David Beier, JD is a Managing Director with Bay City Capital, and has been with the firm since 2013. David served as a senior officer for nearly a decade in each of the two largest biotechnology firms, Genentech and Amgen. Most recently, Mr. Beier was a member of the senior management team at Amgen. As Senior Vice President, he had responsibility for global government affairs, as well as corporate communications, and philanthropy. During his Amgen tenure he also helped create and supervised the firm's coverage, reimbursement, access, pricing, and healthcare economics activities globally. Earlier in his career, he was Chief Domestic Policy Advisor to the Vice President in the Clinton Administration. Mr. Beier has been a partner in a large international law firm as well as Counsel to the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on the Judiciary. He is admitted to practice law in New York and the District of Columbia.

José E. Almeida has been the President, Chief Executive Officer and a Director of Covidien since July 2011. Mr. Almeida became Chairman of the Board of Directors in March 2012. Prior to being elected President and Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Almeida was President of the Medical Devices segment of Covidien. In this position, Mr. Almeida oversaw the Surgical Devices, Energy-based Devices, Respiratory & Monitoring Solutions and Vascular Therapies Global Business Units, as well as the Japan, Asia, Canada and Latin America regions. These businesses account for approximately two-thirds of the Company’s total annual revenues and about three-quarters of its operating profit.

Mr. Almeida joined Covidien in 1995 as Director of Manufacturing and Corporate Engineering, and then held several positions of increasing responsibility, including Vice President of European Manufacturing and Vice President of Global Manufacturing. Mr. Almeida left in 2003 for Greatbatch Technologies, Inc., a leading manufacturer of power sources and components for implantable medical devices, before returning to Covidien in 2004 as President of the International Business Unit.

Before joining Covidien, Mr. Almeida was a Director of Manufacturing in American Home Products’ Acufex Microsurgical division, an Engineering Manager of Johnson & Johnson’s Professional Products division and a Management Consultant at Andersen Consulting (Accenture). Mr. Almeida received a Bachelor’s degree from Escola de Engenharia Maua in São Paulo, Brazil. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of Advanced Medical Technology Association (AdvaMed).

Dr. Kherani serves as Principal of Aisling Capital. Previously, Dr. Kherani was an Engagement Manager at McKinsey & Company, where he was a member of the Pharmaceuticals, Medical Products and Private Equity practices. While at McKinsey, he worked closely with management of pharmaceutical and medical device companies of various sizes. Prior to McKinsey, Dr. Kherani was a Chief Resident in Surgery at Duke University Medical Center, where he completed his residency in general surgery. He also completed a two-year post-doctoral research fellowship investigating treatments for heart failure and arrhythmia in the laboratory of Mehmet Oz, MD at Columbia University, College of Physicians & Surgeons. While at Columbia, he additionally served as an organ procurement fellow as part of the cardiothoracic transplantation team of New York Presbyterian Hospital.

Dr. Kherani received his MD from Duke, where he was a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Research Fellowship recipient. He also received his BS in biology and AB in economics from Duke, awarded magna cum laude.

Alice Bender is the Associate Director of Nutrition Programs for the American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR). Ms. Bender translates the science of cancer prevention into practical advice for consumers and healthcare professionals. Through AICR’s Health Professionals program she helps health providers in cancer centers and other settings stay up to date on the research on how diet, weight and physical activity link to cancer prevention and survivorship.

As a spokesperson for AICR, she keeps the public informed on cancer-preventive lifestyle choices through appearances on radio, television and in print and online news sites.

Ms. Bender led the development and implementation of AICR’s recently launched New American Plate Challenge – a web-based 12-week weight-loss program guiding individuals to lower their risk for cancer through healthful eating and moving more.

Prior to joining AICR in 2009, she provided clinical services and health promotion programming at Stanford University and the University of Georgia. She designed and taught a Peer Nutrition Education Course, training dietetics students to provide educational programs on campus.

Alice earned an MS in nutrition and public health from Columbia University Teachers College and has been active in leadership in the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics state and local affiliates.

Amy Sheon, PhD,joined the Case Western Reserve School of Medicine as the founding Executive Director of the Urban Health Initiative in 2011. Her experience in government, academia and the non-profit sectors are being used to leverage the assets of CWRU in making an impact on the health of people living in Cleveland. Dr. Sheon recently co-directed the Childhood Obesity Prevention Mission Project at the non-profit Altarum Institute in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Her work there focused on creation of a new model of obesity surveillance using existing immunization registries. Prior to returning to Ohio, Sheon was instrumental in establishing three centers at the University of Michigan, focused on clinical research, ethical issues in the life sciences, and on improving educational outcomes for disadvantaged youth. Dr. Sheon also worked at the National Institutes of Health on maternal-infant HIV transmission, HIV prevention studies, and cancer genetics. She earned an MPH at the University of Michigan and a PhD from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. She is currently focused on community-wide efforts to address obesity in child care settings.

Angela Townsend is a health and medical reporter at the Cleveland Plain Dealer, which she joined in 1999. Since 2008, she has been part of the health and medical reporting team at the Plain Dealer. Her coverage area includes cancer research, women’s health, HIV/AIDS and medical innovations. A Milwaukee native, Townsend is a graduate of Northwestern University and Marquette University.

Anne Alexander is Senior Vice President, Editorial Director at Prevention, a modern powerhouse shaping the national conversation around health and wellness and the country's 9th largest monthly magazine, with a U.S. magazine audience of 8.7 million readers, representation in 16 countries worldwide, and a top digital destination www.prevention.com that has an average of 6 million monthly unique and 38 million page views per month. In this role, she oversees brand development and integration across all Prevention platforms, including the magazine’s editorial, digital, and mobile presence and Prevention-branded books.

Alexander has helped to spearhead Prevention’s brand reinvention, repositioning the magazine as the go-to resource for the health-focused and motivated female baby boomer market moving into the brand's demographic. The magazine is the only one in its competitive set to boast four consecutive periods of newsstand growth. She is currently writing “The Sugar Smart Diet” to be released in January 2014.

She returns to Rodale after most recently serving as Senior Vice President and Editorial Director at National Geographic Books, where she led a turnaround of the company’s Adult Books division that resulted in its highest levels of profitability in recent years. She had previously served as Vice President and Editorial Director of Prevention from 1997 through 2000, and drove significant newsstand growth and subscriber renewals while also penning the New York Times bestseller “Win the Fat War.”

Prior to her time at National Geographic Books, Alexander was Vice President and Group Editorial Director for AOL U.K. from 2000 to 2004, where she led the development of AOL’s U.K. brand and led all efforts related to content, design, community and commerce. She then moved to become the consulting Creative Director for Edipresse in Warsaw, Poland, developing three of the most successful women’s magazines in Eastern Europe (Party, Polina and Pani Domu), launching Martha Stewart Living and optimizing a portfolio of titles selling more than three million copies per month.

Before joining Rodale in 1997, Alexander was Editor in Chief of Natural Health where she successfully redesigned the magazine to attract a more mainstream audience and increased newsstand and subscription sales. She started her career at Conde Nast and has written for the New York Times, Vogue and Self.

As a healthcare industry analyst in the 1980s, Anthony Viscogliosi identified a marked acceleration in the role of orthopedic surgeons in developing innovative methods of bone and joint treatment. He foresaw that an aging population would increasingly seek out new hip and knee joint replacement and spine repair technologies leading to what is now a $41 billion global marketplace in orthopedic devices.

In 1999, he and his brothers, Marc and John, founded Viscogliosi Bros. LLC (VB) to encourage and help surgeons develop and introduce new devices to help restore motion as well as eliminating arthritis pain or conditions such as diabetes. For example, VB created Spine Solutions, Inc., a maker of the first artificial spine discs, acquired in 2003 by what is now J&J Depuy Synthes.

VB subsequently either created or invested in 40 orthopedics-focused companies. These include Small Bone Innovations, Inc., Paradigm Spine, LLC and Knee Creations LLC. Small Bone Innovations invested significantly in developing technologies that have dramatically reduced the need for amputation of lower limbs affected by diabetes.

The firm can claim to have helped commercialize 90 patented products of which most have obtained U.S. FDA approval. VB has also raised more than $620 million in private investment in promising orthopedic technologies.

Anthony received an Honorary Degree of Doctor of Humane Letters-Honors Causa (DH.L) from the NY College of Podiatric Medicine in 2007, and received his BS in economics from the University of Michigan in 1984.

Dr. Vale is Head of Johnson & Johnson Development Corporation and is based in Silicon Valley. Prior to joining JJDC, Dr. Vale supported Johnson & Johnson’s medical device businesses at the Corporate Office of Science and Technology. From 1982 to 1989, he was at Ethicon, Inc., a Johnson & Johnson subsidiary, working on preclinical studies, new business development, and a coronary artery bypass graft internal venture. Dr. Vale has extensive experience in medical device research and development, including blood-compatible polymers, lasers, microsurgery, novel tissue closure, and hyaluronic acid for adhesion prevention. Dr. Vale received a PhD in biomedical engineering from Iowa State University and a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from Washington State University.

Brian Bloomquist, PhD is the Senior Director of Global External R&D with Eli Lilly and Company. Brian has been at Lilly since April 2006 where his role within the Global External R&D group is to lead the evaluation of external partnering opportunities in diabetes and endocrine disease for technical merit and portfolio fit. Prior to coming to Lilly, he spent 11 years in the Metabolic Disorders group at Bayer Pharmaceuticals where his laboratory was engaged in obesity drug discovery and he held multiple leadership positions in the management of the Obesity Research portfolio. Brian completed his post-doctoral studies at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine where he studied dopaminergic signaling following his graduate studies at Purdue University where he investigated Drosophila photoreceptor signal transduction and his thesis was awarded the first A.H. Ismail Interdisciplinary Dissertation Award. Dr. Bloomquist is an inventor on a number of patents and is the author of multiple peer-reviewed publications, including an article highlighted on the cover of the journal Cell.

Brian has been a partner of Domain since 1988, where he has led innovative investments not only in life sciences companies but also in establishing and directing new initiatives, such as the collaboration with Domain and Rusnano.  Since joining Domain, he has served on the board of directors of more than 35 private and public companies and has been Chairman of five. He is currently on the board of two public companies, Orexigen Therapeutics and REVA Medical.  Prior to Domain, Brian spent six years at Rorer Group (now part of Sanofi-Aventis). As President of Rorer from 1986 to 1988, he was the primary architect of the company's strategic shift to pharmaceuticals that resulted in a doubling of annual sales to approximately $1 billion. Prior to that, Brian was President of Survival Technology, a start-up medical products company whose sales growth placed it in the top ten of the Inc 100. He has also held management positions with Howmedica, Howmet Corporation, and New York Telephone. He received his BA in mathematics from Colgate University and his MBA from Harvard Business School.  Currently, Brian serves on the Board of Directors and is Chairman at the Center for Venture Education (Kauffman Fellows Program) and on the La Jolla Playhouse Board of Trustees. Brian is also on the Venture Advisory Board of the Skolkovo Foundation. He is Former Chair and currently serves on the Board of Trustees of the Wistar Institute, a leader in preclinical bio-medical research in the non-profit sector.  Brian has served as both President and Chairman of the National Venture Capital Association. He is a Trustee Emeritus of Germantown Academy and is a former Trustee of the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing and the Burnham Institute for Medical Research. He is also a former board member of the industry associations representing the medical device industry as well as the association representing consumer pharmaceuticals.

Brian Harrison is a Senior Healthcare Advisor for Cisco Systems, Inc. Brian comes to Cisco from The North Highland Company, a global management and technology consulting firm based in Atlanta. For the past twenty years,Brianhasbeen consultingto the healthcare, hospitality, and retail industries. Brian's specialty is in selecting and implementing technology solutions within healthcare. During the last five years, his focus has been on working with health systems and plans to design and develop value-based care models, specifically patient-centered medical homes and clinically integrated networks. His former clients include HCA, Vanderbilt Medical Center, Healthways, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Hawaii, and a number of other smaller providers and health plans.

While at North Highland, he helped healthcare clients manage change in the evolving healthcare landscape, both through the selection and implementation of technology as well as business strategy and process definition. He specialized in the shift from volume- to value-based care. He is knowledgeable regarding the impact of healthcare reform, helping to develop new models of care with a special focus on applying technology to impact business and clinical operations. Prior to North Highland, Brian worked for Accenture and then Novell. Overall, his experience and strengths apply to many of the interesting trends being seen today in healthcare.

Bruce Japsen, a contributing columnist and blogger for Forbes, has written about healthcare for two decades, starting from his native Iowa where he covered the presidential campaign bus rides of Bill and Hillary Clinton through the Hawkeye state talking health reform and the economy. He was a healthcare business reporter at the Chicago Tribune from 1998-2011 and previously wrote for Modern Healthcare magazine when first arriving in Chicago in 1993. Prior to that, he wrote for several Iowa newspapers including the Des Moines Register. Since leaving the Tribune, he also writes for the New York Times, Chicago Medicine magazine and teaches writing at Loyola University Chicago. He is a regular analyst for XM Satellite's ReachMD, WBBM newsradio and WBEZ in Chicago and on TV for WTTW's Chicago Tonight as well as other national television and radio programs.

Dr Cother Hajat (MBBS BSc MPH PhD MRCP MFPH) is an independent Public Health consultant and Adjunct Clinical Associate Professor at UAE University FMHS. Prior to this she was the lead for cardiovascular and chronic disease at the Health Authority Abu Dhabi (HAAD) for 3 and a half years and was the lead for the Weqaya Cardiovascular, Breast Cancer, smoking cessation and other chronic disease programs. Before joining HAAD, she worked in the UK as a NHS consultant in public health medicine alongside her academic career as a Medical Research Council Fellow investigating cardiovascular risk, both environmental and genetic. She has an MPH and PhD in cardiovascular epidemiology from King’s College, London, Membership of the Royal College of Physicians (UK) and Membership of the Faculty of Public Health (UK).

Dale R. Shepard, M.D., Ph.D. is a staff physician in the department of solid tumor oncology at the Taussig Cancer Institute and in the Center for Geriatric Medicine at Cleveland Clinic.  He is Co-Director of the Taussig Oncology Program for Seniors (TOPS) and is an Assistant Professor of Medicine at the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine of Case Western Reserve University.  He obtained a PhD in pharmacology at The Ohio State University and completed a post-doctoral fellowship in clinical pharmacology at University of Chicago before returning to Ohio State for his medical degree. Dr. Shepard completed his internal medicine residency and a hematology/oncology fellowship at Cleveland Clinic.

Dr. Shepard’s clinical practice focuses on genitourinary and gastrointestinal malignancies. His clinical research interests include new drug development and developing clinical trials for special populations, specifically elderly patients with solid tumors. He has been the principal investigator for many Phase I trials as well as two recent investigator-initiated clinical trials for elderly patients.  Dr. Shepard is responsible for overseeing the phase I trials program for the Solid Tumor Oncology department.

