a pediatric psychiatrist, David built his early career around helping children and families. He served as president and CEO of both UCLA Health and Geisinger Health prior to assuming leadership of Google Health in early 2019.

His work at UCLA provided David a clear view of how patient satisfaction translates to clinical success. His focus on the patient experience increased UCLA’s patient satisfaction scores from the 28th to the 99th percentile.

At Geisinger, David led a complex turnaround that made Geisinger one of the nation’s most innovative healthcare providers, including a first-of-its kind clinical program that made DNA sequencing a routine part of patient care. David also guided Geisinger’s transition to value-based care using Cerner’s population health platform, HealtheIntent, integrated with a non-Cerner EMR.

At Google, David leveraged Google’s technology, talent and search capabilities to tackle healthcare’s most important challenges. Under David’s leadership, Google was at the forefront of using Artificial Intelligence and mobile platforms to improve healthcare and – in partnership with Ascension Health – produced Care Studio, a tool that organizes patient records for healthcare clinicians at the point of care.

David began his career at UCLA, researching and publishing in the areas of addiction and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. He took on additional leadership responsibilities, including becoming the Medical Director of the Resnick Neuropsychiatric Hospital. By implementing rigorous service metrics and patient satisfaction measures and completing a financial turnaround, UCLA’s neuropsychiatric hospital is now considered the premier psychiatric hospital in the western United States.

David earned his M.D. from Chicago Medical School in 1989, finishing at the top of his class and is a member of the Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honor Society. He also holds an economics degree from the University of California-Berkeley and an MBA from Pepperdine University.

Renée Fleming is one of the most highly acclaimed singers of our time, performing on the stages of the world’s great opera houses and concert halls. Honored with five Grammy® awards and the US National Medal of Arts, she has sung for momentous occasions from the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony to the Super Bowl. A Goodwill Ambassador for Arts and Health for the World Health Organization, she was awarded the prestigious Kennedy Center Honor in December.
Renée’s anthology, Music and Mind: Harnessing the Arts for Health and Wellness, will be published by Viking in April. A leading advocate for research at the intersection of arts, health, and neuroscience, Renée launched the first ongoing collaboration between The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and the US National Institutes of Health. She has presented her program Music and Mind in more than fifty cities around the world, and in November, she was awarded Harvard’s David Mahoney Neuroscience Prize. She is a founding advisor for major initiatives including the Sound Health Network at the University of California San Francisco and the NeuroArts Blueprint, a project of Johns Hopkins University and the Aspen Institute.
Renée’s recording Voice of Nature: The Anthropocene won the 2023 Grammy Award for Best Classical Solo Vocal Album. Her current and upcoming concerts inspired by the album include an original film by the National Geographic Society created to reflect the musical selections. Recent opera performances include starring in the world premiere staging of The Hours, a new opera based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel and award-winning film, at the Metropolitan Opera, and a role debut as Pat Nixon in a new production of Nixon in China at the Opéra de Paris.

In addition to directing SongStudio at Carnegie Hall, Renée is Co-Artistic Director of the Aspen Opera Theater and VocalARTS at the Aspen Music Festival and School, and Advisor for Special Projects at the Los Angeles Opera. Other awards include the 2023 Annenberg Award for Diplomacy through the Arts, the 2023 Crystal Award from the World Economic Forum, the Fulbright Lifetime Achievement Medal, the Order of Merit from Germany, and the French Ordre national de la Légion d’honneur. She holds honorary doctorates from eight leading universities. www.reneefleming.com

Pat Geraghty is President and Chief Executive Officer of GuideWell, a $26 billion mutual insurance holding company headquartered in Jacksonville, Fla. A mission-driven health solutions enterprise, GuideWell is the parent to a family of forward-thinking companies focused on transforming health care.

GuideWell comprises Florida Blue, Florida’s Blue Cross Blue Shield plan and leading health insurance company in Florida; Triple-S Management, Puerto Rico’s Blue Cross Blue Shield plan and leading health care services company in Puerto Rico; GuideWell Health, a portfolio of clinical delivery organizations; GuideWell Venture Group, a portfolio of companies, including PopHealthCare, focused on creating human-first and innovative health solutions for health plans; GuideWell Source, a provider of administrative services to state and federal health care programs; and WebTPA, a market leading administrator of self-funded employer health plans. GuideWell serves more than 46 million people across 45 states, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, including more than 6 million individuals in Florida.

Geraghty was the architect of the strategic restructuring that created GuideWell from the foundation of a more than 75-year-old health insurance company, transforming it into a health solutions organization at the forefront of reimagining the future of health.

Geraghty is considered an expert voice on a range of health care topics including health care reform, next-generation payment strategies, innovation in health care and the benefits of wellness and prevention programming. He is frequently sought after for his insights on important health care policy matters in Washington, D.C. and Tallahassee, Fla.

He is a member of the Florida Council of 100 and serves on the boards of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association, including chair of its Health Policy & Advocacy Committee, National Institute of Health Care Management; America’s Health Insurance Plans; and Tampa Electric Co. His work with United Way, MaliVai Washington Youth Foundation and American Cancer Society are also among his most important commitments.

Geraghty holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Colgate University and a Doctor of Humane Letters, honoris causa, degree from Florida Southern College. He also has completed executive education programs at Harvard University School of Public Health and the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.

A cardiologist and researcher, Garth joined Google as Director and Global Head of Healthcare and Public Health. He previously served in two US administrations as US Deputy Assistant Secretary for Health, and was Assistant Dean for Health Policy and Chief of Health Services Research in the department of medicine at the University of Florida School of Medicine. Most recently, he served as President of the Aetna Foundation as well as Vice President & Chief Community Health Officer at CVS Health. He currently sits on several boards, including the Advisory Council to the Director of the NIH, the Institute of Medicine Board on Population Health, and the board of the National Quality Forum.

An elected member of the National Academy of Medicine, Garth obtained his MD at Yale University School of Medicine, MPH at Yale School of Public Health, Internal Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital and Cardiology fellowship at Johns Hopkins. He holds three board certifications including internal medicine, cardiology and interventional cardiology. He also holds an honorary doctorate of laws from Regis College. In 2021, the Satcher Health Leadership Institute at Morehouse School of Medicine inaugurated the Garth N. Graham Distinguished Lectureship Award, which spotlights trail blazers who are leading the creation and advancement of health equity.

John Grisham is an internationally acclaimed author of nearly fifty consecutive No. 1 bestsellers. Nine of his books have been made into successful motion pictures. Mr. Grisham is a two-time winner of the Harper Lee Prize for Legal Fiction and was honored with the Library of Congress Creative Achievement Award for Fiction. Prior to his career as a writer, he practiced law for nearly 10 years, specializing in criminal defense and personal injury litigation. He served in the Mississippi House of Representatives from 1984 until 1990. In addition to being the Lead Director of the Focused Ultrasound Foundation, Mr. Grisham serves on the Board of Directors for the Innocence Project and of Centurion Ministries, two national organizations dedicated to exonerating those who have been wrongfully convicted. He was closely involved with establishing the “Rebuild the Coast” Fund for Gulf Coast relief in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Mr. Grisham received his undergraduate degree from Mississippi State University and his JD from the University of Mississippi School of Law.

Aashima serves as the Global Leader of Healthcare vertical at Google Cloud. She has spent 26 years growing, differentiating, and improving businesses through technology transformation.

She is passionate about collaborating with and empowering companies to elevate the strategic value delivered to their ecosystem - ranging from new models for care, revenue generation, and improved patient experiences.

Aashima leads the Gen AI strategy for Healthcare industry at Google Cloud, by navigating the dynamic intersection of industry needs and new technologies such as the MedLM family of Large models in healthcare, to make healthcare more accessible. Her approach involves bringing together industry leaders, researchers, product managers, data engineers, and tech experts to drive impactful solutions.

Previously, Aashima was executive overseeing Digital Health Incubations at Kaiser Permanente and brought several frame-shifting opportunities to life, including consumer focused applications. She was responsible for driving innovation through the convergence of various digital technologies.
Key focus area was Digital Health platform and ecosystem development lifestyle integration leveraging wearables, sensors, and smart devices to reinvent care delivery for chronic condition management for the diabetic population.

Aashima brings strong technical and leadership skills and holds two patents in the field of computer applications.20100287458 ,20090299784.She was recognized as Most Influential Women in Healthcare IT by HIMSS and received the Top 100 Women in FemTech and HealthTech awards.

Aashima serves on the Board of Directors of Neogen (NASDAQ: NEOG) and Molnlycke Healthcare (Swedish Medtech company), and is a member of the Advisory Board of HIMSS and GRAIL.

Aashima received her BS in Computer Science and a Masters in Computer Applications from Delhi University,India.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta is the multiple journalism award-winning chief medical correspondent for CNN and host of the CNN podcast Chasing Life. Gupta, a practicing neurosurgeon, plays an integral role in CNN’s reporting on health and medical news for all of CNN’s shows domestically and internationally, and regularly contributes to CNN.com.

Since 2001, Gupta has covered some of the most important health stories in the United States and around the world. On March 9, 2020, Gupta penned an op-ed announcing the network would refer to the novel coronavirus outbreak as a “pandemic,” ahead of the WHO and the CDC. Throughout 2020 into 2021, Gupta reaffirmed his role as a trusted guide to viewers worldwide on navigating between facts and fiction surrounding Covid-19 and the pandemic.

In addition to his work for CNN, Gupta is an associate professor of neurosurgery at Emory University Hospital and associate chief of neurosurgery at Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta. He serves as a diplomat of the American Board of Neurosurgery. And in 2019, Gupta was elected to the National Academy of Medicine, considered one of the highest honors in the medical field.

Gupta received his undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan and a Doctorate of Medicine degree from the University of Michigan Medical School.

As the founding CEO of RISE, a breakthrough wellness company named App of the Year by Apple, Suneel Gupta helped thousands of people build better habits for life and work. Now, as a bestselling author and Harvard Medical School visiting scholar, Suneel has taken his mission one step further – helping leaders reset themselves internally so that they can succeed externally.

Suneel is currently the host of Business Class, a docuseries streaming on Amazon Prime. Suneel travels the world showcasing the hidden habits of leaders who embody struggle and resilience. He is joined on the show by guests like Ben & Jerry, Issa Rae, and Martha Stewart.

When a reporter once asked Suneel about his purpose, his response was to “find good people, and inspire them to do what inspires them.”

Amir Hadanny, MD, PhD is a neurosurgeon and researcher at Aviv Clinics, specializing in the use of hyperbaric medicine to optimize brain and body performance. He also serves as Chief Medical Officer and Head of Research at Aviv Scientific. Dr. Hadanny completed his MD at Tel Aviv University, his PhD in Bioinformatics and Computational Biology focused on machine learning from Bar Ilan University, and his neurosurgery training at Galilee Medical Center in Israel. He completed a Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery fellowship at Albany Medical Center and a Harvard Research Fellowship in the Brain Modulation Lab at Massachusetts General Hospital. Through his work at Aviv Clinics and Aviv Scientific, Dr. Hadanny has published more than 60 scientific studies on the use of a unique hyperbaric oxygen therapy protocol for neurorehabilitation and recovery in different brain pathologies and its effect on the biology of aging.

Patrice A. Harris, MD, MA is the CEO and Co-Founder of eMed, a digital healthcare company. She is a board certified psychiatrist from Atlanta and has diverse experience as a private practicing physician, county public health director and patient advocate and expertise in policy, legislative and government affairs. Dr. Harris was the 174th President of the American Medical Association and the first African American woman elected to that position. Dr. Harris is a visiting professor of psychiatry at the Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons and serves as Chief Health and Medical Editor of Everydayhealth.com.

Beyond the AMA she has held positions of leadership with the American Psychiatric Association, the Georgia Psychiatric Physicians Association, the Medical Association of Georgia, and The Big Cities Health Coalition, where she chaired this forum composed of leaders from America’s largest metropolitan health departments. She is a member of the Steering Committee of the Atlanta Regional Collaborative for Health Improvement (ARCHI) and the Board of the Georgia Aids Coalition. She also serves on the Board of Quartet Health.

Dr. Harris spent her formative years at West Virginia University, earning a BA in psychology, an MA in counseling psychology and, ultimately, a medical degree (MD). She completed her psychiatry residency and fellowships in child and adolescent psychiatry and forensic psychiatry at the Emory University School of Medicine

Dr. Harris is a highly sought after speaker at national and international conferences and has given invited lectures and presentations on COVID-19, children’s mental health, childhood trauma, integration of mental health into overall health services, health equity, health policy and the intersection of athletics and health. She has been a guest expert on multiple national radio and television networks including CNN, MSNBC, Fox and NPR. Dr. Harris has received numerous awards in recognition of her service and leadership.

Dr. Harris is fellow of the American Psychiatric Association and is adjunct assistant professor in the Emory Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, and an adjunct clinical assistant professor in psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the Morehouse School of Medicine.

MindTravel is an immersive experience where music and mindfulness meet. Through music, the language of emotion, creator and composer Murray Hidary seeks to open the heart to healing and transformation with his evocative, live-piano compositions. Recently, the music of MindTravel has also served to bring awareness and a call to action on issues like social justice and climate change.

Hidary has brought MindTravel to iconic theaters and spectacular outdoor venues in over 100 cities the world over. From the deserts of the Middle East to the first-ever piano concert on the continent of Antarctica, Hidary seeks to bridge gaps in understanding through the universal language of music.

Murray Hidary is also an entrepreneur and tech pioneer and in the early days of the Internet co-founded and built companies including EarthWeb, Dice Inc, Vista Research and eBillity. Today, he is focused on the human experience and, through MindTravel, helps people better connect with themselves and one another.

T. D. Jakes, one of the world’s most revered communicators, leverages his pioneering vision and instinct to serve others in areas extending beyond the church. Throughout his life, T.D. Jakes has served and inspired people on a global scale, and his impact on the world goes far beyond the pulpit. More than just a spiritual leader, he is multi-dimensional, a real in-the-flesh renaissance man.

The T.D. Jakes Group is dedicated to solving society’s problems by building bridges and strategic partnerships that create equity and provide solutions for underrepresented and underserved communities. Through partnerships and disruptive thinking, The T.D. Jakes Group continues to make connections across sectors and stakeholders to create lasting, generational change and create a more equitable society. Around every corner, every initiative T.D. Jakes connects people from different walks of life across the globe.

As a Bishop, Jakes founded The Potter’s House, a non-denominational global church with 30,000+ members with campuses around the U.S. The Potter’s House reaches tens of millions. Bishop Jakes ministers to one of the most engaged audiences in the world. His trusted voice is heard in more than 80 million homes each day. By sharing practical applications of biblical truths accumulated during 45 years in ministry, he is a gateway for engaging and activating audiences around the globe.

An advisor to three U.S. Presidents, Jakes has been called “America’s Treasure” by Oprah Winfrey, “America’s Best Preacher” by TIME Magazine and is a master communicator for all ages. Bishop Jakes has been instrumental in growing the space for powerful faith-based content in the media and entertainment industry including: film, television, radio, publishing, podcasts, a self-titled talk show, and an award-winning music label. As an accomplished film producer, Bishop Jakes’ movies have grossed millions and catapulted the faith-based film industry to impressive heights.

A persuasive, thought-provoking and intersectional communicator, T.D. Jakes has more than 40 bestselling books in print, including New York Times bestsellers, Crushing, Instinct, Don’t Drop the Mic and soon-to-be-released Disruptive Thinking.

As a devoted husband to Serita Jakes of more than 35 years, the power couple has successfully raised five beautiful children, including Jamar Jakes, Jermaine Jakes, Cora Jakes, Sarah Jakes Roberts and Dexter Jakes.

Dr. Mary Lou Jepsen is a globally recognized technology pioneer. She has shipped over 50 game-changing products touching a wide range of technologies: from laptops & smartphones to VR/AR, holography and health wearables. She has over 250 patents to her name.

She’s the founder and CEO of Openwater working on a suite of cutting-edge diagnostics and therapeutic wearables aimed at curing cancer, mental diseases, Long COVID and stroke.

Jepsen was executive director of engineering at both Google and Facebook, a group CTO at Intel, and the founder of four successful startups, including One Laptop per Child, which transformed education in developing countries and became a multi-billion dollar non-profit.

Jepsen is a former professor at MIT and currently serves as a director at two public companies: Lear Corp a $20 billion tier-1 automotive company, and Luminar Technologies the world leader in LiDAR systems. She's advised government officials in multiple countries, including the United States, and has been recognized by TIME magazine's "Time 100" as one of the 100 most influential people in the world, CNN's top 10 thinkers, Newsweek’s Disruptors, Forbes' 50 over 50, and numerous professional societies in the fields of optics, display, and electronics.

Dean Kamen is an inventor, an entrepreneur, and a tireless advocate for science and technology. His roles as inventor and advocate are intertwined—his own passion for technology and its practical uses has driven his personal determination to spread the word about technology's virtues and by so doing to change the culture of the United States.

Dean Kamen is the founder and president of DEKA Research & Development Corporation. Examples of technologies developed by DEKA include the HomeChoice™ portable dialysis machine, the iBOT™ Mobility System, the Segway™ Human Transporter, a DARPA-funded robotic arm, a new and improved Stirling engine, and the Slingshot water purifier.

In addition to DEKA, one of Dean's proudest accomplishments is founding FIRST® (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology), an organization dedicated to motivating the next generation to understand, use and enjoy science and technology. Founded in 1989, this year FIRST® will serve more than 2,500,000 young people, ages 6 to 18, in more than 113 countries around the globe. Last year, high-school-aged participants were eligible to apply for more than $80 million in scholarships from over 200 leading colleges, universities, and corporations.

Kamen has received many awards for his efforts. Notably, Kamen was awarded the National Medal of Technology in 2000. Presented by President Clinton, this award was in recognition for inventions that have advanced medical care worldwide, and for innovative and imaginative leadership in awakening America to the excitement of science and technology. Kamen was elected a member of the National Academy of Engineering in 1997. He was awarded the Lemelson-MIT Prize in 2002, and was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in May 2005. He is a Fellow of the American Institute for Medical & Biological Engineering, as well as many other national and international engineering organizations.