Dr. Shepard has authored or coauthored nearly 30 research articles and book chapters, has been a peer reviewer for several oncology journals, and has been cited in numerous trade and consumer publications on diverse oncology topics.

Dan joined Santé in 2013 as an Entrepreneur In Residence and is focusing on identifying and creating game changing new ventures in the neurotechnology field.  Dan is also completing a Functional Neurosurgery Fellowship at Rush University.  Prior to Santé, while a neurosurgery resident, Dan founded BioNeuronics, renamed NeuroVista, which developed an implanted seizure advisory system and successfully demonstrated for the first time that seizures can be predicted in humans.  Dan founded Barinetics, an early stage medical device venture based upon his autonomic modulation inventions. 

Dan received several innovation awards, including the Lemelson-MIT $30,000 Student Innovation Award and the MIT Technology Review TR100 Award.  He has 18 issued US patents for medical devices.  Dan earned his SB and SM in electrical engineering and computer science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, MD from the joint Harvard Medical School/MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology, PhD in mechanical rngineering at MIT, and MBA (MS in the management of technology) at the MIT Sloan School of Management.  He has passed the patent bar exam and is registered to practice before the USPTO. 

Dan Moulthrop took over leadership of the City Club of Cleveland in May 2013.  An award winning journalist, Dan was co-founder  of The Civic Commons (theciviccommons.com), a social media environment designed explicitly for civic conversation and deliberative dialogue, and the former host of 90.3 WCPN's Sound of Ideas.

As Curator of Conversation at The Civic Commons, Dan worked to promote “social media for civic good.” By using emerging technologies the team at Civic Commons successfully brought disparate communities together to make change. Dan helped to create a space where citizens could connect directly with public officials and experts to address community issues, brainstorm solutions and coordinate plans to implement change.

Dan is also the co-author, with Dave Eggers and Nínive Calegari, of the best selling book Teachers Have it Easy: The Big Sacrifices and Small Salaries of America's Teachers (The New Press, 2005), which provided the basis for the 2011 documentary "American Teacher."

Charles Joonghie Bae, MD, is a Staff physician in the Sleep Disorders Center of the Neurological Institute, at Cleveland Clinic's main campus, as well as an Assistant Professor of Medicine at the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine of Case Western Reserve University. He is board-certified by the American Board of Neurology and Psychiatry and has additional board certifications in Clinical Neurophysiology and Sleep Medicine.

Dr. Bae's specialty interests include all types of sleep disorders, such as sleep apnea, insomnia, narcolepsy, restless leg syndrome, parasomnias and circadian rhythm disorders.

Dr. Bae received his medical degree from the Georgetown University School of Medicine. He then completed an internship in internal medicine, a residency in adult neurology and a fellowship in sleep medicine, all at Cleveland Clinic. He is licensed to practice medicine in Ohio.

He is a principal author or co-author of numerous studies published in peer reviewed journals, scientific abstracts and book reviews. Dr. Bae gives regular presentations and media interviews on topics related to sleep disorders and is actively investigating aspects of sleep apnea, as well as the effects of lack of sleep. He mentors sleep and neurology fellows and is an ad hoc reviewer for the Cleveland Clinic Journal of Medicine, the Journal of Neurology and Primary Psychiatry. Dr. Bae is a member of the American Medical Association, American Academy of Neurology, the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, the American Medical Informatics Association and the Sleep Research Society.

David Brown, MD, is Professor of Anesthesiology at Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine and Chairman of the Anesthesiology Institute at Cleveland Clinic. His clinical passions are pancreatic cancer pain control and regional anesthesia. Dr. Brown is currently President of the American Board of Anesthesiology (ABA) and a Director of the Board of Accreditation Council of Graduate Medical Education (ACGME). He was formerly Chair of the Anesthesiology Residency Review Committee and president of Association of University Anesthesiologists. He spent much of his time when not at the hospital flying his own aircraft which ultimately led to concepts for the Perioperative Decision Support System.

David Cassak is a Vice President, Content and Managing Director, Medical Devices for Elsevier Business Intelligence, A Reed Elsevier Company. He has been involved with the healthcare industry for more than 30 years and writes extensively on the medical device industry for Windhover’s IN VIVO and Start-Up. He is also a frequent speaker before various companies and industry trade groups.

Prior to joining Elsevier, Cassak worked for nearly 20 years at Windhover Information Inc., a company he founded with his partner, Roger Longman which spun out the publications business of The Wilkerson Group, a leading management consulting firm at the time. Long known for publishing IN VIVO, widely recognized as the premier provider of business intelligence in the healthcare industry, Windhover launched a number of other publications, including Start-Up: Emerging Medical Ventures,™ and The RPM Report: Regulation, Policy, Market Access.™ In 2004, Windhover acquired Medtech Insight Inc., and now publishes the Medtech Insight: Medical Technology Market Intelligence™ newsletter. In addition, Windhover also created the Strategic Intelligence Systems, a web-based suite of databases, featuring the most comprehensive and detailed source of industry alliances, acquisitions and financings. SIS is unique among databases in providing expert commentary and analysis along with data. Windhover/EBI also produces numerous conferences, including the Investment in Innovation (In3) medical device partnering conferences around the world, as well as such pharma-focused conferences as the Pharmaceutical Strategic Alliances, Euro-Biotech and BIO-Windhover meetings. And it also offers a wide range of market research reports under its Medtech Insight imprint. In 2008, Windhover was acquired by Elsevier, which formed Elsevier Business Intelligence, combining the products of Windhover and FDC Reports, publishers of The Gray Sheet and The Pink Sheet, among other leading industry newsletters.

David Ewing Duncan is an award-winning, best-selling author of seven books published in 19 languages; he is a journalist and a television, radio and film producer and correspondent. His most recent book is the bestseller Experimental Man: What one man's body reveals about his future, your health, and our toxic world. He is a Correspondent for Atlantic.com, and the Chief Correspondent of public radio's Biotech Nation, heard on NPR Talk. David writes for The New York Times, Fortune, Wired, National Geographic, Discover, Atlantic Monthly, and many other publications. He is the Founding Director of the Center of Life Science Policy at UC Berkeley. He has been a commentator on NPR's Morning Edition, and a contributing editor for Wired, Discover and Conde Nast Portfolio. He is a former special correspondent and producer for ABC Nightline and a correspondent for NOVA's ScienceNOW! David has won numerous awards including the Magazine Story of the Year from the American Association for the Advancement of Science. His articles have twice been cited in nominations for National Magazine Awards, and his work has appeared twice in The Best American Science and Nature Writing. He is at work on a TED book on extreme aging. David lives in San Francisco.

Dean Ornish, MD is the Founder and President of the non-profit Preventive Medicine Research Institute and Clinical Dr. of Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco. Dr. Ornish received his MD from the Baylor College of Medicine, was a clinical fellow in medicine at Harvard Medical School, and completed an internship and residency in internal medicine at the Massachusetts General Hospital. He earned a BA in Humanities from the University of Texas in Austin.

For over 34 years, Dr. Ornish has directed clinical research demonstrating, for the first time, that comprehensive lifestyle changes may begin to reverse even severe coronary heart disease, without drugs or surgery. Recently, Medicare agreed to provide coverage for this program, the first time that Medicare has covered a program of comprehensive lifestyle changes. He directed the first randomized controlled trial demonstrating that comprehensive lifestyle changes may stop or reverse the progression of early-stage prostate cancer. His current research showed that comprehensive lifestyle changes affect gene expression. The work he and his colleagues have conducted has been featured in all major media.

Dr. Ornish was appointed by President Clinton to the White House Commission on Complementary and Alternative Medicine Policy and was appointed by President Obama to the White House Advisory Group on Prevention, Health Promotion, and Integrative and Public Health. He is a member of the boards of directors of the San Francisco Food Bank and the J. Craig Venter Institute. He established an integrative medicine clinic in the Saint Vincent de Paul homeless shelter in San Francisco which will be replicated throughout the country. Dr. Ornish was elected to the California Academy of Medicine and chaired the Google Health Advisory Council 2007-9.

He has written a monthly column for Newsweek and Reader’s Digest magazines, authored six national best sellers and is currently Medical Editor of The Huffington Post, which has 45 million unique readers per month

Delos “Toby” Cosgrove, MD, is President and Chief Executive Officer of Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, Ohio.

He heads a $6 billion healthcare system comprised of Cleveland Clinic, 8 community hospitals, more than 75 outpatient locations in northern Ohio, including 16 full-service family health centers, Cleveland Clinic Florida, Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health, Las Vegas, Cleveland Clinic Toronto, and Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi.

Dr. Cosgrove received his medical degree from University of Virginia School of Medicine, completed medical training at Massachusetts General Hospital, and Brook General Hospital in London.  He earned an undergraduate degree from Williams College, Williamstown, Massachusetts.

In 1967, he was a surgeon in the U.S. Air Force, serving Da Nang, Vietnam.  He was awarded the Bronze Star and Republic of Vietnam Commendation Medal.

Dr. Cosgrove joined the Cleveland Clinic in 1975 and was named Chairman of the Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery in 1989.  Under his leadership, Cleveland Clinic’s heart program was ranked number one in America for ten years in a row (U.S. News & World Report).  

He has published nearly 450 journals articles, book chapters, one book and 17 training films.  He performed over 22,000 operations and earned an international reputation in cardiac surgery valve repair before his retirement in 2006.  He has 30 patents for developing medical products for surgical environments.

He has received numerous awards and Inside Business’s “Power 100” listing for Northeast Ohio, and is ranked among Modern Healthcare’s “100 most powerful people in healthcare” and “most powerful physician executives.

Dr. Rome currently serves as the Head of the Center for Adolescent Medicine at the Cleveland Clinic Children’s Hospital. She is a board certified pediatrician who was also among the first in the US to be board certified in Adolescent Medicine. Dr. Rome received her undergraduate degree in psychology, magna cum laude, from Yale University in 1984. She received her medical degree and was initiated into Alpha Omega Alpha in 1988 from Case Western Reserve University’s School of Medicine, then completed an internship and residency in pediatrics at Johns Hopkins Hospital. She next completed a three year fellowship in adolescent medicine at Children’s Hospital, Boston, during which time she also obtained a masters degree in Public Health at the Harvard University School of Public Health.

Dr. Rome is a Professor of Pediatrics at the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine at Case. An expert in the field of eating disorders and obesity, Dr. Rome helped start the Cleveland Clinic’s Pediatric Obesity Initiative, working to decrease childhood obesity through healthier exercise and eating habits. She also initiated the outpatient and inpatient eating disorder service at the Cleveland Clinic Children’s Hospital, drawing in patients from around the region. Dr. Rome has held leadership positions in various organizations serving youth, currently serving as President of the International Federation of Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology (FIGIJ) and as past Vice President of the North American Society for Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology (NASPAG). She chairs the Subcommittee on Eating Disorders for the Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine (SAHM) and serves on the Medical Care Task Force for the Academy for Eating Disorders (AED). She has chaired SAHM’s Membership Committee as well as the Media Committee for the AED, and has served on the American Academy of Pediatrics’ Committee on Adolescence. As president of the Women’s Professional Staff at the Cleveland Clinic, Dr. Rome helped create and implement a business plan to recruit, develop, and promote the best staff within Cleveland Clinic. She also currently serves on the USTA Sport Science Committee and is on the board locally of Cleveland’s Inner City Tennis Clinic, teaching tennis, literacy and wellness to urban youth. She is the author of two books collaboratively with Dr. Mehmet Oz and Dr. Mike Roizen, You: The Owner’s Manual for Teens, and You Raising Your Child from First Breath to First Grade. Dr. Rome’s research interests include eating disorders and obesity, reproductive health, and preventive care/wellness. She has been an invited speaker locally, nationally, and internationally on various topics in adolescent medicine, while maintaining a commitment to ongoing teaching of house staff and students in the local and surrounding areas. She has written and published on various adolescent medicine topics, including eating disorders and obesity, the female athlete triad, chronic pelvic pain in the adolescent, vulvar disorders in the child and adolescent, teen pregnancy, and adolescent sexuality.

Eric Brown is the Director and Principal Investigator for Watson Technologies at the IBM T. J. Watson Research Center. Eric earned his BS at the University of Vermont and MS and PhD at the University of Massachusetts, all in Computer Science. Eric joined IBM in 1995 and has conducted research in information retrieval, document categorization, text analysis, question answering, bio-informatics, and applications of automatic speech recognition. Since 2007, Eric has been a technical lead on the DeepQA project at IBM and the application of automatic, open domain question answering to build the Watson Question Answering system. The goal of Watson is to achieve human-level question answering performance. This goal was realized in February of 2011 when Watson beat Ken Jennings and Brad Rutter in a televised Jeopardy! exhibition match. Eric's role on the project has spanned architecture development, special question processing, and hardware planning, and he is currently focused on applying Watson to clinical decision support in healthcare. Eric has published numerous conference and journal papers, and holds several patents in the areas of text analysis and question answering.

Eric Jelovsek, MD is the Director of the Multidisciplinary Simulation Center and Residency Program Director in the Obstetrics and Gynecology at Cleveland Clinic.

Dr. Jelovsek received his BS in biochemistry from North Carolina State University in 1995 and MD from East Tennessee State University in 1999. He completed his residency in obstetrics and gynecology at Duke University in 2003 and female pelvic medicine and reconstructive surgery in 2006 at Cleveland Clinic. He also completed a fellowship in medical education at Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine and holds an MS in medical education (MMEd) from the University of Dundee, Scotland.

Dr. Jelovsek is currently an Associate Professor of Surgery in Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine. He practices female pelvic medicine and reconstructive surgery and his research interests include development of clinical prediction models and clinical trials for a variety of pelvic floor disorders as well as educational assessment and simulation. He is the Co-Principal Investigator for Cleveland Clinic in the Pelvic Floor Disorders Research Network; a network sponsored by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver Foundation in the NICHD of the National Institute of Health in the United States. He is also Co-Director for the American Urogynecologic Society Board Review Course and an investigator for the IBM Watson- Cleveland Clinic Partnership investigating the role Watson Technology will have in medical education. 

Eric Klein, MD is the Andrew C. Novick Chair of the Glickman Urological and Kidney Institute and Professor of Surgery in Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine. Following undergraduate training at Johns Hopkins University, he was a cum laude graduate of the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. He subsequently completed residency training in Urology at Cleveland Clinic and a fellowship in Urologic Oncology at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. He joined the staff of Cleveland Clinic in 1989 and currently serves as a member of the Department of Cancer Biology of the Lerner Research Institute, the Taussig Cancer Institute, and the Genitourinary Malignancies Program in the Case Comprehensive Cancer Center.

Dr. Klein is a member of numerous professional societies including the American Association of Genitourinary Surgeons, the Clinical Society of Genitourinary Surgeons, the Society of Urologic Oncology, the Society of Pelvic Surgeons, the American College of Surgeons, the Société Internationale d’Urologie, the American Society of Clinical Oncology, the American Association of Cancer Research, and the American Urological Association. He served as President of the Society of Urologic Oncology from 2009 - 2011.

Dr. Klein’s clinical and research interests cover all of urologic oncology and particularly clinical trials for localized and locally advanced prostate cancer. Under his direction, the Prostate Cancer Research Program has been recognized as “Program of the Year” by Cleveland Clinic. He has served as Chairman of the Localized Prostate Cancer Committee of the Southwest Oncology Group and was the National Study Coordinator for the NCI-sponsored Selenium and Vitamin E Cancer Prevention Trial (SELECT). Dr. Klein has contributed to more than 400 papers to the scientific literature, authored or edited 8 books on urologic malignancies, and serves as the Editor-in-Chief of Urology. He has delivered more than 200 invited scientific lectures including 10 named lectureships, and has served as a Visiting Professor at more than 50 institutions around the world. Dr. Klein was awarded the F. Mason Sones Innovation Award by Cleveland Clinic in 2009.

Esther Dyson (@edyson on twitter) isChairman of EDventure Holdings and Founder of HICCup.co, for Health Initiative Coordinating Council. HICCup is an open-source initiative devoted to defining and testing a business model for investing in health (not healthcare) that will return profits to investors and health to the participants. It will use a contest in order to attract the best participants and to give their successes and (educational) failures visibility.

Herprimary activity is investing in and nurturingstart-ups, with a recent focus on healthcareand aerospace. From October 2008 to March of 2009, she lived in Star Cityoutside Moscow, Russia, training as a backup cosmonaut. On the health side, she is an investor in 23andMe (also a director),Applied Proteomics, Crohnology, Eligible API, Genomera,GeriJoy, GreenGoose (closed), Health Loop,HealthRally, HealthTap, i2Dx, Keas (also an advisor), Medivo, mEquilibrium, OmadaHealth, Organized Wisdom,PatientsLikeMe, PatientsKnowBest(UK), Resilient, Sleepio (UK), StartupHealth, Tocagen, Valkee(Finland), VitaPortal (Russia, also an advisor) and Voxiva (also a director). She recently served on the selection panel for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Young Leader Awards and is active on the "health not healthcare" speaker circuit.

More generally, she is anactive board member for a variety ofstartups, including also AirshipVentures, Eventful,IBS Group(advisory board), Meetup, NewspaperDirect, WPP Group (not astart-up!), XCOR Aerospace and Yandex(recent IPO). Her past investments haveincluded Medstory (sold to Microsoft), Flickrand del.icio.us (sold to Yahoo!), Brightmail(sold to Symantec) and Vizu (recently sold to Nielsen). Her current investmentsinclude AdKeeper, Amicus, AnchorFree,ChallengePost, Cognitive Match (UK),Crowdbooster, Factual, Flattr (Sweden),GoodData, GridPoint, JiGrahak (India), Knack.it, LinkedIn, Linqia,Payperks, PlanGo (Finland), School ofEverything (UK), Skygrid, Square,SocialBon, Sparked, ThingD, Trusted ID,txteagle/Jana, Vizu; AlterGeo, Ostrovok TerraLink and Zingaya inRussia; and Icon Aircraft (light sport aircraft), Nanoracks and Space Adventures (which organizesprograms such as hers for space tourists) inaerospace.

Dyson also sits on the boards of severalnonprofits, including the EurasiaFoundation, the Sunlight Foundation, thePersonal Genome Foundation, theCommercial Spaceflight Federation andStopBadware.org. She has a BA ineconomics from Harvard and was FoundingChairman of ICANN from 1998 to 2000. Inaddition, she wrote the best-selling, widelytranslated book Release 2.0: A design forliving in the digital age published byBroadway Books, in 1997. She writes a monthly column for www.project-syndicate.org and posts photos at www.flickr.com/photos/edyson.

Frank Papay, MD, is the Chairman of the Dermatology & Plastic Surgery Institute at Cleveland Clinic. Dr. Papay has been a member of Cleveland Clinic's professional staff since 1992. He also serves as Section Head of Craniofacial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. He is an Professor of Surgery in Cleveland Clinic's Lerner College of Medicine at Case Western Reserve University. In his new role, Dr. Papay plans to design and establish a world-class multidisciplinary approach to patient-oriented care relating to complex dermatological diseases, plastic surgical reconstruction, aesthetic surgery and services. The Dermatology and Plastic Surgery Institute will provide the Cleveland Clinic Health System with value-added subspecialty care that focuses on all aspects of dermatology, human form and function and aesthetic rejuvenation.

Dr. Papay has been recognized as a Top Doc in plastic surgery by Cleveland magazine and Castle Connolly. Dr. Papay has served as President of the Ohio Valley Society of Plastic Surgeons, elected Chair of the American Society of Plastic Surgery's Ethics Committee, President of the Plastic Surgery Section of the American Academy of Pediatrics and Executive Committee Member of the Academy of Medicine of Cleveland and Northern Ohio.

Dr. Papay has published over 100 scientific papers, abstracts and book chapters and holds five medical device patents. He has served as the Board Examiner of the American Board of Plastic Surgery, Finalist Judge for the collegiate inventors' competition from the National Inventors Hall of Fame and invited section reviewer of several plastic surgery scientific journals. Dr. Papay is currently completing his Executive Doctor of Management degree at the Weatherhead School of Management.

His clinical research interests include utilization of bone substitutes in cranofacial reconstruction, nasal valve function in rhinoplasty, facial plastic surgery and pediatric craniofacial anomalies and recently transfacial approaches for neuromodulation of the sphenopalatine ganglion for cluster and migraine headaches.

Dr. Foster is the Co-Chief Scientific Officer at Weight Watchers International, Inc. Foster, a psychologist, obesity investigator and behavior change expert, was previously the Founder and Director of the Center of Obesity Research and Education and Laura Carnell Professor of Medicine, Public Health and Psychology at Temple University in Philadelphia. Prior to Temple, he served as a faculty member at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.

He has authored or coauthored more than 160 scientific publications and three books on the etiology and treatment of obesity. Dr. Foster's research interests include the prevention, behavioral determinants, treatments, and effects of obesity in adults and children.

Foster earned his BA in psychology from Duquesne University, an MS in psychology from University of Pennsylvania, and a PhD in clinical psychology from Temple University.

Gary joined Eisai in June of 2010 and is responsible for leading the U.S. and America’s Medical and Scientific Affairs Organization at Eisai across all therapeutic areas, including the Medical Strategy teams, Medical Science Liaisons, Clinical Operations for phase IIIb/IV projects, Scientific Communications and oversight of the Global Product Safety team.

Gary has been working in the pharmaceutical industry for 20 years and prior to joining Eisai worked for Bristol-Myers Squibb Inc., with responsibility for Global Medical Affairs from October 2009 until joining Eisai.  Preceding this position within BMS, Gary was the Chief Medical Officer and Head of Medical Affairs for Europe, the Middle East and Africa for four years and was based in Paris, France.

Prior to BMS, he was with Pfizer Inc. for eight years, based in New York, in roles of increasing responsibility including Medical Director, Worldwide Team Leader for Lipitor, Group Director and Vice President in the Cardiovascular and Metabolic franchise, as well as Group Vice President for U.S. Managed Markets.

Gary has been involved in supporting a number of new product launches over the past five years (across therapeutic areas that include Oncology, Metabolic & Diabetes and Neuroscience) with a focus on enhancing launch effectiveness.

Gary received his MD (MBBCH - Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery) in South Africa at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg.  He also received an MBA from the Business School at the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg.  He practiced medicine in emergency care, gynecology and family practice in South Africa, prior to joining the pharmaceutical industry with Merck & Co. in 1992.

Gary Pruden is the Worldwide Chairman of Johnson & Johnson’s Global Surgery Group (MD&D), a role he assumed in January 2012.

Prior to this role, Gary was the Company Group Chairman and Worldwide Franchise Chairman for ETHICON and a member of the Medical Device and Diagnostics Group Operating Committee, a role he assumed in January 2009.

Gary joined Johnson & Johnson in 1985 with Janssen Pharmaceutica in New Jersey and held a number of senior positions in sales, marketing, and strategic account management. In 2001, he was named Vice President of Marketing for the Primary Care Franchise and was responsible for establishing significant growth for the GI, Pain, and Mycology businesses. He then assumed the role of Vice President of Sales and Marketing for the CNS Franchise in 2003, helping to successfully launch new brands and establish significant new growth. Early in his career, Gary also worked as a sales representative for Baxter Edwards in their Critical Care division.

In April 2004, Gary was appointed President of Janssen-Ortho Inc., a brand-name pharmaceutical company headquartered in Toronto, Canada. He also functioned as the company’s Chief Operating Officer. In his position, Gary oversaw all operations in Canada. He successfully led the team through several lifecycle and patent expiries, while at the same time enabling Janssen-Ortho to become the fastest growing large pharmaceutical company in Canada in 2004.

In November 2004, Gary was appointed to the Board of Directors of Canada’s Research-Based Pharmaceutical Companies, the industry association for ethical manufacturers of brand-name, prescription medicines in Canada. In January 2006, Gary was appointed Worldwide President of Ethicon Products and also served as a member of the Ethicon Global Management Board.

Born in Washington Township, New Jersey, Gary has a BS in commerce from Rider University. Gary is married with two children and resides in Pennsylvania.

Gregory Lea is Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer of EnteroMedics Inc. Prior to joining EnteroMedics Inc., he was Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Board Director of Pemstar (NASDAQ: PMTR) from 2002 to 2007 where he successfully negotiated the merger between Pemstar and Benchmark Electronics Inc. (NYSE: BHE). Prior to 2002, Mr. Lea held various senior executive management positions at Jostens Corporation. During his tenure he helped complete a Leveraged Buy-Out to take the company private, and made numerous contributions to their College, University and Photography Business Units. Before his career with Jostens, Mr. Lea worked for IBM in numerous financial and executive management positions from 1974-1993. He received his BS in accounting/business management from Minnesota State University in 1974. He currently is a member and Past Chairman of the College of Business Advisory Board at Minnesota State University, and current member of the Board of Directors of the Minnesota Zoo.

Greg Hubbell is an experienced healthcare executive responsible for the Aon Health and Benefits (H&B) practice in Northeast Ohio. He has over 29 years of insurance industry experience.  Greg leads the H&B team in the area of strategic planning, consulting and broker services for existing clients and is responsible for client growth through new business initiatives.

As the Practice Leader, Greg’s focus will be assisting employers wanting to develop, implement, and benefit from a business strategy that focuses on the relationship between improved employee health and productivity and improved business results.  Greg has helped employers with innovative solutions to improve health care outcomes, including implementation of on-site health clinics.  Of late, he is actively involved with helping employers consider alternate marketplace solutions for active and retired employees in both the public and private exchange environment.

His background is very extensive in the area of group health and employee benefits; specifically how benefits are positioned, communicated and financed.  Greg has worked for such major insurance carriers as Provident Life and Accident, Cigna and Kaiser Permanente.  In addition, he spent a number of years working as a benefit consultant for Buck Consultants in Cleveland, Ohio.  Greg has in-depth experience helping employers navigate the complex world of employee benefits with an eye toward mitigating benefit costs while improving the health of employees and their user-experience. Greg received his BA in marketing from Kent State University.

Dr. Harneet Walia is an Assistant Professor at Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine (CCLCM) where she subspecializes in diagnoses and treatment of complex sleep disorders. She is a staff at the Center for Sleep Disorders in the Neurological Institute, Cleveland Clinic. Her research focuses on the association of obstructive sleep apnea and cardiovascular disorders particularly metabolic disease and resistant hypertension. She is currently involved in several clinical trials elucidating the relationship between sleep disordered breathing and metabolic disease/ resistant hypertension to devise new interventions for effective management of hypertension in this patient population.

Mr. Rein is General Partner of Foundation Medical Partners. He served for 15 years as the founder and managing general partner of Canaan Partners. In addition to his role as the managing general partner at Canaan Partners, Mr. Rein was responsible for Canaan’s Life Sciences Investment Practice. Prior to Canaan Partners, for four years he was President and Chief Executive Officer of GE Venture Capital Corporation. Mr. Rein has extensive experience with small and mid-sized companies, including the supervision of all investments made by GE Venture Capital during his tenure as President. Mr. Rein joined the General Electric Company (“GE”)in 1979 and directed several of GE’s lighting businesses as General Manager before joining the venture capital subsidiary. He has also worked for Transaction Systems, a strategic consulting firm, as a Vice Director of Corporate Planning; and with Polaroid Corporation in several manufacturing positions. Mr. Rein has served on the Boards of Directors of more than 20 public and private entrepreneurial companies, including: Cell Pathways, OraPharma (acquired by Johnson &Johnson), National MD (acquired by GE), OmniSonics, GenVec(NASDAQ: GNVC), CardioNet (NASDAQ: BEAT) and Spine Wave,and was an investor in Praecis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:PRCS). Currently, Mr. Rein serves on the Board of Directors of Anadigics (NASDAQ: ANAD), IlluminOss Medical, and Marinus Pharmaceuticals. Previously, Mr. Rein was a member of the Board of Directors of the National Venture Capital Association (NVCA) and was a recipient of the 2002 NVCA Outstanding Service Award. Mr. Rein also serves as a Trustee of Cleveland Clinic, and is a member of the Clinic’s Research and Education, and Finance and Budget Committees. Mr. Rein is Chairman of the Cleveland Clinic Innovation Advisory Board. He also serves as a Trustee of the University of Virginia Darden School Foundation, where he is a member of the executive committee and chairman of the investment committee. Mr. Rein attended Emory University and Oglethorpe College(1968) and holds an MBA from the Darden School at the University of Virginia (1973).

Howard Willson, MD, is a practicing emergency physician and Senior Director on the Clinical Team at Castlight Health.  He leads Castlight's provider relations by working with hospitals and other provider organizations to more effectively deliver healthcare in an increasingly transparent world, provide the transparency platform to their own employees, and work directly with Castlight's employers to drive utilization of provider services. Prior to joining Castlight, he was Department Chief for Emergency Medicine at Swedish Medical Center in Seattle, Washington.  He also co-founded 1stHealthSystems, a company that performs facility coding for emergency department visits. He has a BA from Dartmouth College and completed his residency training at Case Western/MetroHealth and the Cleveland Clinic. He has an MBA from Wharton.