Dr. Kapp is a dynamic entrepreneur who has founded several healthcare start-ups, ranging from surgical centers and hospitals to electronic health record systems and medical real estate developments. He is passionate about introducing cutting-edge technology to enhance both the facilities and operations of healthcare organizations. As a board-certified orthopedic surgeon, former USAF Flight Surgeon, and type-rated jet aircraft pilot, Dr. Kapp has a unique combination of medical expertise and aviation knowledge.
Moreover, he is dedicated to advancing the new healthcare paradigm that focuses on the detection and reversal of asymptomatic diseases. Dr. Kapp is deeply committed to this cause and strives to improve patient outcomes by leveraging the latest advancements in medical technology and innovation.

Neal F. Kassell, MD is the founder and chairman of the Focused Ultrasound Foundation.

He was a Professor of Neurosurgery at the University of Virginia from 1984 until 2016 and was the Co-Chairman of the department until 2006. Before moving to Charlottesville in 1984, Dr. Kassell was on the faculty at the University of Iowa for seven years. He received both his undergraduate and medical education at the University of Pennsylvania and completed his MD in 1972. After internship and two years of neurology and neurosurgery residency in Philadelphia, Dr. Kassell completed his neurosurgical training with Dr. Charles Drake at the University of Western Ontario in 1977.

In April 2016, Dr. Kassell was appointed by Vice President Joe Biden to the National Cancer Institute’s Blue Ribbon Panel for Cancer Moonshot Initiative. Dr. Kassell has served on many standing and ad hoc committees of the National Institutes of Health and in an editorial capacity for a variety of academic journals. He has contributed more than 500 publications and book chapters to the literature. Dr. Kassell is a member of numerous medical societies in the United States and abroad.

Dr. Kassell was a founder of Interax, Inc., the Virginia Neurological Institute, Multimedia Medical Systems, Inc., the Neuroclinical Trials Center, the NeuroVenture Fund, MedSpecialists.net, and the Focused Ultrasound Foundation. He has served on a number of public and private sector boards, including Eclypsis Corporation, INC Research, the Prostate Cancer Foundation, Virginia National Bank, INSIGHTEC, Inc., The Lagesse Foundation, and Expedition Trust Company. He is a shareholder of INSIGHTEC, Inc.

Arndrea Waters King is a steadfast global advocate against inequity, injustice, hate crimes, and suffering, dedicating her life's work to empowering marginalized communities.
An Emory University graduate, Arndrea embarked on her journey with the Center for Democratic Renewal, co-founded by civil rights icon Dr. C.T. Vivian, alongside Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. She orchestrated the National Conference on Hate Crimes and played a pivotal role in advancing the Georgia Hate Crimes Act. Her work also contributed to the formation of the Southern Coalition Against Racism and Bigotry, a significant multiracial collaboration.

In 2006, Arndrea married Martin Luther King III, and together, they champion nonviolence and social change, with a particular focus on youth empowerment.
Arndrea's commitment extends to preserving the King legacy. She's instrumental in a partnership with JP Morgan Chase to restore, preserve, and digitize the King Center's invaluable archives. She serves on various community boards, including the Historic District Development Committee and the Atlanta International School.

Currently, Arndrea serves as the President of the Drum Major Institute (DMI), a nonprofit with a history spanning over six decades. In her leadership at DMI, she has rallied tens of thousands of activists and over 100 partner organizations for initiatives such as the March on Washington, advocating for federal voting rights legislation.

Arndrea, along with Martin, is a significant fundraiser for Black and Brown organizers through their "Give Us The Ballot" campaign. In August, they announced a visionary initiative to invest $100 million by 2024 in 40 national groups dedicated to promoting freedom, justice, and equality.

Under her steadfast guidance, the Drum Major Institute is at the forefront of shaping a brighter future for all.

With the past two years’ astounding display of social injustice, violence, and confusion around the pandemic, perhaps at no other time in recent history has our world needed the clear thinking and solutions-oriented voice of civil rights advocate and global humanitarian Martin Luther King III. From speaking to thousands at the August 2020 March On Washington to his dozens of arrests during peaceful protests, Mr. King is shepherding the healing of our nation and the world, connecting the important lessons of the past with the critical needs of our future and motivating a new generation of authentic leaders.

As the oldest son of the late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Mrs. Coretta Scott King, Martin Luther King III is a thought leader on the world stage, a peace maker, and a negotiator on some of today’s most critical national and international platforms for social change. Amplifying the work of his father, Mr. King has devoted his life to promoting global human rights and eradicating racism, violence, and poverty, earning a reputation as a respected international statesman and one of the world’s most passionate advocates for the poor and oppressed. With his logical approach to problem-solving, he asks: “If we can live a day in peace, why can’t we live a week in peace? If we can live a week in peace, why can’t we live a month? If we can live a month, why not a year? And if we can achieve a year, why not a lifetime?” Mr. King speaks on a variety of topics such as the importance of continuing the struggle for civil rights and taking a stand against adversity, emphasizing the importance of individual action in making his father’s dream a reality and challenging us all to do better.

Gayle King is co-host of CBS MORNINGS. An accomplished journalist, King interviews top newsmakers and delivers original reporting to CBS MORNINGS and all CBS News broadcasts and platforms. She is also editor-at-large of Oprah Daily, hosts “Gayle King in the House,” a live, weekly radio show on SiriusXM and co-anchors with Charles Barkley, “King Charles,” a weekly, one-hour prime-time program on CNN.

Peter Lee is Corporate Vice President of Research and Incubations at Microsoft. He leads Microsoft Research and the incubation of research advances into new products. Before Microsoft, he was a professor at Carnegie Mellon University. He has served at DARPA, President Obama's Commission on Enhancing National Cybersecurity, and several boards. He is a member of the National Academy of Medicine. With Carey Goldberg and Zak Kohane, he is the coauthor of the book, “The AI Revolution in Medicine: GPT-4 and Beyond.”

Cristopher Longhurst MD, MS, is the chief medical officer (CMO) and chief digital officer (CDO) at UC San Diego Health. This dual, complementary role provides leadership to medical staff, ensuring that standards and protocols are in place to provide the highest quality of care to patients. He also serves as an associate dean at the School of Medicine, overseeing and aligning our education and research missions within the clinical environment, and leading our journey to become a highly reliable, learning health system.

As CMO, Dr. Longhurst is responsible for maintaining excellence in clinical care, including regulatory, patient and clinician satisfaction, quality and safety, and medical affairs. He works alongside leaders at UC San Diego Health, the School of Medicine, and UC Health to improve care delivery and oversees UC San Diego Health’s reputation for delivering safe, innovative, patient-centered care.

Dr. Longhurst is passionate about implementing innovative digital solutions that help improve the patient experience. As the CDO, he leads UC San Diego Health’s technology strategy, overseeing initiatives that advance the infrastructure across UC San Diego and the UC Health system. In addition, Dr. Longhurst leads the clinical activities of the academic medical center, working alongside clinical leaders to guide the planning of quality, safety, and performance excellence of programs.

He is also a key faculty member in the Departments of Biomedical Informatics and Pediatrics in the UC San Diego School of Medicine, maintaining an active clinical practice as a newborn hospitalist and pursuing scholarship in care quality, patient safety, and health informatics.

Prior to his current role, Dr. Longhurst served as the chief information officer (2015-2021) and associate chief medical officer for quality and safety (2018-2021) at UC San Diego Health, where he provided leadership in key functional areas to continuously improve efforts around operations, reputation and care.

Dr. Longhurst completed his residency at Stanford University and earned his medical degree and MS in medical informatics from UC Davis. He holds a BS in molecular biology from Revelle College at UC San Diego. He is a board-certified pediatrician and clinical informaticist.

He is the author and co-author of many publications on using technology and data to improve quality of care. Dr. Longhurst is an elected fellow of the prestigious American College of Medical Informatics.

Dr. Ted Love is the chair of the Board of Directors at the Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO). A long-time BIO Board Member, Dr. Love most recently served as president and chief executive officer of Global Blood Therapeutics (GBT) from June 2014 until October 2023, when the company was acquired by Pfizer. During his tenure at GBT, Dr. Love led the company from a pre-clinical start-up, through the accelerated approval and launch of Oxbryta®, and into a global commercial company with an advanced pipeline of innovative therapies focused on sickle cell disease. Prior to GBT, Dr. Love was executive vice president, research and development and technical operations, at Onyx Pharmaceuticals, Inc., where he played an instrumental role in the accelerated approval of Kyprolis® for multiple myeloma, and the subsequent purchase of Onyx by Amgen. Previously, Dr. Love served as president, chief executive officer and chairman of Nuvelo, Inc., and as senior vice president, development, at Theravance, Inc.

Dr. Love began his biotech career at Genentech in 1992, where held a number of senior management positions in medical affairs and product development, and ultimately as chairman of Genentech’s Product Development Committee. As vice president, product development, Dr. Love oversaw the development strategy and execution leading to approvals of Rituxan®, Herceptin®, Xolair®, TNKase®, Raptiva® and Avastin®. Prior to Genentech, Dr. Love was a member of the Department of Cardiology at the Massachusetts General Hospital.

Dr. Love currently serves on the boards of directors of Royalty Pharma and Seagen. Dr. Love holds a B.A. in molecular biology from Haverford College and an M.D. from Yale Medical School. He completed a residency in internal medicine and a fellowship in cardiology at the Massachusetts General Hospital.