Jack Lief is a Co-Founder of Arena and has served as a Director and President and Chief Executive Officer since April 1997. Mr. Lief has also served as the Chairman of the Board of Directors since October 2007. Mr. Lief served as an advisor and consultant to numerous biopharmaceutical organizations from 1995 to April 1997; as Senior Vice President, Corporate Development and Secretary of Cephalon, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company, from 1989 to 1994; as Director of Business Development and Strategic Planning for Alpha Therapeutic Corporation, a manufacturer of biological products, from 1983 to 1989; and in various positions at Abbott Laboratories, a pharmaceutical company, from 1972 to 1983, most recently as the head of International Marketing Research. Mr. Lief serves as the Chairman of the Board of Directors of ADVENTRX Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a company focused on pharmaceuticals for cancer and infectious disease. Mr. Lief is also an Executive Board Member of BIOCOM, a life science association representing more than 550 member companies in Southern California, and was the Chair of the Board of Directors of BIOCOM from March 2005 to March 2006. Mr. Lief holds a BA from Rutgers University and an MS in psychology (Experimental and Neurobiology) from Lehigh University.

James K. Stoller, MD, MS, (ODA), is the Chair of the Education Institute and holds the Jean Wall Bennett Professorship in Emphysema Research at the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine and the Samson Global Leadership Academy Endowed Chair. He is an Adjunct Professor of Organizational Behavior at the Weatherhead School of Management at Case Western Reserve University. From 2001 to 2005, he served as Associate Chief of Staff and served as Vice Chairman of Internal Medicine at the Cleveland Clinic through 2007. Dr. Stoller is a Diplomate in internal medicine, pulmonary disease, and critical care medicine of the American Board of Internal Medicine.

Dr. Stoller received a BA in biochemistry and English (magna cum laude) from Amherst College in Amherst, Mass. in 1975. He earned his medical degree from the Yale University School of Medicine in 1979 and completed his internship and residency in medicine at Peter Bent Brigham Hospital in Boston (1979-1982). After completing fellowships in pulmonary medicine at both Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston and Yale University School of Medicine (1982-1985), he pursued a fellowship in critical care medicine/anesthesia at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, which he completed in 1986. Dr. Stoller also earned a Master's in Organizational Development and Analysis from the Weatherhead School of Management of Case Western Reserve University in 2001.

Dr. Young is Professor of Medicine and Executive Dean, Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine of Case Western Reserve University and Chairman, Endocrinology and Metabolism Institute. He is also a Physician Director of the Philanthropy Institute, and a founder of the Kaufman Center for Heart Failure. He holds the George and Linda Kaufman Chair. As Study Chairman of the NIH, FDA, and CMS Interagency Registry for Mechanical Circulatory Assist Support (INTERMACS) Dr. Young maintains an active professional role in the fields of heart failure, heart transplant, and MCSD development. He has a joint appointment to the Clinic’s Multi-organ Transplant Center and the Heart and Vascular Institute. Dr. Young is certified as a Diplomat of the American Board of Internal Medicine as well as the subspecialty of Cardiovascular Disease and holds medical licensure from the states of California, Illinois, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Texas.

Dr. Young spent his early years in the San Francisco Bay Area and attended the University of Kansas, where he received his Bachelor of Arts degree with Honors in Biology and was a resident of Stephenson Scholarship Hall. He matriculated to Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas, where he was awarded his Medical Doctor degree with honors in 1974 and elected to Alpha Omega Alpha medical honor society. Dr. Young remained in Houston at the Baylor Affiliated Hospitals to complete his clinical training, joined the faculty, and become a tenured Professor of Medicine 1992. He was the Clinical Coordinator and Scientific Director of Dr. Michael E. DeBakey’s Multi-organ Transplant Center at The Methodist Hospital and Baylor College of Medicine. He relocated to the Cleveland Clinic in 1995 when he became Head of the Section of Heart Failure and Cardiac Transplant Medicine in the Department of Cardiovascular Disease. In 1998 Dr. Young and his surgical colleague, Dr. Patrick McCarthy, created the Kaufman Center for Heart Failure.

Dr. Young’s research activities began during his residency and fellowship when he was a Lipid Research Clinic physician. He subsequently focused his efforts on heart failure, mechanical circulatory support, and cardiac transplant therapeutics including early experiences with dopamine receptor agonists, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, beta blockers, calcium channel blockers, angiotensin receptor blockers, many new immunosuppressants, and a variety of parenteral inotropes and vasodilators. He has collaborated extensively with his basic science research associates focusing on ‘translational’ research with respect to the molecular biology of cardiac remodeling, allograft arteriopathy, and cardiac allograft rejection. Dr. Young served as the United States of global Principal or Co-Principal Investigator for the HOPE, RESOLVED, SPICE, VMAC, MIRACLE-ICD, RED-HF, ACCLAIM, ONTARGET, TRENSCEND, and CHARM multi-center clinical trials. He has participated in over 150 clinical trials as an investigator. Dr. Young has published over 650 manuscripts and several textbooks. Professionally, Dr. Young is most proud of his contributions to the development and administration of donor organ procurement programs, his efforts to secure recognition for the subspecialty of “Heart Failure and Cardiac Transplant Medicine”, his collaborations with basic and clinical scientists, his contributions to a unique medical school curriculum, and the programs that he helped develop in Houston and Cleveland.

Dr. Jeffrey Cummings is the Camille and Larry Ruvo Chair of Brain Health and Director, Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health, Las Vegas, Nevada and Cleveland, Ohio, and Professor of Medicine, Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine of Case Western Reserve University.

Dr. Cummings obtained his MD from the University of Washington, Seattle. Following his rotating internship at Hartford Hospital, Connecticut, he completed his neurology residency and fellowship in behavioral neurology at Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts. He then pursued advanced studies in neuropsychiatry and neuropathology at the National Hospital for Nervous Diseases, London.

Dr. Cummings was formerly the Augustus S. Rose Professor of Neurology and Professor of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences at the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). He was Director of the Mary S. Easton Center for Alzheimer’s Disease Research and Director of the Deane F. Johnson Center for Neurotherapeutics at UCLA.

Dr. Cummings’ research interests include the neuropsychiatry of neurologic disorders, biomarkers for neurodegenerative diseases, and clinical trials and drug development for neurologic diseases. He is a frequent consultant to industry and has expertise in neuropsychiatric assessments, outcomes in clinical trials, clinical trial design and analysis, and global clinical trials.

Dr. Cummings has authored or edited more than 600 peer-reviewed papers and 35 books on Alzheimer’s disease, neuropsychiatry, and clinical trials.

Joe Cunningham is a Founding Partner and Managing Director of Santé Ventures, an early stage life science and healthcare venture capital company based in Austin and Houston, Texas. Prior to this, Joe was a healthcare Venture Partner with Austin Ventures and was previously the Vice Chair of the Ascension Health Ventures investment committee. He is also the former Chief Medical Officer of the Providence Health System and Executive Director of the 300-physician Providence Health Alliance, both of which belong to the Ascension Health system. He has extensive management experience and is recognized nationally for his expertise in healthcare delivery systems, physician associations and compensation models. Joe serves on advisory boards for both United Healthcare and for Health Services Corporation (BC/BS). He is board certified in both internal medicine and Quality Assurance and Peer Review. Dr. Cunningham received his BS and MD degrees from Texas A&M University and his MBA from Baylor University.

Dr. John Gunstad is Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology at Kent State University. He obtained his PhD in clinical psychology with concentrations in clinical neuropsychology from Ohio University and completed internship and postdoctoral fellowship in clinical neuropsychology at Brown Medical School. Dr. Gunstad has more than 150 publications and series of externally-funded grants, including NIH projects examining the cognitive benefits of bariatric surgery and role of exercise in protecting the brain in heart failure. His research showing improved memory after weight loss surgery was featured on World News with Diane Sawyer and hundreds of print and digital news outlets. Dr. Gunstad received the Early Career Research Award from the International Neuropsychological Society and awards for both teaching and research from Kent State University. He is frequently asked to present on his research, including a recent event at the New York Academy of Sciences.

Jorge Gonzalez- Martinez, MD, is a surgeon for the Epilipsy Center in the Neurologic Institute at Cleveland Clinic.  He has been at Cleveland Clinic for the over 10 years, completing his fellowship in 2003 and residency in 2008. Dr. Gonzales-Martinez attained an MD from the University of Sao Paulo Faculty of Medicine in Sao Paul, Brazil.

Joseph Swedish is the Chief Executive Officer of WellPoint, Inc., one the nation's largest health benefits companies, with approximately 36 million—or one in nine—Americans covered through its affiliated health plans. WellPoint serves members in 14 states as an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, and Medicaid beneficiaries across 19 states, including those through our Amerigroup subsidiary.
With more than 40 years’ experience in healthcare, Mr. Swedish was named Chief Executive Officer in March 2013. For the past 24 years he has served as Chief Executive Officer for a diverse range of major health systems, and established a record of successfully improving their financial and operational performance. Mr. Swedish most recently served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Trinity Health Corporation, a multi-state integrated healthcare delivery system.

Mr. Swedish received his BA from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and his MS in health administration from Duke University.

Julie Tebo, PhD is an Assistant Professor of Medicine and the Director of Problem-based Learning  Facilitator Development at the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine of Case Western Reserve University.  Among her interests are strategies for critical thinking in medical education, including the use of technology.  In this regard she is a member of the team involved in the "IBM Watson goes to Medicine School" project, collaboration with an IBM team of researchers to enhance capabilities of Watson's Deep Question Answering technology for the area of medical education.

Kirk Nielsen focuses on medical device investing at Versant Ventures. He joined Versant from Medtronic, where he was a sales representative in the company's Cardiac Rhythm Management division. Previously, he worked in marketing & business development for Medtronic and for Fluidigm (a Versant portfolio company), and he has also served as a strategy consultant at Bain & Company, where he advised clients in healthcare, private equity, and other industries. Prior to his business career, Kirk was a professional hockey player. At Versant, Kirk has been actively involved with Cameron Health (sold), Lutonix (sold), CardiAQ, Helical Solutions, Holaira, Inceptus Medical, Metavention, Sequent Medical, and Zyga Technology. Based in Minneapolis, he also leads the firm’s activities in the Midwest. Kirk earned a BA in biology with honors from Harvard College, where he won the John P. Reardon, Jr. award as the school’s most outstanding scholar-athlete, and an MBA from Harvard Business School, where he was a Baker Scholar.

Kristine Peterson joined Valeritas as Chief Executive Officer in June 2009. Valeritas is a medical technology company that develops and commercializes innovative new products, with its lead product being the V-Go™ disposable insulin delivery device targeted specifically for Type 2 diabetics. Ms. Peterson brings nearly 30 years of industry experience to Valeritas, with her most recent previous position as Company Group Chair for Johnson & Johnson’s multi-billion dollar worldwide biotech and oncology groups. During her tenure, she launched two blockbuster products, licensed and acquired important new treatments, progressed the oncology and immunology pipeline, and ensured quality standards within her global biologics manufacturing group. Prior to her 5 years at J&J, Ms. Peterson was Senior Vice President, Commercial Operations for Biovail Corporation. Earlier, she spent 20 years at Bristol Myers-Squibb where she held assignments of increasing responsibility, including running a cardiovascular/metabolics business unit that generated $6 billion in revenue and a generics business.

Ms. Peterson is currently a board member for the Amarin Corporation and for ImmunoGen, Inc. and is an advisor for the Healthcare Businesswomen’s Association. She is also on the board for the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) and is Co-Chair of its Reimbursement Committee. She has a BS and an MBA from the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana.

Gregory Sorensen, MD, is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Siemens Healthcare in North America, charged with leading the U.S. organization and providing additional oversight for Canada and Latin America.

As a trendsetter in medical imaging, therapy systems, laboratory diagnostics, and healthcare information technology, Siemens Healthcare offers optimized clinical solutions across the entire care continuum – from prevention and early detection to diagnosis, treatment and follow-up. By offering novel tools for improved diagnosis, as well as optimizing clinical workflows for the most common conditions, Siemens helps make healthcare faster, better and more cost-effective. As head of the business in the largest global market, Sorensen brings to his leadership position a deep understanding of technology, the biological basis of disease, the importance of measurable outcomes, and the environment of clinical practice. Sorensen was appointed to his current role in June 2011.

Previously, Sorensen served as Professor of Radiology and Health Sciences & Technology at Harvard Medical School; faculty member of the Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology; and Co-Director of the A.A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging at Massachusetts General Hospital, as well as a visiting professor of neuroradiology at Oxford University.

Leading up to his appointment with Siemens, Sorensen was a practicing neuroradiologist and active researcher with significant experience in clinical care, clinical trials, and translational research. His research and techniques are utilized by scores of centers throughout the world in phase II and III trials in cancer, stroke, and other illnesses.

Sorensen holds a BS in biology from California Institute of Technology, a MS in computer science from Brigham Young University, and a MD from Harvard Medical School. He is married with three children.

Lee Wrubel, MD, is a Managing Partner for Foundation Medical Partners. Dr. Wrubel has ten years of experience in venture capital and has been associated with a large number of private companies, including such now publicly traded companies as Pozen Pharmaceuticals, OraPharma, and GenVec. Prior to starting Foundation Medical Partners, Dr. Wrubel was an investment professional with Canaan Partners and more recently Highland Capital Partners, where he specialized in biotechnology and medical device investments. Dr. Wrubel serves on the board of directors of CardioMEMS, Inc., Circulite, Inc., Direct Flow Medical, Inc., EndoGastric Solutions, Inc., IlluminOss, and Rise Health, Inc.

Dr. Wrubel began his business career as a consultant at The Wilkerson Group, a healthcare-focused management consulting company. Dr. Wrubel completed a pediatric internship at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York. He holds an AB from Lafayette College, an MD and MS in public health from Tufts University, and an MBA from Columbia University.

Dr. Wrubel serves on the Translational Research Advisory Committee of the Muscular Dystrophy Association, is a member of the Health Leadership Council of Save The Children and serves on the Board of Governors for the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) Museum.

Margaret McKenzie, MD, is a staff Obstetrician/Gynecologist at Cleveland Clinic in the Obstetrics, Gynecology and the Women’s Health Institute. She is the Director of Medical Student Education within the institute and the discipline leader for the Obstetrics and Gynecology Core clinical curriculum. As Assistant Professor of Surgery in the Cleveland Clinic Learner College of Medicine (CCLCM), she is the OB/GYN Clerkship Director, a member of the Medical Student Education Council, and a member of the Curriculum Task Force. Currently, she serves as the Chair of the Physician Advisors Council for the innovative competency-based portfolio assessment system at CCLCM.

Dr. McKenzie received her MD from the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis in 1988. In 1984, she was awarded an MS in biochemistry from Howard University College of Medicine. She completed her internship and residency in obstetrics and gynecology at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine-University Hospitals of Cleveland in 1992. After being in private practice at University Hospitals of Cleveland until 1995, she joined the Faculty of the Cleveland Clinic Regional Medical Practice. In 2007, Dr. McKenzie moved her office to the main campus of Cleveland Clinic, specializing in bleeding disorders in women, fibroids, ablations and alternatives to hysterectomy.

In the educational arena, Dr. McKenzie has presented locally, nationally and internationally on topics including: assessments, mentoring and the success of assessment portfolios and other innovations in medical education. For the last four years, she has lectured at APGO faculty development seminars. She received the 2007 Maria and Sam Miller Professional Excellence Award for Master Educator from the Cleveland Clinic Learner College of Medicine, recognizing the dedication to excellence of Cleveland Clinic physicians, scientists and employees.

Academically, Dr. McKenzie has been the recipient of the Harvard-Macy Scholars Award, and the APGO Solvay Educational Scholar’s Award. She has lectured at APGO, NMA and the Universal Sisters.

As Co-Author of You Having a Baby, she appeared on the Dr. Oz Show where she stressed the importance of a healthy pregnancy.

Mark Hyman, MD, believes that we all deserve a life of vitality—and that we have the potential to create it for ourselves. That’s why he is dedicated to tackling the root causes of chronicdisease by harnessing the power of Functional Medicine to transform healthcare.Dr. Hyman and his team work every dayto empower people, organizations, and communities to heal their bodies and minds, and improve our social and economic resilience.

Dr. Hyman is apracticingfamily physician, a six-time #1 New York Times bestselling author, and an internationally recognized leader, speaker, educator, and advocate in his field. He is also the Founder and Medical Director of The UltraWellness Center, Chairman of the Board of the Institute for Functional Medicine,a Medical Editor of The Huffington Post, and a regular medical contributor on Katie Couric’s TV show,Katie.

Dr. Hyman works with individuals and organizations, as well as policy makers and influencers.He has testified before both the White House Commission on Complementary and Alternative Medicine and the Senate Working Group on Health CareReform on Functional Medicine. He has consulted with the Surgeon General on diabetes prevention, and participated in the 2009 White House Forum on Prevention and Wellness.Senator Tom Harkin of Iowa nominated Dr. Hyman for the President’s Advisory Group on Prevention, Health Promotion, and Integrative and Public Health. In addition, Dr. Hyman has worked with President Clinton, presenting at the Clinton Foundation’sHealth Matters, Achieving Wellness in Every Generationconference and the Clinton Global Initiative, as well as with the World Economic Forum on global health issues.

Dr. Hyman also works with fellow leaders in his field to help people and communities thrive—with Rick Warren, Dr. Mehmet Oz, and Dr. Daniel Amen, he createdThe Daniel Plan, a faith-based initiative that helped The Saddleback Church collectively lose 250,000 pounds. He has appeared as an advisor onThe Dr. Oz Show and is onthe board of Dr. Oz’s HealthCorps, which tackles the obesity epidemic by educating American students about nutrition. With Dr. Dean Ornish and Dr. Michael Roizen, Dr. Hyman crafted and helped introduce the Take Back Your Health Act of 2009 to the United States Senate to provide for reimbursement of lifestyle treatment of chronic disease.

Join Dr. Hyman on his path to revolutionize the way we think about and take care of our health and our societies atwww.drhyman.com, on Twitter and Instagram @markhymanmd, and on Facebook atfacebook.com/drmarkhyman.

C. Martin Harris, MD is the Chief Information Officer and Chairman of the Information Technology Division of Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, Ohio.  Dr. Harris’ interest and expertise in the area of improving the practice of medicine through the innovative application of information technology is reflected in his serving on numerous national policy and technology organizations.

Dr. Harris was appointed to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Health Information Technology Standards Committee, which is charged with making recommendations to the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology on standards, implementation specifications, and certification criteria for the electronic exchange and use of health information.

Dr. Harris is a Past Chairman of the Board of Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS), as well as Health and Human Services Board of Regents of the National Library of Medicine, which serves as an advisory body to the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services

He has been a presidential appointment to the Commission on Care for America’s Wounded Warriors, and to the Congressional Commission on Systemic Interoperability, which studies the steps required to develop a national health information network.  Dr. Harris is also a Former Advisor to the Director of the National Institutes of Health

Dr. Harris received his BA and MD from the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. His residency training in general internal medicine was completed at The Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. He completed a Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholar fellowship in General Internal Medicine at The University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and holds an MBA in healthcare management from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania

Mary Jordan, Editor of Washington Post Live, spent 14 years abroad as a Post foreign correspondent. Based in Tokyo, Mexico City, and London, she has written from nearly 40 countries. She and her husband Kevin Sullivan, also a correspondent for the Washington Post, won the 2003 Pulitzer Prize for international reporting or their series on the Mexican justice system. They were also 2009 Pilitzer Prize finalists for a series of stories about discrimination against women around the world.

A graduate of Georgetown University and Columbia School of Journalism, Ms. Jordan was also a Nieman Fellow at Harvard. She studied Irish poetry at Trinity College in Dublin and Spanish at Stanford University. She has taught journalism as an adjunct professor at Georgetown University and has been a frequent contributor on BBC television.

Dr. Matt Kalaycio trained in hematology and medical oncology at Cleveland Clinic, joining the staff in 1994 as the Director of the Leukemia Program. Over the ensuing years his research has concentrated in the clinical aspects of the hematologic malignancies and hematopoietic stem cell transplant. He is the editor of two books and has authored many book chapters in addition to contributing his work to journals such as Bone Marrow Transplantation, Leukemia, Cancer, Biology of Blood and Marrow Transplantation, and Journal of Clinical Oncology. He is Co-Chairman of the Chronic Leukemia Working Committee of the Center for International Bone Marrow Transplant Research. Currently, he is a professor in the Department of Medicine, Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine and serves as the Chairman of the Department of Hematologic Oncology and Blood Disorders in the Taussig Cancer Institute.

Matthew Herper, Forbes Senior Editor, has covered science and medicine for Forbes since June 2000. He has authored or co-authored thousands of stories, including eight magazine cover stories and dozens of features. His 2011 cover on Bill Gates was a defense of humanity’s greatest achievements, the vaccine. Other stories have included a look at the government-driven boom in electronic medical records, a deep look at the drug industry’s innovation drought, and work tracking the resurgence of DNA sequencing technology as it begins to make its way from the laboratory and into the hospital. He has profiled Paul Allen, met dozens of prominent scientists, and written about every major pharmaceutical company. Herper is a graduate of Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism.

Matthew Kroh, MD, FACS, is the Director of Surgical Endoscopy in the Digestive Disease Institute at Cleveland Clinic. He is the Program Director for the Advanced Laparoscopic Surgery and Flexible Surgical Endoscopy Fellowship at the Cleveland Clinic. Dr. Kroh also holds positions with the Bariatric and Metabolic Institute and the Center for Surgical Innovation, Technology, and Education, located at the Cleveland Clinic main campus. He is the Surgery Clerkship Director in the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine and he is currently the Director for the Center of Advanced Skills Training (CAST). He is licensed by the State Medical Board of Ohio and board-certified by the American Board of Surgery. His specialty interests include advanced laparoscopic surgery, bariatric surgery, gastrointestinal surgery, surgical endoscopy, single incision laparoscopic surgery, and robotic surgery.

After earning a Bachelor of Science degree in biology from Boston College and Master's degree from Boston University, Dr. Kroh received his medical degree from the Mount Sinai School of Medicine of New York University.

Dr. Kroh has lectured widely on laparoscopic and bariatric surgery and related topics at medical conferences across the country and the world and he has co-authored many articles and book chapters that have appeared in leading medical journals, such as the Journal of the American College of Surgeons and Surgical Endoscopy . He has been involved in numerous research projects in his field, including fluoroscopy as an adjunct to laparoscopic gastric band adjustments for morbid obesity, predictors of advanced liver disease in patients undergoing bariatric surgery, development of a novel device for endoscopic management of Barrett's esophagus, and new methods of performing less invasive laparoscopic operations including Single Incision Laparoscopic Surgery and NOTES procedures, and many more.

His professional memberships include the American College of Surgeons, the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery, the Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons, the Association of Surgical Educators, and the American Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopists.

Frank Jackson, the 56^th Mayor of Cleveland, lives in Cleveland’s Central neighborhood, where he grew up. He graduated from Cleveland Public Schools and served in the U.S. Army. After returning to Cleveland, he earned an associate’s degree from Cuyahoga Community College and his BA ,MS, and JD from Cleveland State University.

He began his public service career as an Assistant City Prosecutor in the Cleveland Municipal Court Clerk’s Office. From 1990 through 2005, Jackson represented Cleveland’s 5th Ward on Cleveland City Council. From 2002-2005, Jackson also served as President of Cleveland City Council.  In January 2006, Jackson began his tenure as Mayor of Cleveland.

As Mayor, Jackson is focused on ensuring that the city offers an excellent quality of life for every resident, business and visitor and is addressing every aspect of City operations and policy to guarantee that he reaches that goal, including:

Quality of Life

-Crafting Cleveland’s Plan for Transforming Schools, a child-centered plan that would lead to systemic change in how we educate our children

-Bringing together Ohio colleges, universities, the Cleveland Metropolitan School District and educational stakeholders to create the Higher Education Compact, a commitment to helping Cleveland’s children succeed in college

-Establishing a scholarship for CMSD students, city employees and their children

-Improving the health of Clevelanders through the Healthy Cleveland Initiative, in partnership with Cleveland City Council and the four major local hospital systems

Public Safety

-Revising the Use of Deadly Force Policy to help heal the breach between the community and the police

-Building partnerships with local, state and federal law enforcement agencies and community organizations to address gun violence, youth violence and violence prevention

-Improving police officer training and implemented new technology to reduce response time and provide better service

Development

-Investing more than $160 million in Cleveland’s neighborhoods since 2008, on streetscapes, recreation facilities, city parks and other capital improvements

-Working with the public sector to encourage a reported $7 billion in development in Cleveland, including the Greater Cleveland Aquarium, the Cleveland Horseshoe Casino, the Cleveland Convention Center and Global Center for Health Innovation, Flats East Bank Project, Uptown, and the Campus Village Project

-Building a sustainable economy through Sustainable Cleveland 2019, a 10-year initiative to grow a sustainable economy throughout the region

-Presenting Cleveland’s Downtown Lakefront Development Plan to encourage 3.5 million square feet in new development that encourages recreation, entertainment commercial

Mr. Narachi joined the Orexigen management team as President and Chief Executive Officer in March 2009. Michael has over 24 years of biotechnology and pharmaceutical experience across a broad range of functions including clinical development, commercialization, strategic business development and planning. Prior to joining Orexigen, Narachi served as Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and President of Ren Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a private biotechnology company and Executive Chairman of the Board of Naryx Pharma, Inc., a private pharmaceutical company. In 2004, Narachi retired as an officer and Vice President and General Manager of Amgen's Anemia Business. Throughout his 20 years at Amgen, Narachi held various positions including: Product Development Team Leader for NEUPOGEN® Director of Clinical Operations in Thousand Oaks, Calif., and Cambridge, United Kingdom; Vice President of Development and Representative Director for Amgen Japan; Head of Corporate Strategic Planning; Chief Operations Officer of Amgen BioPharma; and Vice President, Licensing and Business Development. He is also Chairman of AMAG Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Mr. Narachi received a BS in biology and an MA in biology and genetics from the University of California at Davis. He also received an MBA from the Anderson Graduate School of Management at University of California, Los Angeles.

Dr. Michael Roizen has founded or co-foundedtwelve companies, (4 successfully sold; another 5 still in existence and developing) co-invented a drug recently approved by the FDA and has published a series of highly popular and #1 New York Times bestsellers: YOU: The Smart Patient, YOU: The Owner's Manual, YOU: On A Diet,YOU: Staying Young, as well as YOU: Being Beautiful,YOU: Having a Baby; and YOU: Raising Your Child all co-authored with Dr. Mehmet Oz. Dr. Roizen co-founded RealAge Inc. and his first general-audience book, RealAge: Are You as Young as You Can Be? became a New York Times #1 bestseller and was awarded the Best Wellness Book of 1999 by the Books for a Better Life Awards. RealAge and YOU books have been translated into more than 44 languages. RealAge was #1 in four other countries. His follow-up, The RealAge Diet: Make Yourself Younger with What You Eat, written with Dr. John La Puma, also became a New York Times bestseller in April 2001. His third book was Cooking the RealAge Way, also with Dr. La Puma, and he published an update to the original RealAge book, The RealAge Makeover in 2004. He and Dr. Oz write a daily column syndicated to over 133 newspapers.

Dr. Roizen has given over 1,400 lectures to professional medical groups and has been recognized with over 20 professional lectureships and has appearedover 18 times each on The Oprah Winfrey Show, The TODAY Show, Good Morning America, Canada AM, CBN 700 Club, and the Dr. Oz Show (as the Enforcer).

Dr. Roizen is Chief Wellness Officer at Cleveland Clinic., and J Gorman and Family Chair of its Wellness Institute. He is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Williams College and Alpha Omega Alpha graduate of the University of California, San Francisco, School of Medicine. He performed his residency in internal medicine at Harvard's Beth Israel Hospital and completed a tour of duty in the Public Health Service at the National Institutes of Health. He is certified by both the American Board of Internal Medicine and the American Board of Anesthesiology. You can follow him on twitter @youngdrmike.

Monica Robins is an Emmy award winning reporter well known as one of Northeast Ohio’s most reliable sources for health news.  As Senior Health Correspondent, she has earned the respect of the region’s medical establishments including The Academy of Medicine of Cleveland and Northern Ohio for fair, accurate and unbiased reporting.  

Monica has the ability to take even the most complicated medical procedure and make it understandable to viewers.  Her stories are often broadcast nationally at other NBC and Gannett stations and her more than 25 Cleveland Clinic “Medical Miracle” specials have also aired in the Middle East and Turkey.

Her dedication to providing quality health information to Northeast Ohio earned her the prestigious Community Service Award from Fairview, Lakewood, Lutheran Hospitals and the Community West Foundation.  She was honored as the first media recipient of the Susan G. Komen for the Cure "Power of a Partner" Award.  She’s also received several media awards from various medical organizations including the Diabetes Partnership of Cleveland, the Academy of Medicine of Cleveland and Northern Ohio, Western Reserve Area Agency on Aging and several others.

With more than 20 years of Broadcast Journalism experience, Monica has won several regional Emmy awards as well as numerous first place, Excellence in Journalism awards from the Ohio Press Club and the Associated Press.  She’s also been inducted into the Ohio Broadcasters Hall of Fame.