Shelley Lyford is CEO of West Health, a family of nonprofit, nonpartisan organizations composed of the Gary and Mary West Foundation and the West Health Institute in San Diego, and the West Health Policy Center in Washington, D.C. These three organizations work in concert to lower healthcare costs and improve aging in America through applied medical research, policy initiatives, advocacy and the funding of high-impact programs and grants.

Under Lyford’s leadership, West Health has helped expand the number of geriatric emergency departments both in California and throughout the nation and has been a driving force behind prescription drug reform, greater access to oral healthcare for older adults, higher utilization of home-based primary care, and the creation and implementation of California’s first Master Plan for Aging. Lyford is also a member of California’s Commission on Aging.

Through its private foundation, West Health has awarded nearly $500 million for innovative research, the development of new or underutilized models of care, and direct care and services to seniors, their families, and caregivers, among many other initiatives. The foundation is one of only several in the world solely dedicated to improving aging and was critical to the creation of CivicaRX, the nation’s first generic drug company where Lyford serves as vice chair of the board of directors and is a board member of Civica Foundation and Civica Script.

In 2022, Lyford received the American Society on Aging (ASA) Award, an honor given for outstanding contributions to aging-related research, administration, and advocacy. Two years prior, the American Geriatrics Society (AGS) awarded one of its highest honors to West Health for its “visionary and trailblazing work to improve healthcare and increase its affordability for America’s aging population.”

In addition to her role at West Health, Lyford is co-leader of the West Health Investment Committee, the primary liaison with Northern Trust and Summit Rock Advisors, and a member of the Limited Partner Advisory Committees at Martis Capital, Roo Partners and 7wireVentures. She serves on the boards of the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce and San Diego Regional Economic Development Corporation and holds a Master’s Degree in Economics from the University of San Diego.

Lyford grew up on a dairy farm in Vermont and resides in Encinitas, California. An avid animal lover, traveler and sports enthusiast, she enjoys running, golfing, skiing, riding horses and playing basketball.

Dr. Alister Martin is an ER physician and an Assistant Professor at Harvard Medical School and Harvard Kennedy School and was a former Chief Resident at Massachusetts General Hospital.

He was a former Biden Administration appointee serving as an advisor in the Office of the Vice President under Kamala Harris as an appointed White House Fellow. He served as a former Health Policy Aide to Governor Peter Shumlin of Vermont and Congressman Raul Ruiz of California. He leverages his background in politics, policy, and the field of behavioral economics to use healthcare settings as a place to build programs that serve the needs of vulnerable patients.

He is the founder of Vot-ER, a nonpartisan voter registration organization that has organized over 26,000 healthcare providers and 300 hospitals to help non-urgent patients register to vote. He is the founder of Get Waivered, a
program that is converting our nation’s ERs into the front door for opioid addiction treatment and was instrumental in the organizing efforts resulting in the removal of the X waiver provision. He also co-founded GOTVax, an initiative aimed at leveraging a get out the vote framework to deliver vaccines directly to vulnerable communities via hyper-targeted vaccine pop up clinics. He currently serves as CEO of A Healthier Democracy, a nonprofit healthcare organizing incubator which leverages healthcare workers and healthcare settings as a place to build programs and movements that serve the needs of vulnerable patients.

Alister’s work has been published in journals such as the New England Journal of Medicine, JAMA, British Medical Journal, and has been featured in outlets such as the New York Times, the BBC, the Washington Post, BBC, and Scientific American. Alister earned his MD from Harvard Medical School as a Presidential Scholar, his Masters in Public Policy from the Harvard Kennedy School as a fellow in the Center for Public Leadership, and graduated Summa Cum Laude from Rutgers University where he was a Division 1 tennis player.

Beverly is originally from Spokane, WA, and has lived in western Montana since 1997. She earned a Bachelor of Science Degree and secondary education certification from Washington State University in 1972. In 2005 she completed an accelerated Master of Science program at the Boston College William F. Connell School of Nursing and is a certified Family Nurse Practitioner. She held a clinical position at the Missoula VA clinic starting in 2006 and retired in 2017. She continues to work in the home health assessment field as an independent contractor.

Jane Metcalfe is the CEO and founder of NEO.LIFE, a media and events company tracking how digital tools and an engineering mindset are transforming human biology. She is also chair of the Human Immunome Project, a global consortium of researchers, industry, and NGOs working to build working models of the human immunome, and co-chair of the Futures Council of the Focused Ultrasound Foundation.

Prior to that, Jane made chocolate on a pier in San Francisco as the President of TCHO Chocolate.

Jane is probably best known as the cofounder and former president of Wired Magazine / Wired Ventures, Inc.

Dariush Mozaffarian is a cardiologist, Jean Mayer Professor at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University, Professor of Medicine at Tufts School of Medicine, and an attending physician at Tufts Medical Center. His work aims to create the science and translation for a food system that is nutritious, equitable, and sustainable. Dr. Mozaffarian has authored more than 500 scientific publications on dietary priorities for obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases, and on evidence-based policy approaches and innovations to reduce diet-related diseases and improve health equity in the US and globally. Areas of focus include defining healthy diets, nutritional biomarkers, Food is Medicine interventions in healthcare, business innovation and entrepreneurship, and food policy. He is one of the top cited researchers in medicine globally, he has served in numerous advisory roles, and his work has been featured in an array of media outlets. Thomson Reuters has named him as one of the World's Most Influential Scientific Minds In 2023, Dr. Mozaffarian was nominated by President Biden to serve on the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition (PCSFN), a federal advisory committee that aims to promote healthy eating and physical activity for all Americans.

Dr. Mozaffarian received his B.S. in biological sciences from Stanford University, M.D. from Columbia University, and Doctorate in Public Health from Harvard University; and additional clinical training in internal medicine at Stanford University and in cardiology at the University of Washington. He is married, has three children, and actively trains as a Fourth Degree Black Belt in Taekwondo.

Alan Murray is CEO of Fortune Media, where he oversees all of the company’s operations. He writes a closely-read newsletter, the Fortune CEO Daily, and cohosts a weekly podcast, Leadership Next. He is the author of five books, including most recently Tomorrow’s Capitalist: My Search for the Soul of Business. Prior to joining Fortune in 2015, Murray led the Pew Research Center. Before that, he was at the Wall Street Journal for many years, serving as Deputy Managing Editor, Executive Editor Online, Washington Bureau Chief, and author of the Political Capital and Business columns. He also served for a time as Washington bureau chief of CNBC, and co-host of the network’s Capitol Report.

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson was sworn in as the 14th NASA administrator on May 3, 2021. He is tasked with carrying out President Biden and Vice President Harris’ vision for NASA to demonstrate American leadership in air, space, and on Earth for the benefit of humanity.

Bill has devoted almost five decades of his life to public service, representing Florida for 18 years in the United States Senate and 12 years in the U.S. House of Representatives, and before that in the Florida state legislature. He served on key committees, including as ranking member of the Senate Commerce Committee and chairman of the Subcommittees on Science and Space in both the Senate and the House.
In Congress, Nelson was considered the congressional leader for our nation’s space program, a strong advocate to combat climate change, and a proponent for career training and education programs in science and technology to create more good-paying American jobs.

In 1986, he trained and flew with the crew of the Space Shuttle Columbia, mission STS-61C, the 24th flight of the Space Shuttle. They orbited Earth 98 times over six days and Bill conducted 12 medical experiments, including the first American stress test in space on a treadmill and a cancer research experiment sponsored by university researchers.

Nelson graduated from Yale University and the University of Virginia School of Law. He is a member of the Florida Bar Association and served on active duty for two years in the U.S. Army, rising to the rank of Captain.

Laura Newinski is Deputy Chair and COO of KPMG LLP. In this role, Laura chairs the U.S. Management Committee and is responsible for the development of the U.S. firm’s strategy and the execution of its priorities. She is a member of the U.S. firm’s Board of Directors. Laura also serves as Deputy Chair for the Americas region and is a member of both the Americas Board of Directors and Management Committee. Laura is a member of both KPMG’s Global Board of Directors and Executive Committee.

During Laura’s 35-year career, she has had extensive experience serving multinational Fortune 500 companies and leading various areas of the firm. Laura is recognized for her insights on business strategy, operations, talent, culture and tax, as well as her unwavering commitment to quality and integrity and focus on building strong, diverse and inclusive teams.

Laura has been a member of the U.S. Management Committee since 2015. Prior to her current role, she served as Vice Chair of Operations and was responsible for technology, including digital transformation, data strategy, technology operations and security, as well as financial matters encompassing forecasting, planning, and monitoring the firm’s financial performance. In addition, she also oversaw operations including pension investments, real estate, corporate development, firmwide investments portfolio and internal audit.

As a result of Laura’s leadership and focus on operational excellence, KPMG has made substantial progress toward digitalization, resulting in significant improvements in productivity, cost-efficiency, and client service delivery. She co-led the planning and development of KPMG Lakehouse, the firm’s state-of-the-art training facility and cultural home, and a host location for LNIF since it was opened.