After graduating from West Virginia University with a degree in broadcast journalism, Monica began her television career at WDTV in Clarksburg, West Virginia.  While there, she honed her reporting and anchoring skills as well as being a videographer, producer, editor and production assistant.   She then moved to WOWK-TV in Charleston/Huntington, West Virginia where she became the main 6 P.M. and 11 P.M. anchor as well as delving into Investigative Reporting.  She was a primary Investigative Reporter at WCMH-TV in Columbus, Ohio before becoming the NBC Midwest Correspondent for the News Channel affiliate service.  During that time she traveled the country covering national news for America’s NBC stations. 

Monica has been active with several community organizations including Komen for the Cure, the Diabetes Partnership of Greater Cleveland, Kids in Flight and the Gathering Place.  She served on former Cleveland Mayor Jane Campbell’s think tank for “Steps to a Healthier Cleveland,” and assisted in securing funding for “Aligning Forces for Quality.”  A Robert Woods Johnson Foundation initiative aimed at helping chronically ill patients achieve quality care.  She is a sought after public speaker and often talks about the need to be one’s own health advocate.

Monica is a native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and enjoys running, scuba diving and riding her Harley-Davidson motorcycle.  She’s also the lead singer for three rock bands including, Monica Robins and the Whiskey Kings, the Ninja Cowboys and Dr. Mo.  Learn more at www.monicarobins.com .  She has opened for well-known national acts such as The Temptations, Fabulous Thunderbirds, Donnie Iris and the Cruisers, Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes, Hall and Oates and Eddie Money.  She has performed the National Anthem several times for the Cleveland Browns, Cleveland Indians, Cleveland Barons, Lake Erie Monsters, Cleveland Force, Akron Aeros and for many local law enforcement, fire and military agencies.

Whenever she can find spare time, Monica and her Great Pyrenees, Griffin, are certified by Therapy Dogs International and volunteer bringing emotional support to patients in local nursing homes.

Monty Sharma is the Chief Executive Officer and President for Curves International, Inc. and is a nationally-recognized business figure in the health, wellness and nutrition sector. Sharma brings more than 20 years of marketing, sales, international and executive experience to Curves. He has set aggressive goals for the organization, working to increase revenues through the development and launch of innovative products and services, improved franchisee development and relations, strategic brand marketing as well as new consumer acquisition programs.

Prior to Curves, Mr. Sharma was President and Chief Executive Officer at Atkins Nutritionals, Inc. Under his leadership, Mr. Sharma successfully repositioned the brand as a diet program, re-launched all products, entered new lines of business tripling sales revenues and led the successful sale of the company in 2010.

Prior to Atkins, he served as Chief Executive Officer of Naked Juice, where under his leadership the company doubled sales in 18 months and became the leading super premium juice brand. The company was sold to PepsiCo in January 2007. Sharma’s successes in the health and nutrition category began as Chief Executive Officer of EAS (Energy Athletics Strength), recognized internationally as the industry leader in creating active lifestyle nutrition products for consumers across the fitness spectrum.

Nathan Berger, MD is the Hanna-Payne Professor of Experimental Medicine and Director of the Center for Science, Health and Society at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. He is Professor of Medicine, Biochemistry, Oncology and Genetics and CWRU Distinguished University Professor.

Dr. Berger attended Temple University, Hahnemann Medical College in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and served his internship in Medicine at Michael Reese Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois and his residency in Medicine at Barnes Hospital, Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri. From 1968 to 1971 he served as a Lieutenant Commander in the United States Public Health Service and was a Research Associate at the NIH, NICHD Gerontology Research Center, Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Baltimore, Maryland. He completed a fellowship in hematology and oncology at Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri and joined the faculty there before moving to Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine in Cleveland, Ohio as Professor of Medicine and Biochemistry and Director of the Hematology/Oncology Division. He became the founding Director of the Case Western Reserve University/Ireland Cancer Center which was awarded NCI Cancer Center status in 1987 and subsequently was designated an NCI Comprehensive Cancer Center. He was Dean of Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine from 1995 to 2002.

Dr. Berger is an active researcher whose early research focused on laboratory and translational aspects of poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase, DNA repair, stress proteins, and developmental therapeutics. His current research focuses on Transdisciplinary Studies in Energy Balance and Cancer and critical aspects of the relations between Aging and Cancer. He is Co-Director of the Specialized Program on Research Excellence in Gastrointestinal Malignancies and on The Barrett’s Esophagus Research Network where he coordinates their pilot projects and career development programs. Dr. Berger serves on the Board of Directors of Care Alliance, a Federally Qualified Health Center, providing healthcare for the underserved; Hopewell, A Therapeutic Farm Community for adults with mental illness; and the Cuyahoga County Board of the American Cancer Society. Dr. Berger’s practice of oncology is located in the Seidman Cancer Center of University Hospitals Case Medical Center.

Dr. Berger coordinates the CWRU Mini Medical School Series, an adult education program to keep community members better informed of the latest developments in medicine and healthcare, making them more knowledgeable healthcare consumers and better advocates for their own health. He directs the Scientific Enrichment and Opportunity Program for Cleveland Municipal School District students designed to engage them in research projects under the tutelage of School of Medicine faculty, to enhance their interests in the biomedical sciences, provide them with unparalleled professional experiences and encourage them to pursue careers in healthcare and the biomedical sciences.

Mr. Brooks is the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Joslin Diabetes Center, the world’s leading diabetes research, clinical care, and education organization. Joslin’s global mission is to prevent, treat, and cure diabetes and its complications. Its efforts improve the lives of people with diabetes or at risk of diabetes worldwide, and we actively work with collaborators across the world to deliver impactful and transformational solutions.

Mr. Brooks is a well-known life sciences executive. Mr. Brooks has co-founded four life sciences companies, including Insulet, a disruptive insulin delivery company. He had been a principal of Healthcare Capital Consulting LLC, which advised early-stage life sciences companies, and was a founder of Prism Venture Partners, a venture capital firm.

Previously, he was a General Manager at Pfizer/Valleylab, where he was responsible for Pfizer’s Hospital Products Group’s minimally invasive surgery and new medical technologies business. As President/General Manager at Pfizer/Strato, he led the growth of a rapidly evolving vascular access medical device business.

A native of Massachusetts, he holds an MS in business and a BBA cum laude from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and he is a Certified Public Accountant.

Liz Claman joined FOX Business Network (FBN) as an anchor in October 2007. She anchors Countdown to the Closing Bell which is presented from 3-4pm EST as well as co-anchors After the Bell from 4-5pm EST.

Her October debut on FBN included an exclusive interview with Berkshire Hathaway CEO and legendary investor Warren Buffett. Throughout her tenure at FBN, Claman has conducted exclusive interviews with former Intel CEO Paul Otellini, Ford CEO Alan Mulally, Google Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt, JPMorgan Chase Chairman and CEO Jamie Dimon, former United States Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, as well as joint interviews with Buffett, Berkshire Hathaway Vice Chairman Charlie Munger and Microsoft Co-Founder Bill Gates at Berkshire Hathaway’s Annual Shareholder meetings in Omaha, Nebraska.

Prior to joining FBN, Claman served as an anchor at CNBC, most recently anchoring Morning Call and Cover to Cover. During her time at CNBC, Claman has interviewed major financial newsmakers, including Warren Buffett, Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez, and former Treasury Secretary John Snow. She has also anchored Wake Up Call, Market Watch, and Today’s Business.

Before CNBC, Claman served as an anchor and reporter for Boston’s WHDH-TV (NBC). She was also a contributing correspondent for NBC’s syndicated daytime program RealLife. Prior to that, she anchored a two-hour daily talk show, The Morning Exchange for WEWS-TV (ABC) in Cleveland. She received an Emmy for her work on The Morning Exchange.

A graduate of the University of California, Berkeley, Claman began her on-air career at WSYX-TV (ABC) in Columbus, Ohio as a reporter and later a weekend anchor. Earlier, she was a news associate for KCBS-TV (CBS) in Los Angeles where she was the youngest person in the station’s history to win a local Emmy Award for Best Spot Producer.

Linda Bradley, MD is Professor of Surgery at Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine of Case Western Reserve University and Vice Chair of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Women’s Health Institute at Cleveland Clinic. She is Director of Hysteroscopic Education for the Residency Program at Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine. She is an internationally recognized gynecologic surgeon known for her expertise in diagnostic and operative hysteroscopy, endometrial ablation, alternatives to hysterectomy, hysteroscopic sterilization and the evaluation of abnormal uterine bleeding. Dr. Bradley’s clinical work includes Director of the Center for Menstrual Disorders, Fibroids and Hysteroscopic Services. She served on the Board of Governors at Cleveland Clinic from 2006-2010.

Dr. Bradley specializes in the evaluation, diagnostic testing, and surgery for uterine fibroids and menstrual disorders. She has been very active in endoscopy for over 20 years. Her expertise in endometrial ablation technology makes her an innovative leader in the field of hysterectomy alternatives. She recently was involved in several multi-center clinical trials involving endometrial ablation, uterine fibroid embolization compared to abdominal myomectomy, and hysteroscopic sterilization procedure. She performed one of the first hysteroscopic sterilization procedures in this country in 2000. With over 1,000 referrals for uterine fibroid embolization (UFE), she maintains an excellent collaborative practice with the interventional radiology department for a UFE Fibroid Registry database. She has published extensively and presented internationally on this topic.

A gynecologist at Cleveland Clinic for over 20 years, she has performed over 15,000 office flexible hysteroscopic procedures and over 2,000 operative hysteroscopic procedures including myomectomy, polypectomy, and endometrial ablation.

She has served on the Board of Trustees for the American Association of Gynecologic Laparoscopy (1997-1999) and currently serves as an Advisor for Medscape and Medscape CME. She was Chair of the OB/GYN section of the National Medical Association, 2006-2008. Dr. Bradley served as President, American Association of Gynecologic Laparoscopists (AAGL) in 2010-2011.

She has been named as the Cleveland Clinic Foundation Bruce Hubbard Stewart Fellow, which honors physicians with compassion and clinical care. She also received the APGO award, which honors physicians for resident and fellow teaching and has frequently been nominated as “Faculty of the Year”. She is admired and respected for her clinical teaching, surgical expertise, and compassionate bedside manner. She has received “Top Doctors of America” award annually since 2002. In 2009, she was selected by Ladies Home Journal as one of the top 6 female physicians in the USA. Linda is proud to be a member of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology department at Cleveland Clinic which was ranked 3rd in the country by US News and World Report 2011 and 2012, and number one in Ohio.

Dr. Bradley earned a BS in biopsychology from Vassar College before attending the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine for her MD. She completed her residency training at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. She has completed an executive program in practice management from the Weatherhead School of Business, Case Western Reserve and has completed the Leadership in Healthcare Academy at Cleveland Clinic.

Mark T. Bertolini is Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and President of Aetna, a Fortune 100 diversified healthcare benefits company. Aetna serves approximately 37.3 million people with information and resources to help them make better informed decisions about their healthcare and has a workforce of approximately 34,000 with operations in North America, Asia, Europe and the Middle East.

Mr. Bertolini joined Aetna in 2003 as head of Aetna’s Specialty Products. Prior to Aetna, Mr. Bertolini held executive positions at Cigna, NYLCare Health Plans, and SelectCare, Inc., where he served as President and Chief Executive Officer.

Recognized as an accessible, forward-thinking and solutions-oriented leader, Mr. Bertolini is actively engaged in the national dialogue on healthcare reform. Mr. Bertolini meets regularly with state and federal policymakers to advocate for measures that increase access, lower costs and improve quality of healthcare. He is a strong advocate of market-based solutions, the expansion and use of health information technology, and the sustainability of the employer-based system.

Mr. Bertolini holds a BA in business administration/finance from Wayne State University and an MBA in finance from Cornell University.

Dr. Mehta is an Associate Professor of Medicine at Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine, a primary care physician in the Medicine Institute at Cleveland Clinic, and is the Web Editor for the Journal of General Internal Medicine.  His areas of interest lie at the intersection of medicine, education and technology and this is reflected in his current role as Director of Education Technology for the Lerner College of Medicine and Director of the Center for Medical Education and Training at Cleveland Clinic. He also spearheads the "IBM Watson goes to Medicine School" Project. " Neil is active in various social media platforms and has presented at national and international meetings on the use of Web 2.0 and social media in education and lifelong learning. Neil is also a course director for the "Becoming a Digital Citizen - Technology for Lifelong Learning" at the Harvard Macy Institute, and faculty for "Masters in Education for Healthcare Professionals" at the Cleveland State University.

Dr. Reizes studies the interface between obesity and cancer. His team discovered that a fat tissue hormone, called leptin, causes cancer tumors to grow larger and promotes the survival of tumor-initiating cells also known as cancer stem cells. People who are obese have too much leptin, so the studies provide an important breakthrough in our understanding why being obese is a risk factor for cancer. His lab is currently asking how and why leptin results in aggressive tumor growth. The studies may help to identify therapeutic approaches to suppress breast tumor growth.

Dr. Reizes is an Associate Staff in the Department of Cellular & Molecular Medicine and Director of Scientific Core Services at the Lerner Research Institute at Cleveland Clinic. Dr. Reizes received his PhD in molecular pharmacology at UT-Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas. He went on to complete a post-doctoral fellowship at The Children’s Hospital Boston and Harvard Medical School in obesity.

In 2001, Dr. Reizes was recruited by Procter & Gamble Pharmaceuticals, Inc. to lead drug discovery efforts in obesity and metabolic diseases. His teams progressed several obesity targets from early discovery to pre-clinical evaluation. Dr. Reizes maintained an active academic research focus via his affiliation with the Obesity Research Center at The University of Cincinnati.

In 2006, Dr. Reizes joined the Department of Cell Biology (recently named Cellular & Molecular Medicine) in The Lerner Research Institute at Cleveland Clinic.

Dr. Reizes research has been published in Cell, Journal of Clinical Investigation, and the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. He has been invited to present his research at major national and international meetings including the Endocrine Society and the American Diabetes Association. He is a co-inventor of a patent titled “Methods and Reagents for Regulating Obesity.” He has consulted for several biotechnology companies.

Pascal joined AstraZeneca as an Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer in October 2012. A French national, 53-year-old Pascal joined AstraZeneca from Roche AG where he served as Chief Operating Officer of the company’s pharmaceuticals division since 2010. Prior to that, Pascal was Chief Executive Officer of Genentech, where he was credited with leading the successful merger between the San Francisco-based biologics business and Roche. Pascal joined the pharmaceutical industry in 1986 and has worked in senior management roles in the US, Asia and Europe.