Her previous leadership roles at KPMG included serving as the National Managing Partner of Tax for KPMG and her client service roles have focused on both publicly held and large private companies in the financial services and food and beverage sectors.

Laura serves on the boards of Junior Achievement USA and the Greater Twin Cities Youth Symphony. She is a member of the University of Minnesota Carlson School of Management’s Board of Advisors. She previously served as a member of the University of Iowa Tippie Advisory Board, as a board member for Catholic Charities and Chair of the Board of Vail Place, a nonprofit organization that provides community-based mental health recovery services.

The Honorable Dr. Dava Newman is the Director of the MIT Media Lab. She holds the Apollo Program Professor of Astronautics chair at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and is a Harvard–MIT Health, Sciences, and Technology faculty member. She was awarded a MacVicar Faculty chair for making significant contributions to MIT undergraduate education. She served as NASA Deputy Administrator (2015-17), the first female engineer in this role, and was awarded the NASA Distinguished Service Medal. Her research and teaching expertise include aerospace biomedical engineering, human performance, advanced space suit design, AI/ML for climate, design, leadership development, innovation, and technology and policy. Newman has been principal investigator (PI) on five spaceflight missions flown aboard the Space Shuttle, Russian Mir Space Station and the International Space Station, and is best known for her revolutionary BioSuit™ planetary spacesuit. Recently, she co-founded EarthDNA with partner Guillermo Trotti to accelerate solutions for spaceship Earth’s Ocean, Land and Air subsystems by curating satellite data to make the world work for 100% of humanity. She has >350 publications and has supervised >100 MIT graduate students and 200 undergraduates. Her teaching and research mantra is to: love, act, design, and innovate (LADI).

Cathy is a veteran entertainment journalist, event producer and entrepreneur. She is the founder of Hollywood & Mind, a first-of-its kind venture focused on leveraging the unique and unparalleled influence of the entertainment industry to elevate mental health and save lives.

Thomas Osborne, MD, is the Director of VA’s National Center for Collaborative Healthcare Innovation (NCCHI) and Executive Director of the VA Convergence Center (VC 2 ). His team’s mission is to deliver the best and most advanced healthcare solutions to our Veterans. He is leading collaborations throughout VA, with other government agencies, and industry as they leverage the latest technologies such as big data, artificial intelligence, cloud computing, 5G, sensor technology, wearables, robotics, augmented reality, and virtual reality. Dr. Osborne is the inaugural recipient of the VA Under Secretary for Health Robert L. Jesse Award for Excellence in Innovation, the Arthur S. Flemming Award for exceptional public service, as well as multiple other national awards. His work has been published in leading medical journals and textbooks on topics such as health equity, predictive analytics, advanced technology, and the future of health care. Dr. Osborne received his medical degree from Dartmouth Medical School, and then completed his clinical residency and fellowship at Harvard hospitals. He is also Clinical Associate Professor (affiliated) at Stanford Health Care.

Jonathan B. Perlin, MD, PhD became the seventh President and CEO of The Joint Commission Enterprise on March 1, 2022. The Joint Commission Enterprise includes The Joint Commission, Joint Commission Resources (JCR), Joint Commission International (JCI) and the National Quality Forum (NQF).

Previously, as President, Clinical Operations and Chief Medical Officer, HCA Healthcare, Dr. Perlin led clinicians, data scientists and researchers in developing a learning health system model for improving care at the system’s 189 hospitals and 2,200 other locations. His team’s work achieved national recognition for preventing elective pre-term deliveries, reducing maternal mortality, using artificial intelligence to improve sepsis survival, and developing public-private-academic partnerships for improving infection prevention and treating COVID-19. Dr. Perlin’s CHARGE consortium partnered HCA, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) and academia to create a reusable platform for accelerated research using real-world evidence from the care of over 400,000 COVID inpatients.

Before HCA, Dr. Perlin was Under Secretary for Health in the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), where he led the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) to national prominence for full implementation of a national electronic health record and benchmark clinical performance. He has served on numerous Federal Commissions including as a Congressional Budget Office Health Advisor, a member of MedPAC (Medicare Payment Advisory Commission), and as chair of the VA Special Medical Advisory Group. An elected member of the National Academy of Medicine (NAM), he has co-chaired NAM action collaboratives on digital health, combatting opioids and climate change.

Dr. Perlin’s board service includes Columbia University’s Health Policy and Management program, Vanderbilt University’s School of Engineering, and he served as a Trustee of Meharry Medical College for 15 years. Perennially recognized as one of the most influential leaders in healthcare, Dr. Perlin maintains faculty appointments at Vanderbilt University as a Clinical Professor of Medicine and at Virginia Commonwealth University as an Adjunct Professor of Health Administration.

Ms. Peterson joined Clayton Dubilier & Rice (CD&R) as an operating partner in 2019, where she spans consumer and healthcare investing and spearheads the firm’s efforts to creating technology and digital capacity to support its investments and portfolio companies. Prior to CD&R, she was group worldwide chairman of Johnson & Johnson, where her portfolio included medical devices, consumer, global operating infrastructure, technology, supply chain and key strategic initiatives. Previously, Ms. Peterson served as Chairman & CEO of Bayer CropScience AG, CEO of Bayer Medical Care, and president of Bayer HealthCare AG’s Diabetes Care Division. She started her career at McKinsey and has held executive positions at Medco Health Solutions (formerly known as Merck-Medco), Nabisco, and Whirlpool. Ms. Peterson is the lead independent director of the Microsoft board of directors, chairman of the board of the American Academy in Berlin, serves as international advisory board member to global strategic advisory firm Hakluyt & Company, and is on the board of the Institute for Advanced Study, the world- renowned center for science and humanities research in Princeton, NJ. Ms. Peterson is also Executive Chairman of Volastra, an early-stage life science company.

Previously, Peterson was chairman of EcoHealth Alliance, the world’s foremost global institution at the forefront of pandemic detection and mitigation. She was also a member of the board of directors of The Dun & Bradstreet Corp. where she chaired the Innovation & Technology Committee. She has appeared on FORTUNE Magazine’s list of Most Powerful Women numerous times and was featured on the Magazine’s inaugural list of Leaders Who Are Changing Healthcare. Ms. Peterson attended Princeton University (M.P.A., Applied Economics), and Cornell University (B.A., Government).

Byron Pitts an Emmy® Award-winning co-anchor of ABC News’ “Nightline.” He has covered national and international news stories as well as in-depth features for the network, reporting across the news division, including “Good Morning America,” “World News Tonight with David Muir,” “This Week” and “20/20.”

Pitts is a multiple Emmy® Award-winning journalist with over 40 years of experience, known for his thoughtful storytelling, on-the-ground reporting and in-depth interviews. Pitts has reported live from Baltimore in 2015 as well as Dallas and Baton Rouge in 2016 during each cities’ riots and protests. He also co-anchored a special edition of “Nightline” with Juju Chang from Los Angeles, looking back on the city 25 years after the riots that broke out following the Rodney King verdict. As part of his work on “Nightline,” Pitts has recently reported on reparations, the Kentucky tornadoes, climate-change issues South Carolina’s Gullah Geechee people are facing and the battle over the Line 3 pipeline snaking through the water of indigenous lands. His extensive global reporting has taken him to South Africa to cover the death and funeral of Nelson Mandela, the Arab Spring in Egypt, Cuba for the shift in its state-run economy and elsewhere.

During the 2016 and 2020 elections, Pitts was a key part of the network’s coverage, from the Republican and Democratic National Conventions and the first presidential debates to 14 total hours of live election night coverage. In the 30 days leading up to the 2016 election, Pitts traveled around the country for “Inside the Final 30,” a daily docuseries produced by “Nightline,” to speak with voters as they were coming to their final decisions about who should be the nation’s next president.

Prior to joining ABC News, Pitts spent 15 years at CBS News, as a chief national correspondent, and won an Emmy for his coverage of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. He was named the National Association of Black Journalists’ Journalist of the Year in 2002, and in 2020 received the Radio Television Digital News Association’s highest honor, the Paul White Award. His 2009 memoir, “Step Out on Nothing: How Faith and Family Helped Me Conquer Life’s Challenges,” chronicled his journey overcoming illiteracy and a stutter to become a journalist. In 2017, Pitts profiled six young adults that overcame hardship with hope in his book “Be the One.”

Stephen Quake is Head of Science at the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, where he oversees CZI’s science grant programs, technology development, and the CZ Biohub Network. He has received numerous awards for his contributions to science and is one of only two dozen scientists elected to all three National Academies. Steve also holds a faculty position at Stanford University, where he is the Lee Otterson Professor of Bioengineering and Applied Physics. Previously he was the founding co-president of the Chan Zuckerberg Biohub (2016-2022), investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (2006-2016), and professor at the California Institute of Technology (1996-2005).

Vardit Ravitsky is President and CEO of the Hastings Center, an independent, nonpartisan bioethics research institute that is among the most prestigious bioethics and health policy institutes in the world. She is a Full Professor at the Bioethics Program, School of Public Health, University of Montreal and Senior Lecturer on Global Health and Social Medicine at Harvard Medical School. She is immediate Past-President of the International Association of Bioethics and a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences.