Dr. Fortune serves as Senior General Manager, Cleveland Clinic Innovations. Prior to joining Cleveland Clinic, he was a Partner at Boston Millennia Partners, where he invested in early stage companies in pharmaceuticals and medical devices. Dr. Fortune has over 30 years of experience in the healthcare, life sciences and information technology sectors. He was previously President and Chief Operating Officer of New Era of Networks; Vice President at Monsanto; Vice President, at Bristol Myers Squibb;, Group President at Baxter International; and Vice President R&D at Baxter International. Dr. Fortune currently serves on the board of directors of Parexel International Corp, a global Contract

Research Organization as well as several private life sciences companies. He has been responsible for nurturing start-up activities from idea to prototype to standalone business. He has also been involved in some 30 M&A transactions from sourcing the company to closing the deal and successfully integrating the result. Pat has served on the engineering and scientific advisory boards of The University of Wisconsin, the University of Illinois, Cleveland Clinic, and the University of Chicago. Pat holds a BA from the University of Wisconsin, an MBA from Northwestern University, and a PhD in physical chemistry from the University of Wisconsin

Persis Sosiak is the Senior Director of the Department of Public Health and Research at Cleveland Clinic.  Persis has worked for Cleveland Clinic for the past eight years, serving as both a staff nurse and infection control preventionist prior to joining the Department of Public Health and Research. 

Persis began her public health career as a Presidential Management Intern, based at the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health in Washington, DC.  During this time, she also served as a legislative fellow for Senator Mike DeWine.  In addition to her federal government work, Persis has held positions with the Alexandria Health Department (Alexandria, VA) and the American International Health Alliance (Washington, DC).

Persis earned an MS in public health from Yale University, a BS in nursing from George Mason University and a BA from The George Washington University.  She and her husband live in Lakewood, Ohio. 

Peter Kaiser, MD graduated magna cum laude with Highest Honors from Harvard College and magna cum laude from Harvard Medical School. He completed an internal medicine internship at Massachusetts General Hospital, an ophthalmology residency at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, and a vitreoretinal fellowship at Bascom Palmer Eye Institute before joining the vitreoretinal department of the Cole Eye Institute at Cleveland Clinic, where he is the Chaney Family Endowed Professor of Ophthalmology Research at the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine.

As a National Eye Institute and National Institute of Health RO1-funded principle investigator, Dr. Kaiser leads a team involved in the evaluation of vascular biology in age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and diabetic retinopathy (DR). In addition, Dr. Kaiser is actively involved in clinical research having served as Study Chairman for 5 major, multi-center, international clinical trials, and Principal Investigator in over 50 trials evaluating new treatments for AMD, DR, and other retinal disorders. He is the Founder and Director of the Digital Optical Coherence Tomography Reading Center (DOCTR), which is the OCT reading center for over 700 international sites and 45 multi-center, clinical trials. Dr. Kaiser has been honored to receive the Lew R. Wasserman Award from the Research to Prevent Blindness for his research. Complementing his research endeavors, Dr. Kaiser serves on numerous scientific advisory boards and addresses his research interests as an invited speaker at national and international conferences. He is a major contributor to the medical literature having authored 7 textbooks, 25 book chapters, and more than 200 peer-reviewed manuscripts. He is Editor-in-Chief of Retinal Physician, Associate Editor of International Ophthalmology Clinics, and serves on the editorial boards of American Journal of Ophthalmology, Retina, Retina Today, and Ocular Surgery News. Dr. Kaiser has been recognized by the American Academy of Ophthalmology and American Society of Retina Specialists with Achievement and Senior Achievement Awards, and has been listed as one of the “Best Doctors in America” since 2002. He is the team ophthalmologist for the Cleveland Browns (National Football League) and Cleveland Cavaliers (National Basketball Association).

Peter R. Orszag is Vice Chairman of Corporate and Investment Banking, Chairman of the Public Sector Group and Chairman of the Financial Strategy and Solutions Group at Citigroup, Inc. He is also a Contributing Columnist at Bloomberg View, a Distinguished Scholar at the NYU School of Law and an Adjunct Senior Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations. He previously served as the Director of the Office of Management and Budget in the Obama Administration, and as Director of the Congressional Budget Office. Dr. Orszag graduated summa cum laude in economics from Princeton University and obtained a PhD in economics from the London School of Economics, which he attended as a Marshall Scholar. He is a member of the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies of Sciences, and serves on the Board of Directors of the Peterson Institute for International Economics, the Mt. Sinai Medical Center in New York, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, New Visions for Public Schools, ideas42, and the Partnership for Public Service.

Dr. Tippett is Vice President of The Verizon Incubator and is Verizon’s Chief Medical Officer. He is responsible for Verizon’s healthcare strategy and the development of an extensive portfolio of solutions that enable the rapidly evolving healthcare information technology ecosystem.

Dr. Tippett has worked as an emergency room doctor and as a helicopter emergency physician and carries a California physician and surgeon license. His PhD work included the discovery and modelling of new regulatory mechanisms for glucose by the enzyme glucokinase. He worked for Nobel Laureates Robert Bruce Merrifield (chemistry, 1984) and Stanford Moore (chemistry, 1972) at Rockefeller University where Dr. Tippett was the first person to synthesize an active segment of an immunoglobulin. Earlier, he worked in the Charles Glueck laboratory in Cincinnati where he was one of the first individuals to research and consume “sucrose-octa-ester” (now called Olestra).

Dr. Tippett obtained a BS in biology from Kalamazoo College, and a MD and PhD in biochemistry from Case Western Reserve University. He is board certified in internal medicine.

Philip Schauer, MD is Professor of Surgery at the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine, Chief of Minimally Invasive General Surgery and Director of the Cleveland Clinic Bariatric and Metabolic Institute (BMI). He is past president of the American Society for Metabolic & Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS). He is co-chair of Obesity Week, the worlds largest annual meeting devoted to the science and treatment of Obesity starting November 2013.

After receiving his medical degree from the Baylor College of Medicine, Dr. Schauer completed his residency in surgery at The University of Texas, where he served as chief resident of general surgery. He then completed his fellowship in laparoscopic surgery at Duke University Medical Center. Prior to joining The Cleveland Clinic in 2004, Dr. Schauer served as director of endoscopic surgery, director of bariatric surgery and Director of the Mark Ravitch/Leon Hirsch Center for Minimally Invasive Surgery at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.

Dr. Schauer's clinical interests include surgery for severe obesity, minimally invasive surgery (laparoscopic), and gastrointestinal surgery. He has performed more than 5000 operations for severe obesity. His research interests include the pathophysiology of obesity and related diseases, physiologic effects of laparoscopic surgery on postoperative injury and recovery, and outcomes of laparoscopic management of obesity, gastrointestinal diseases, and hernias. He has also participated in the development of new minimally invasive, endoscopic, and laparoscopic operations. New concepts in surgical training and education have been a major focus of his educational interests.

He has authored more than 200 scientific papers, editorials, textbook chapters, and video productions. He is editor of the textbook Minimally Invasive Bariatric Surgery. He has been an invited speaker for more than 100 regional, national and international lectures on the subject of obesity surgery and laparoscopic surgery. He is principal investigator of the STAMPEDE trail comparing medical and surgical treatment of diabetes and 2 NIH funded studies evaluating surgical treatment of diabetes and obesity. He is past chairman of the research and training and credentialing committees of ASMBS. He is current chairman of the Bariatric Surgery Section of the Obesity Society. He has been on the board of Governors of the Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons. He is also a member of International Federation of Surgery for Obesity, the American Surgical Association, the Society of University Surgeons, the Society of Surgery of the Alimentary Tract, Central Surgical Society, and the Society of Clinical Surgery. He is a member of the Board of Governors of the Fellowship Council and past member of the American Board of Surgery Advisory Council. He is on the editorial board of Surgery for Obesity and Related Diseases and Obesity Surgery as well as 3 other medical journals. He has been director of more than 100 courses and workshops on advanced laparoscopic surgery and has trained more than 40 fellows in advanced laparoscopic and bariatric surgery.

Randall Starling, MD, MPH, is Head of the Section of Heart Failure and Cardiac Transplant Medicine, the Medical Director of the Kaufman Center for Heart Failure and a Staff Cardiologist in the Robert and Suzanne Tomsich Department of Cardiovascular Medicine. He also serves as Vice Chairman of Cardiovascular Medicine, Operations. He specializes in congestive heart failure, cardiac transplantation, cardiomyopathy and mechanical circulatory support devices. Dr. Starling was appointed to the Cleveland Clinic in 1995 as a Staff Physician and Director of the Heart Transplant Medical Services. He has a joint appointment as a Staff Physician in Cleveland Clinic’s Multi-Organ Transplant Center. He is board-certified as a Diplomate in internal medicine and in the subspecialty of cardiovascular disease. In addition, he is certified by the National Board of Medical Examiners.

Dr. Starling did his undergraduate work in biology, graduating cum laude from the University of Pittsburgh. He continued his education at the University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health, where he graduated summa cum laude with a Master’s Degree in Public Health. He received his medical training at Temple University where he was an Honor Graduate, was inducted into the Alpha Omega Alpha medical honor society and was awarded the Mosby Book Scholarship. He returned to the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center to complete his internship and residency in internal medicine.

During the course of his clinical training and association with the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Dr. Starling became Chief Medical Resident, Instructor in Medicine and Medical Director of the cardiac transplant program. Dr. Starling completed a fellowship in cardiology from the Ohio State University (OSU). During the course of his association with OSU, Dr. Starling became an Associate Professor of Medicine and Medical Director of the OSU Cardiac Transplant Program.

Dr Starling has been a principal or co-principal investigator on numerous clinical trials, including National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant-funded trials and numerous industry-sponsored trials. He conducted many other research trials including multicenter, randomized trials related to cardiac transplantation and heart failure. He has particular interest in devices and other forms of surgical therapy for heart failure.

He has published articles in a broad spectrum of scientific and professional journals and authored numerous chapters in medical textbooks. He sits on the Editorial Board of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. Dr. Starling is a reviewer and editorial consultant for numerous other journals. He is Editor of the chapter on Heart Failure in the American College of Cardiology Self Assessment Program (ACCSAP VI). He has served as an editorial consultant on ABC’s “20/20,” CNN’s “Heroes in Medicine” and several PBS televised programs. He was named to Best Doctors in America in 2002, 2003-2004, and 2005-2007 editions.

Dr. Starling is a Fellow in the American College of Cardiology and a member of the American Heart Association Council on Clinical Cardiology, the American Society of Transplantation, the Heart Failure Society of America and the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation, where he serves on the Board of Directors and is Program Chair for the 2009 meeting.

Dr. Cebul is Professor of Medicine and Epidemiology and Biostatistics at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Director of the Case-MetroHealth System Center for Health Care Research and Policy, and President of the region-wide quality improvement collaborative called Better HealthGreaterCleveland. Since 2008, Better Health has publicly reported the achievement and improvement of primary care practices throughout northeast Ohio on standards of care for patients with diabetes, hypertension and heart failure. Since 2009, Dr. Cebul has received several awards on behalf of Better Health’s work, including international recognition for a 2011 publication in theNew England Journal of Medicinedocumenting the benefit of electronic health records for improving patient care and outcomes.  Better Health also has continuously reported the body mass index of patients in collaborating practices, with results and trends that can best be summarized as “fat and flat”.   Dr. Cebul will describe new approaches and opportunities for community stakeholders to use the EHR to change the trend.   Randy lives in a 156 year old farmhouse in Hunting Valley with his wife of 39 years, Mary-Scott, and two happy dogs. He and Mary-Scott are proud parents of two sons, Brent and Kerry, both recently located in Brooklyn, New York.

Ravi Kalla is a noted entrepreneur and the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Symphony Corporation, a successful global healthcare technology services company based in Madison, Wisconsin.

Ravi has founded several other successful healthcare technology companies including Symphony Data and SymphonyCare. As an active investor and advisor, Ravi has also helped propel several cutting-edge healthcare technology and service companies that provide population health management, patient monitoring and decision support systems, mobile applications, and health information exchange solutions. His portfolio of companies includes Strategic Health (acquired by American Health Holdings), Liazon Corporation, Health Unity, Qik (acquired by Skype), ProactiCare, Flip Swap, 411.ca (acquired by Yellow Pages), Iowa Waste Systems, and At-Scene.

He previously held various executive and managerial roles at BFI and Superior Services, which is now known as Veolia.

Ravi is committed to the community and regularly supports organizations including Combat Blindness International, JDRF, Wisconsin Women's Health Foundation, and several international organizations dedicated to supporting and educating girls in developing countries. He also served on the Wisconsin Governor’s e-Health Care Quality and Patient Safety Board. Ravi received an MS in civil and environmental engineering from the University of Wisconsin- Madison.

Dr. Richard Kaplan is President and Founder of Consolidated Research of Richmond, Inc. and its most recent subsidiary, General Sleep Corporation. Dr. Kaplan has been working in the medical device industry for over 20 years, and has successfully lead the development of two innovative, FDA cleared, medical monitoring technologies in the fields of anesthesia monitoring and sleep medicine. He has been the principal investigator on a wide range of IRB approved research studies, holds numerous patents in the U.S. and worldwide, and authored many publications. His most recent efforts have been directed toward development of new and innovative technologies and products for the non-drug treatment of insomnia and other sleep disorders. A long time resident of the Cleveland area, Dr. Kaplan holds a B.S., MS, and PhD in systems and control engineering from Case Western Reserve University.

Mr. Thompson has spent over 35 years in the medical device industry. Prior to joining ReShape Medical, he served as the Founder, President and Chief Executive Officer of Luminous Medical Inc, an innovative in-line glucose monitoring company based in Carlsbad, California. Prior to Luminous Medical, Mr. Thompson spent over ten years building Aradigm Corporation, a drug delivery company. He joined Aradigm in 1994 as President, Chief Executive Officer, and Chairman of the Board after thirteen years at LifeScan, a Johnson & Johnson Company. Mr. Thompson Co-Founded LifeScan as a venture backed start-up in 1981. After the acquisition by Johnson & Johnson, he became President of LifeScan in 1991 while building the company to worldwide leadership in its field. Mr. Thompson is currently a member of the Board at Intuity Medical Inc. and Asante Solutions Inc. Mr. Thompson holds a BS in biological sciences from the University of California, Irvine and an MBA from California Lutheran University.

Rick Chiricosta is Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Medical Mutual of Ohio. Previous to his appointment as Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Chiricosta served as President of the Life Group for Consumers Life Insurance Company, responsible for development of the infrastructure to facilitate Medical Mutual’s re-entry into the life insurance business in 2008. He also served as Medical Mutual of Ohio’s Executive Vice President for Mergers and Acquisitions, responsible for the financial aspects of Medical Mutual’s strategic transactions.

Mr. Chiricosta originally joined Medical Mutual in 1986 as Controller of the Western Division. In 1989, he became Chief Financial Officer for Medical Life Insurance Company, then a wholly owned subsidiary of Medical Mutual. He held that position until 1998, when he left Medical Life to become Vice President and Chief Financial Officer for National Interstate Corporation, a specialty property and casualty insurance company. In 1999, Mr. Chiricosta returned to Medical Mutual as Vice President of Finance. In February 2009, he was named to his current position.