Ravitsky’s research focuses on the ethics of genomics and reproduction, as well as the use of AI in biomedical research, and is funded by Canada’s leading funding agencies and the NIH. Recently, she has been involved in research and policy regarding pandemic ethics and was heavily involved in public outreach during COVID-19. Ravitsky is a Principal Investigator on two Bridge2AI research projects funded by the National Institutes of Health that expand the use of AI in biomedical and behavioral research. She serves on the steering committee of the National Academy of Medicine (NAM) to develop an Artificial Intelligence Code of Conduct (AICC). She published over 200 articles and commentaries on bioethical issues and has given over 300 talks world-wide.

Ravitsky holds a BA from the Sorbonne University in Paris, a Masters from the University of New Mexico, and a PhD from Bar-Ilan University in Israel. Previously, she was Fellow at the Department of Bioethics at the NIH and faculty at the Department of Medical Ethics, School of Medicine, at the University of Pennsylvania.

Dr. Dan Reidenberg is the SOS Project Director for the Mental Health Coalition, the Managing Director of the National Council for Suicide Prevention, a Special Advisor to the International Association for Suicide Prevention, a consultant for the World Health Organization and a Certified Psychological Autopsy Investigator. He is the Emeritus CEO of SAVE.org and serves on several national and international editorial boards.

Dr. Reidenberg worked on inpatient psychiatric units for adolescents and adults in hospitals in addition to having a private practice. He has presented to over 350,000 people around the world and has written more than 55 articles and 5 book chapters. Dr. Reidenberg was one of the lead authors of the US National Strategy for the Prevention of Suicide (2012) and the National Prioritized Research Agenda (2016). He developed an evidence-based program for schools called LEADS for Youth and works with the leading technology companies on mental health related tools and apps. He wrote the US Best Practices for Media Reporting on Suicide and for Media Reporting on Mass Shootings, created the only online peer support program for suicide, a leading program for the construction industry called IBEAM as well as One Step Ahead – a comprehensive model work place suicide prevention program. He has conducted training for some of the nation’s top 100 companies, at The White House, The Pentagon and created suicide prevention guides for law enforcement and their families as well as for the largest media/news organizations in the nation. Dr. Reidenberg has been a consultant to the World Health Organization and the Pan American Health Organization and he created the world’s only certification program for safe messaging on suicide, as well as the National Media Award program for reporting on suicide and mental health.

Dr. Reidenberg has been interviewed by major media including: CNN, Larry King, Good Morning America, Good Morning Europe, PBS, The New York Times, The Washington Post, Huffington Post, Time, Newsweek, People, Rolling Stone, BBC and radio in Australia, Russia, Canada and the UK.

He received the Service to Humanity Award, the Service to Suicidology Award, was recognized as a Champion of Change by The Obama Administration and he is listed in Who’s Who in America, Who’s Who in the World and with the Marquis Who’s Who Lifetime Achievement Award.

Deblina Sarkar is an assistant professor at MIT and AT&T Career Development Chair Professor at MIT Media Lab. She heads the Nano-Cybernetic Biotrek research group. Her group carries out trans-disciplinary research fusing engineering, applied physics, and biology, aiming to bridge the gap between nanotechnology and synthetic biology to develop disruptive technologies for nanoelectronic devices and create new paradigms for life-machine symbiosis.

Her inventions include, among others, a 6-atom thick channel quantum-mechanical transistor overcoming fundamental power limitations, an ultra-sensitive label-free biosensor, technology revealing previously invisible biological nanostructures of brain, wireless sub-cellular sized brain implants and a new paradigm for treating brain diseases where existing therapies have failed. Her PhD dissertation was honored as one of the top 3 dissertations throughout USA and Canada in the field of Mathematics, Physical sciences and all departments of Engineering.

She is the recipient of numerous other awards and recognitions, including the Lancaster Award for best PhD dissertation at UCSB, Technology Review’s Innovators Under 35 from India, NIH K99/R00 Pathway to Independence Award, the IEEE Early Career Award in Nanotechnology, Innovative Early Career Engineer by National Academy of Engineering, the NIH Director’s New Innovator Award with the highest and rarely achieved impact score, the MIND Prize and the Science News' 10 Scientists to Watch.

Michael Schlosser, MD, MBA, FAANS is SVP, Care Transformation & Innovation for HCA Healthcare leading innovation and transformation for the enterprise. The department’s vision is to redesign care delivery, focusing on digitally enabled, patient centered, and highly efficient care delivery by partnering with internal Information Technology leadership and Google’s cloud computing team.

Prior to this role, he served as group Chief Medical Officer, leading the clinical operations for 100 HCA hospitals, overseeing quality, patient outcomes, and clinical strategy.

Dr. Schlosser is a neurosurgeon and completed his residency and fellowship at Johns Hopkins, has served as a medical officer with the FDA, and holds a degree in chemical engineering from MIT.

Terry Shaw is president and chief executive officer for AdventHealth. In this role, he provides leadership for one of the largest faith-based health care systems in the United States, with more than 52 hospital campuses across nine states and a robust network of post-acute care facilities across our network.

Shaw's career with AdventHealth spans nearly 40 years. In that time, he has played a pivotal role in defining the organization’s vision and direction through his broad understanding and deep knowledge of health care finance, information technology and overall operations.

He was appointed to the Healthcare Leadership Council, a policy think tank, and Chairman Emeritus of the Premier, Inc. board of directors. Shaw earned a master's degree in business administration from the University of Central Florida, and bachelor's degrees in accounting and computer science from Southern Adventist University.

Ash is a Principal at KPMG serving as the National Healthcare Industry Leader. He leads KPMG’s work in healthcare across the Audit, Tax, and Advisory functions for the U.S. market and the Americas region. Ash also supports several Audit Committees across the industry and advises senior leaders and Boards on industry trends and strategies.

Ash is a highly experienced healthcare professional at the cutting edge of information technology (IT) advances in the sector. In a career spanning over 35 years, he has worked for some of the world’s leading IT and consulting firms, using technology to drive improvements such as telemedicine, e-commerce, membership systems, customer service and healthcare management.

Ash has a proven track record in leading teams to develop long-term client relationships and deliver innovative, compelling, and transformational solutions across the healthcare ecosystem. He builds strong and collaborative teams with an aligned mission to deliver customer excellence and sustainable growth.

As Senior Executive Director Healthcare for Americas with Cisco, he was responsible for payers, providers and life sciences accounts including the Mayo Clinic, WellPoint, Cigna, Wellcare, Medtronic and Kaiser. He led the development and deployment of telemedicine solutions with key clients and government agencies.

Prior to this, Ash was Vice President Health Solutions for Wellpoint, supporting over 32 million members (one in 10 Americans) in enterprise applications. He also held senior positions with KGT Global Technologies, IBM and Accenture, leading executive teams in the U.S. and around the world through major change programs in hospitals, medical service providers, physician group practices and managed care organizations.

Ash’s breadth of experience is typified by his first two roles: first as owner of his own consulting and medical management business, and then with The University of Cincinnati Medical Center in the U.S., where he was a hospital administrator leading several departments including Radiology, Nuclear Medicine, Lab Medicine, Managed Care, Cancer and Pharmacy.

In May 2023, astronaut, STEAM advocate, and business pioneer John Shoffner served as Pilot on Axiom Space Ax-2 mission to the International Space Station (ISS). Throughout the duration of his mission, he hosted live events with schools around the world, demonstrating life in microgravity. While on orbit, Shoffner captured educational videos to excite the next generation of space enthusiasts, facilitated an International Art and Poetry contest that garnered over 930 entries from 26 countries, and participated in multiple life science research experiments that will shape the future of space exploration. The Ax-2 mission makes Shoffner the 598th person to orbit the Earth. He is also the first Alaska-born astronaut of record.

Shoffner is an accomplished aviator, skydiver, racecar driver, cyclist and lifelong space enthusiast. He discovered his love for art and science at an early age, and it never left him. Although space was his first passion, he took an alternative career path. Shoffner formed Dura-Line Corporation into an international company, developing and patenting multiple processes for materials and methods for the placement of fiber optic cable during the 1980s and 90’s. He retired as CEO in 1997 and Dura-Line remains a world market leader.

Today, Shoffner aims to use his recent space flight experience to help educators find new ways to excite young students to become curious and life-long learners. Through the launch of the Perseid Foundation, his new mission is to promote STEAM education and encourage educators/students to discover their inner voice so they don’t have to wait a lifetime to fulfill their dreams like John did. The Perseid Foundation works to bring world leading partnerships to its schools across Appalachia with programs for improving the learning culture in classrooms and STEAM curriculum development.

Since returning from space, Shoffner has received the first-ever key to the city of Middlesboro, KY, honoring his dedication to education and community development. He continues to inspire students and teachers alike through classroom visits, curriculum development, hands-on community involvement, and speaking engagements including VivaTech, Space Exploration Educators Conference, NPR, The World Knowledge Forum and more.

Alyson Shontell joined Fortune in October 2021 as Editor-in-Chief and Chief Content Officer. In her role, she oversees all content across Fortune’s platforms including the magazine, website, newsletters, executive conferences, videos, podcasts, and Fortune Connect. Her appointment made her the first woman and youngest editor to helm Fortune’s 92-year-old newsroom. She previously served as editor-in-chief of Business Insider, a publication she helped launch in 2008, where she oversaw award-winning journalism. She serves as a judge for the ASME and Loeb Awards.

As President and COO of SpaceX, Gwynne Shotwell is responsible for day-to-day operations and managing all customer and strategic relations to support company growth. She joined SpaceX in 2002 as Vice President of Business Development and built the Falcon vehicle family manifest to approximately 170 launches, representing more than $20 billion in business. Shotwell is a member of the SpaceX Board of Directors.

Prior to joining SpaceX, Shotwell spent more than 10 years at the Aerospace Corporation, holding positions in Space Systems Engineering, Technology and Project Management. She was promoted to the role of Chief Engineer of an MLV-class satellite program, managed a landmark study for the Federal Aviation Administration on commercial space transportation, and completed an extensive analysis of space policy for NASA's future investment in space transportation.

In addition to being included on Time's 100 Most Influential People of 2020, Shotwell was awarded the 2020 Von Karmen Wings award. In 2018 Shotwell was named the Satellite Executive of the Year and she was awarded the AIAA Goddard Astronautics Awards as well as the American Society of Mechanical Engineers Ralph Coats Roe Medal. Fortune Magazine placed Shotwell at #42 on their list of the World's 50 Greatest Leaders in 2018 and Forbes named her #55 on their list of Power Women in 2019. Gwynne was inducted into the National Academy of Engineering in 2020 and in 2019 was appointed to the National Space Council Users' Advisory Group. In 2014, Shotwell was appointed to the United States Export Import Bank's Advisory Committee and the Federal Aviation Administration's Management Advisory Council. Shotwell was elected to the honorable grade of Fellow with the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics.

Through leadership in both corporate and external science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) programs, Shotwell has helped raise over $1.8 million for STEM programs reaching thousands of students nationwide.

Shotwell received, with honors, her bachelor's and master's degrees from Northwestern University in Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mathematics, and serves on their Board. She has authored dozens of papers on a variety of space related subjects.

An expert in industry cloud solutions, Sicilia is responsible for research and development, go-to-market strategies, and overall operations for Oracle’s industry business units. These units help distinct markets including retail, financial services, communications, healthcare, life sciences, hospitality, engineering and construction, food and beverage, local government, and energy and water solve their most complex business challenges.

In previous roles at Oracle, Sicilia held development and business management leadership responsibilities in the industry business units.

Prior to joining Oracle, Sicilia worked at Primavera Systems (acquired by Oracle in 2008), He joined the development team in 1993, where he worked as a software engineer. In 2006, he was named Primavera’s chief technology officer. As CTO, he set the technology direction for products and managed the global development team. Sicilia also led the technical and due diligence team that worked through the Oracle acquisition.

Sicilia has a BS in computer science from Saint Joseph’s University. He is a board member for the Friends of Father Judge High School where he assists in fundraising efforts for improvements and academic programs at his alma mater. He also works closely with Oracle’s Diversity and Inclusion team to create academic opportunities and career paths in technology for underrepresented groups. As part of that work, Sicilia helped spearhead an Oracle-led scholarship fund for Meharry Medical College School of Applied Computational Sciences.

ANDY SLAVITT was President Biden’s White House Senior Advisor for the Covid response. He is currently a member of the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) working group on public health. He has led many of the nation’s most important health care initiatives, serving as President Obama’s head of Medicare and Medicaid and overseeing the turnaround, implementation and defense of the Affordable Care Act. Slavitt is the “outsider’s insider”, serving in leading private and non-profit roles in addition to his government services. He is founder and Board Chair Emeritus of United States of Care, a national non-profit health advocacy organization as well as a founding partner of Town Hall Ventures, a healthcare firm that invests in underrepresented communities. He co-chaired a national initiative on the future of health care at the Bipartisan Policy Center. He chronicles what goes on inside the government and across the nation at town halls, in USA Today, on his award-winning podcast In the Bubble, and on Twitter. He is the author of Preventable, a best-selling account of the US’s Coronavirus response released in 2021. A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and Harvard Business School, he and his wife have two grown sons.

Started her career with money-center bank First Chicago and has won many awards in her career for excellence in her profession and leadership in the broader business community. She climbed from entry-level to Director of Research and Chief Economist at Bank One, the merged bank. Before joining KPMG, Diane had her own economic consulting firm and worked at Grant Thornton. She spent the prior 10+ years as Senior Managing Director and Chief Economist at the financial services firm, Mesirow Financial.

She served as an advisor to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) and the National Economic Council (NEC) on a nonpartisan basis. She regularly briefs the regional Federal Reserve banks and the Board of Governors in Washington, DC. She has provided Congressional testimony on income inequality and how to preserve and bolster the quality of government statistics on the economy.

She was honored by her peers as Fellow of the National Association for Business Economics (NABE) for her outstanding contributions to the field. She serves on the NABE statistics committee to advocate for better information on the economy. Diane serves on the board of the Posse Foundation in Chicago, an organization dedicated to increasing access to higher education. She is active in supporting scholarships and programs to diversity the ranks of economists with more women and underrepresented minorities with her alumni groups and work on the NABE Foundation. She is a member of many business groups, including the Economic Advisory Board of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and the Council on Foreign Relations. She serves on the Bureau of Economic Analysis advisory council and is a member of the Harris Council at the University of Chicago’s Harris School of Public Policy.

Diane recently took over the growing economics team at KPMG to serve partners and clients and to engage with the media to help showcase the firm’s many achievements. Diane was named one of the top 50 most influential economists during the pandemic. She has won numerous awards through the financial press and been recognized for her excellence in forecasting by the regional Federal Reserve banks.

Mr. Rasesh “Sesh” Thakkar serves as Senior Managing Director of Tavistock Group and has been with the Group for 25+ years. Mr. Thakkar’s areas of experience ranges across industries such as life sciences, financial services, real estate, and leisure services as well as corporate finance and structures, mergers and acquisitions, strategic planning and operations. He’s also known for being one of the main visionaries behind Lake Nona.

Currently, he serves on the Board and Governors Council of the Orlando Economic Partnership. He is also on the Board of Directors of GuideWell Mutual Holding Corporation and TECO Energy and is a member of the Board of Trustees of the Tavistock Foundation and the Florida Governor’s Council of 100.

Meg Tirrell is a medical correspondent for CNN’s award-winning Health unit, reporting health and wellness stories for all CNN platforms.

Previously, Tirrell was CNBC’s senior health and science reporter, where she covered the development of new medicines for Alzheimer’s disease, cancer and rare diseases, and tracked public health emergencies including Ebola, Zika and COVID-19. Her reporting has also chronicled the massive set of trials seeking to hold the drug industry accountable for the opioid epidemic, market failures that have led to life-threatening drug shortages, and the ongoing fight over the cost of medicines.

Prior to CNBC, Tirrell covered the biotechnology industry for Bloomberg News, where she also contributed to Bloomberg Television and Bloomberg Businessweek.

Tirrell holds a master’s degree in journalism from Northwestern University and bachelor’s degree in English and music from Wellesley College.

Dr. Tuszynski obtained an M.Sc. with distinction in physics at the University of Poznan, Poland. In 1983 he was awarded a Ph.D. in physics at the University of Calgary, Canada. He is currently full professor at the Polytechnic University of Turin (Politecnico di Torino) in Italy. His employment experience includes being an assistant professor at Memorial University of Newfoundland and then being appointed as professor in the Department of Physics at the University of Alberta. Dr. Tuszynski also held visiting professor appointments at the University of Bielefeld, Germany, Nankai University, China, ENS Lyon, France, University of Leuven, Belgium, Universität Gießen, Germany, Universität Düsseldorf, Germany and Danish Technical University. He also worked as a research manager in a private R&D company in Brussels, Belgium, called Starlab. Between 2005 and 2020 Dr. Tuszynski held the prestigious endowed chair in experimental oncology at the University of Alberta. He holds 1 Brazilian and 5 US patents, has published almost 600 refereed journal papers, 60 conference proceedings, 12 research monographs and 20 book chapters. He has served on the editorial boards of 30 scientific journals and has been an Associate Editor for the Frontiers Collection of the Springer Verlag, Heidelberg. Dr. Tuszynski gave 200 invited talks at conferences and workshops on six continents. His record of graduate supervision includes over 20 PDFs, 32 PhDs and 53 M.Sc. stduents. He has been collaborating with and consulting for companies in the biotech and pharma area around the world, including Sinoveda (Canada), Telormedix (Switzerland), Novocure (Israel), Oncovista (San Antonio), CSTS (Canada) and Autem Medical (Brazil). He co-founded two University of Alberta spin-off companies: ProPhysis and Achlys. His research focuses on the use of high-performance computing in drug discovery and involves biomolecular modeling, virtual drug screening, bioinformatics and systems biology. As a result, one of the lead drugs he discovered computationally is now completing Phase I/II clinical trials for metastatic baldder cancer. Another drug is currently undergoing lead optimization for colorectal cancer. The 2023 book entitled “Quantum Body”, he co-authored with Deepak Chopra and Brian Fertig, presents a vision for the future of medicine inspired by modern physics.

Emma Walmsley was appointed CEO of GSK, a global biopharma company, in 2017. Previously, she was CEO of GSK Consumer Healthcare and then Chaired this Joint Venture listed as Haleon in July 2022, the largest demerger in Europe for 20 years.

GSK is a world leader in the prevention and treatment of infectious diseases (including HIV), Respiratory, Immunology and Oncology. The company has begun a new chapter of vaccine and medicine innovation and competitive performance. GSK aims to impact the health of 2.5 billion people in the decade ahead and in 2022 was placed first in the Global Access to Medicines Index for the eighth consecutive time.

Prior to GSK, Emma spent 17 years at L’Oreal, in Paris, London, New York and Shanghai. She is a Board Director of Microsoft, a member of the Stanford Medicine Board of Fellows, the US Business Council Executive Committee and PhRMA Industry Association and has been a business advisor to three UK Prime Ministers. Emma is the first woman to run a major global pharmaceutical company, ranked number 1 three times in Fortune Magazine’s “Most Powerful International Women” and number 14 in Forbes’ Global Power Women in 2022. She holds an MA in Classics and Modern Languages from Oxford University.

Shaun White is regarded as one of the greatest action sports athletes of all time. A three-time gold medalist and one of the most decorated athletes in X Games history, White established himself as a dual-sport athlete (skate & snow) as a teenager before focusing primarily on snowboarding for the better part of his ongoing career that spans more than two decades. The action sports pioneer has been recognized for his entrepreneurial endeavors including corporate partnerships, signature products and fashion lines, and a global sports and music festival. White has been named among Bloomberg BusinessWeek’s 100 Most Powerful and Marketable Athletes, Forbes’ Most Valuable Sports Brands and 30 Under Thirty among others. Born with a congenital heart defect, Tetralogy of Fallot, he is an advocate for children battling illness and is an active supporter of St. Jude’s Children’s Research Center, Boys and Girls Clubs of America, and Make-A-Wish Foundation.

Peggy Whitson, Ph.D., America’s most experienced astronaut, flew on three NASA long-duration space flights and Axiom Mission 2 (Ax-2), accumulating 675 days in space, more than any other American astronaut or woman astronaut in the world.

Whitson has over 37 years of space and science experience with NASA and Axiom Space, currently serving as Director of Human Spaceflight for the latter. Throughout her career, she has held various positions, including NASA’s Chief of the Astronaut Office, two-time Commander of the International Space Station, Chair of NASA’s Astronaut Selection Board, NASA Operations Branch Chief, and NASA Deputy Division Chief for both Medical Sciences and the Astronaut Office. On Ax-2, she become the first female commander of a private space mission, adding to her accomplishment as the first female commander of the ISS, the only woman to serve as ISS commander twice, and the was the first woman, nonmilitary Chief of NASA’s Astronaut Office. During her three previous space missions to the International Space Station (Expeditions 5, 16, 50/51/52), she conducted 10 spacewalks, logging over 60 hours. Throughout her career she has contributed to hundreds of experiments in biology, biotechnology, physical science and Earth science.

Whitson received degrees in biology and chemistry from lowa Wesleyan and a doctoral degree in biochemistry from Rice University. She has been honored with numerous awards, including NASA medals in Leadership, Outstanding Leadership, and Exceptional Service; TIME 100 Most Influential People in the World (2018); and Women in Aviation Lifetime Achievement Award (2017).

Dr. David R. Williams is the Norman Professor of Public Health and Chair, Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. He is also a Professor of African and African American Studies at Harvard University. His prior academic appointments were at Yale University and the University of Michigan. He holds master’s degrees in divinity and public health and a PhD in sociology.

He is an internationally recognized authority on social influences on health. He has been invited to keynote scientific conferences in Europe, Africa, Australia, the Middle East, South America, the Caribbean and across the U.S. The author of more than 500 scientific papers, his research has enhanced our understanding of the ways in which race, socioeconomic status, stress, racism, health behavior and religious involvement can affect health. The Everyday Discrimination Scale that he developed is the most widely used measure of discrimination in health studies.

He is an elected member of the National Academy of Medicine, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the National Academy of Sciences. He has also been ranked as the Most Cited Black Scholar in the Social Sciences, worldwide, and as one of the World’s Most Influential Scientific Minds.

Dr. Williams has been involved in the development of health policy at the national level. He has served on 10 committees for the National Academy of Medicine, including the committee that prepared the Unequal Treatment Report. He was also a key scientific advisor to the award-winning PBS film series, Unnatural Causes: Is inequality Making Us Sick? Currently, he serves on the Board of Trustees of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and on the Kellogg Foundation’s Solidarity Council on Racial Equity. He has been featured by some of the nation’s top print and television news organizations and in his TED talk which has been translated into 22 languages.

Zak Williams is CEO and co-founder of neurotransmitter health company PYM, a mental health advocate and public speaker, a film producer, and an investor in technology and healthcare companies.

Zak is passionate about developing best-in-class products and experiences to provide effective, sustainable products for supporting optimal mental wellness and alleviating anxiety and depression through mental hygiene. As a mental health advocate, he focuses his time and effort on sharing his story and his experiences to support initiatives and campaigns seeking to remove the stigma and address the challenges associated with mental health topics. He is currently producing a documentary for adolescents about neuroplasticity and the healing power of the brain.

Zak is a US trustee of the international advocacy organization United for Global Mental Health, the chairman of mental health awareness non-profit Bring Change to Mind, and an advisor to national policy organization Inseparable and the mental health tech platform Project Healthy Minds. He received an MBA from Columbia Business School and a BA from New York university where he majored in Linguistics.

Prior to pursuing a life dedicated to mental health, Zak was COO of the recommendation platform Crossing Minds, the Director of Business Development for media company Condé Nast, and the marketing lead for gaming and media platform N3TWORK. He has a BA in Linguistics from New York University, and a MBA from Columbia University.

Bob Woodruff joined ABC News in 1996 and has covered major stories throughout the country and around the world. He was named co-anchor of "ABC World News Tonight" in December 2005. On January 29, 2006, while reporting on U.S. and Iraqi security forces, Woodruff was seriously injured by a roadside bomb that struck his vehicle near Taji, Iraq.

In February 2007, just 13 months after being wounded in Iraq, Woodruff returned to ABC News with his first on-air report, "To Iraq and Back: Bob Woodruff Reports." The documentary chronicled his traumatic brain injury, his painstaking recovery and the plight of thousands of service members returning from Iraq and Afghanistan with similar injuries. Woodruff continues to cover traumatic brain injuries for ABC News broadcasts and platforms and received a Peabody Award in 2008 for his reporting on the subject.

Since returning to the air, Woodruff has reported from around the globe -- North Korea on the country's denuclearization process, Syria and Jordan on the exodus of Iraqi refugees in those countries, and from war-torn Sudan. In 2008 ABC News aired his critically acclaimed documentary "China Inside Out," a look at how China's rapid rise impacts us all and the beginning of what's being called "The Chinese Century."

Before moving to New York in 2002, Woodruff worked out of ABC News' London Bureau. After the September 11 attacks, he was among the first Western reporters into Pakistan and one of ABC's lead foreign correspondents during the war in Afghanistan, reporting from Kabul and Kandahar on the fall of the Taliban. His overseas reporting of the fallout from September 11 was part of ABC News' coverage recognized with the Alfred I. duPont Award and the George Foster Peabody Award. He was also a part of the ABC News team recognized with a duPont Award for live coverage of the death of Pope John Paul II and the election of Pope Benedict XVI.

In February 2007, Woodruff and his wife, Lee, co-wrote a memoir, In an Instant, chronicling his injuries in Iraq and how their family persevered through trauma and uncertainty. The Woodruff family established the Bob Woodruff Foundation to raise money to assist injured service members, veterans and their families. Woodruff has a law degree from the University of Michigan Law School and a BA from Colgate University. He and Lee have four children.

A mother, an actress, an activist, a speaker, and a meditation teacher with a long-standing humanitarian engagement. A co-founder of the Never Alone, suicide prevention and mental wellbeing initiative of The Chopra Foundation. A movement that reduces mental health stigma and democratizes access to mental health hygiene tools. A Global Goodwill Ambassador to Skypower and the Honorary President of a grassroots charity in Myanmar. Wright lent her voice to UN Women and the UN Trust Fund to End Violence against Women.

Wright is the innovator of the Mental Hygiene Toolkit, a collection of mind cleansing and self-awareness tools to help individuals nurture their bodies, minds, and spirits, and develop inner guidance to consciously choose the best path for their lives. She has been a long-life student of Tibetan Buddhism and Vedanta.

Wright's acting and humanitarian projects bring her closer to understanding human nature and what binds consciousness to reality. She is the founder of the production company Conscious Intent, which supports different media formats to promote the human story. Her recent projects include "I Am Never Alone," which is the impetus for the Never Alone campaign with Dr. Deepak Chopra, Michael Beckwith, Temple Hayes directed by Michel Pascal.

As a motivational speaker, Wright has participated in numerous events, talk shows, podcasts, and social media outlets. Her recent engagements include UN Women conventions in London and Los Angeles, the First UN Trust Fund Grantee Convention in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Difficult Dialogues forum in India, a suicide prevention seminar, and the Lake Nona Impact Forum. She is the annual host and co-founder of the Never Alone Summit, which features over 100+ speakers who share their strength and resilience tools in the mental health space.