Mr. Chiricosta earned a BA in business administration, accounting, from the University of Toledo in 1978. He became a Certified Public Accountant in 1980 and in 1993 received an MBA from Bowling Green State University. A member of both the American Institute of CPAs and the Ohio Society of CPAs, Mr. Chiricosta has also earned a FLMI (Fellow, Life Management Institute) designation.

A graduate of the 2006 class of Leadership Cleveland, Mr. Chiricosta serves on the boards of The United Way of Greater Cleveland, Kidney Foundation of Ohio, Greater Cleveland Partnership, Cuyahoga Community College Foundation and Team NEO, a joint venture of larger regional chambers of Northeast Ohio. In addition, he served as a Co-chair of the 2012 United Way of Greater Cleveland campaign.

Robert O’Shea, MD has been an Assistant Professor of Medicine at Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine, and a staff hepatologist at Cleveland Clinic for the last 10 years. Dr. O’Shea attained his MD from University of Rochester School of Medicine, completed internship, residency, and an MS in clinical epidemiology at the University of Pennsylvania. He completed his fellowship in gastroenterology and hepatology at the University of Michigan.

Prof MacRury was appointed as a consultant diabetologist and endocrinologist at Raigmore Hospital in Inverness in 1994 having graduated and trained in clinical medicine in Glasgow.  In 2006 she was appointed Professor of Clinical Diabetes at the University of the Highlands and Islands and now involves working in diabetes research in the Division of Health Research, UHI in addition to clinical duties in Inverness and peripheral hospital sites.  Research interests include scientific ‘bench to bedside’ academic studies related to diabetes and cardiovascular complications and oxidative stress; remote management of diabetes and service delivery; digital health care and clinical informatics.

She is also the director of the Highland Clinical Research Facility, the fifth CRF in Scotland. The CRF hosts and oversees a large variety of academic and commercial studies from all medical specialty areas and forms a test bed for the primary care informatics project and digital diabetes programme.

Aside from research, diabetes education, both professional and patient centred, is a long standing interest and she has chaired the Scottish Diabetes Education Advisory Group for the last 6 years.

Sara Altshul is an award-winning journalist who has written about healthy living and natural medicine for almost 20 years. She was Prevention magazine’s alternative medicine editor, and was invited to testify as an expert before the White House Commission on Complementary and Alternative Medicine. Happily back at Prevention as Contributing Diabetes Director, she leads the magazine’s initiative to raise awareness about diabetes, and edits columns and feature stories.

Stuart Randle is a seasoned executive with over 20 years’ experience in the life sciences industry. He joined GI Dynamics in 2004, and the company has since raised more than $75 million in venture financing and successfully completed an $80 million Australian IPO and U.S. private placement, including strategic investments by Johnson & Johnson and Medtronic. During his tenure as Chief Executive Officer, GI Dynamics has made significant clinical progress with its EndoBarrier technology platform for the treatment of type 2 diabetes and obesity. Prior to GI Dynamics, he was an Entrepreneur in Residence at Advanced Technology Ventures. Previously, Stuart served as president and Chief Executive Officer at ACT Medical, Inc., where he implemented a strategic repositioning of the company that resulted in the acquisition by MedSource Technologies in 2001. Prior to ACT, Stuart was Corporate Officer at Allegiance Healthcare Corporation, where he was integral to the successful spin-off of Allegiance from Baxter International. Stuart started his career at Baxter Healthcare where he spent 10 years in various senior management positions. Stuart earned an MBA from The Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University and a BS in mechanical engineering from Cornell University. He is a Trustee of the Cotting School, America’s first school for children with disabilities, and is a member of the Board of Directors of The Advanced Medical Technology Association (AdvaMed) and Teleflex, Inc.

Sarah Jane Tribble’s stories on banking, technology, energy and healthcare have appeared in publications nationwide. After working for years at legacy Knight Ridder newspapers, Tribble moved to Cleveland to join The Plain Dealer’s medical team. In 2013, she became the health reporter and producer for Cleveland’s National Public Radio affiliate.

At WCPN 90.3/ideastream, Tribble’s current stories focus on the convergence of people, money and health.

She lives in suburban Cleveland with her two children, husband Michael Tribble and a rescue cat named Landon. Follow Sarah on Twitter@sjtribble

Sue Siegel leadshealthymagination, GE’s $6B commitment to enable better health for more people. Healthymagination incubates disruptive business models, processes, and solutions, applying GE’s scale and worldwide presence to achieve its mission to transform healthcare by increasing its quality, access, and affordability. Ms. Siegel leads healthymagination’s programmatic efforts worldwide, inclusive of GE’s healthcare venture investing through itshealthymagination Fund, and leads the strategic direction and external marketing of GE’s worldwide employee health programs.

As a venture capitalist at Silicon Valley-based Mohr Davidow Ventures, Ms. Siegel led investments in personalized medicine, digital health, and life sciences. Before her VC years, Ms. Siegel dedicated more than 20 years as an executive driving breakthrough technologies growth at Bio-Rad, DuPont, Amersham (now GE), and Affymetrix. As President and Board Member of Affymetrix(NASDAQ: AFFX), Ms. Siegel built shareholder value, leading Affymetrix’transformation from a pre-revenue start up into a global, multi-billion dollar market cap company. Affymetrix helped accelerate the advent of personalized medicine.

Ms. Siegel served on eleven corporate boards. Ms. Siegel is a member of the Presidents' Circle of the National Academies, serves on Stanford Hospital Board’s IT Committee, and was appointed to the newest NIH agency, the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, as a board member for its Cures Acceleration Network. She serves on Santa Clara University’s Center for Science, Technology, and Society’s Executive Board, and DELL’s Healthcare and Life Sciences Advisory Board. Ms. Siegel is a Henry Crown Fellow of the Aspen Institute, a member of YPO-WPO, and of Women Corporate Directors. In the bestselling business book: Multipliers: How The Best Leaders Make Everyone Smarter, Ms. Siegel was a featured “multiplier”. In 2010, she was recognized as “The 100 Most Influential Women in Silicon Valley”. With Stanford Hospital, Ms. Siegel co-founded Checking-In™, a program dedicated to serving the local aging population. She is Board Member Emeritus of the Silicon Valley Tech Museum and served on The Gladstone Advisory Council.

Sean Hogan is Vice President of IBM Healthcare, globally, and in this capacity is responsible for leading IBM’s healthcare business including strategic direction, investment decisions and operations. Mr. Hogan’s organization leads the development of IBM’s Healthcare Industry Solutions, business partnerships as well as growth and investments initiatives.

Throughout his professional career, Mr. Hogan has focused on business strategy, innovation and growth – particularly growth that is predicated on business model transformation and advanced technology. Before assuming his current position, Mr. Hogan held several executive responsibilities within the IBM’s Healthcare & Life Sciences business. Prior to joining IBM’s Health Care and Life Sciences

business, Mr. Hogan was Director, IBM Emerging Business Opportunity group in IBM Corporate Strategy which focused on creation and launch of new growth businesses for IBM.

Prior to joining IBM, Mr. Hogan held leadership positions in several strategy consulting and successful start‐up organizations, including Mainspring, Renaissance Worldwide and Booz Allen Hamilton.

Mr. Hogan earned his MBA from Harvard Business School and his engineering and under‐ graduate degrees from Dartmouth College, Thayer School of Engineering.

Sean and his wife Jana live in Ridgefield, Connecticut with their three children, Matthew, Jared and Kate.

Tara Taylor is the Senior Program Director for We Run This City Youth Marathon (WRTC) at the YMCA of Greater Cleveland. She has the responsibility of overseeing all operations of the program including recruitment of schools, management of all partners, program sustainability and event logistics.

Before joining the YMCA of Greater Cleveland Tara worked for the American Diabetes Association as program manager for Team Diabetes. Tara has been a certified Group Fitness instructor for 18   years working for YMCA’s, gyms and studios across the country.

Tom Daschle graduated from South Dakota State University in 1969. Following completion of his military service, Senator Daschle served on the staff of Senator James Abourezk. In 1978, he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives where he served for eight years. In 1986, he was elected to the U.S. Senate and eight years later became its Democratic Leader. Senator Daschle is one of the longest serving Senate Democratic Leaders in history and the only one to serve twice as both Majority and Minority Leader. During his tenure, Senator Daschle navigated the Senate through some of its most historic economic and national security challenges.

Since leaving the Senate, he has distinguished his expertise in healthcare through the publication of Critical: What We Can Do About the Health-Care Crisis and has emerged as a leading thinker on climate change and renewable energy policy. His most recent book, Getting it Done: How Obama and Congress Finally Broke the Stalemate to Make Way for Healthcare Reform, was published in October 2010.

In January 2012, Daschle was named along with former Senator Dr. Bill Frist to the advisory board of ZocDoc, an online booking startup for healthcare professionals dedicated to enhancing patient convenience and empowerment to improve overall health. He is also a member of the Health Policy and Management Executive Council at the Harvard School of Public Health, in addition to the Global Policy Advisory Council for the Health Worker Migration Initiative. He is a member of the Lyndon Baines Johnson Foundation Board of Trustees, the GE healthymagination Advisory Board, the National Integrated Foodsystem Advisory Board, and the Committee on Collaborative Initiatives at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Today, Senator Daschle is a senior policy advisor to the law firm of DLA Piper where he provides clients with strategic advice on public policy issues such as climate change, energy, healthcare, trade, financial services and telecommunications.

Thomas Graham, MD, is the Chief Innovation Officer of Cleveland Clinic Innovations, the technology commercialization-arm of Cleveland Clinic, where he holds the Justice Family Chair in Medical Innovations. Additionally, Dr. Graham is the Vice-Chairman of the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery of Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, Ohio.

Renowned Hand Surgeon, Dr. Thomas Graham, rejoined Cleveland Clinic after a decade as the Chief of the Congressionally-designated National Hand Center and Surgeon-in-Chief of the Arnold Palmer Sports Health Center. Complementing a clinical practice that is recognized as the premier destination for the care of the professional athlete’s hand and wrist, he assumed the roles of Chairman of Cleveland Clinic Innovations and Vice-Chairman of the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery in 2011.

His experience as a surgeon entrepreneur and business developer adds another dimension to the growing success that Cleveland Clinic has enjoyed in commercializing the creative productivity and transcendent thought of their physicians and scientists. Graham’s history as an educator and Program Director aligns with the mission of the Clinic’s Orthopaedic and Rheumatology Institute to deliver excellence in musculoskeletal care, conduct meaningful scientific inquiry and educate future leaders in the specialty.

A graduate of Williams College, he received his MD from the University of Cincinnati. He completed his orthopaedic surgery residency at the University of Michigan and a fellowship in hand and upper extremity surgery at the famed Indiana Hand Center. Graham, an Ohio native, is married to his childhood sweetheart; they have two college-age daughters.

Shannon Pettypiece is a New York-based healthcare reporter for Bloomberg News. She has covered the industry for almost a decade, delving into nearly every aspect of the healthcare system, including hospitals, the FDA, the pharmaceutical industry and medical-device makers. Currently, her reporting is focused on the implementation and effects of the Affordable Care Act. Her work regularly appears on the Bloomberg terminal, Bloomberg.com, Bloomberg TV and in Businessweek and dozens of newspapers around the country. Prior to joining Bloomberg in 2006, she was a reporter for Crain's Cleveland Businesses where she wrote about the region's medical and IT companies. She is a graduate of the University of Michigan where she received a BA in political science.

Tomasz Rogula, MD, PhD, is a Staff Surgeon and an Assistant Professor of Surgery at the Cleveland Clinic – Bariatric Metabolic Institute. He was born in Poland, now US permanent resident. He graduated from the Jagiellonian University School of Medicine in Krakow, Poland and was trained in weight loss and general surgery in the United States (Mount Sinai School of Medicine – New York, University of Pittsburgh, PA), Italy, France, Germany, Spain, Canada, United Kingdom and Japan.

In addition to bariatric surgery, his specialty interests include advanced laparoscopic and robotic surgery, gastrointestinal surgery and hernia repair. He performed the first robotic assisted gastric bypass for obesity and initiated single incision laparoscopic bariatric surgery, cholecystectomy and hernia repair at the Cleveland Clinic. Dr. Rogula has done pioneering research on novel weight-loss surgery procedures. He published numerous articles and book chapters on topics of bariatric and laparoscopic surgery and is a peer reviewer for the journal of Surgery for Obesity and Related Diseases and Guest Editor for Journal of Obesity and Annals of Surgical Innovation and Research. Dr Rogula initiated the Bariatric Clinical Program for Medical Students at the Western Reserve University and Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine.

He was an invited speaker for numerous national and international surgical meetings and workshops. He is a member of the American Medical Association, Society of American Gastrointestinal Endoscopic Surgeons, American Society of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery, International Federation for the Surgery of Obesity and European Association for Endocopic Surgery. He is a co-founder of the International Club of Young Laparoscopic Surgeons and a founder and President of the International Bariatric Club – a global bariatric network organization. He was awarded for his medical innovations and holds pending patents for new surgical devices.

Sheila Dharmarajan joined Yahoo! as the host of Yahoo! The Future is Now in 2013after 4 years as a markets reporter for Bloomberg Television.

Prior to joining Bloomberg Television in 2009, Dharmarajan spent seven years on Wall Street. Her experience includes working in investment banking at Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette as well as private equity at Welsh, Carson, Anderson & Stowe and Permira. Today, Dharmarajan regularly reports on breaking news and investments in many sectors, including consumer/retail, industrial products and services, technology, and healthcare.

She received her BA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, and an MBA from Stanford University.

Dr. Walter Maurer is the Section Chief for Ambulatory Anesthesia within the Anesthesiology Institute at Cleveland Clinic. He is board certified in internal medicine and anesthesiology. He received his MD from The Ohio State University College of Medicine after receiving a BA and MS in mechanical engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He did his internal medicine training at Los Angeles County Hospital and his residency at the University of Oregon Health Sciences Center. After practicing internal medicine for 6 years, he came to Cleveland Clinic in 1987, where he completed an anesthesia residency and then subsequently became a member of the professional staff. His areas of interest are in preoperative evaluation, ambulatory anesthesia, quality improvement, and anesthesia in remote locations.

He has been at Cleveland Clinic for 25 years, having served as President of the Medical Staff and as a member of the Board of Governors. For 7 years he guided Cleveland Clinic Health System Office of Quality Management through the ever demanding area of quality improvement. He also served as President of the Society for Ambulatory Anesthesia from 2005 to 2006 and Chair of the ASA Quality Management and Departmental Administration Committee from 2008 through 2011.

Dr. Barquera is a medical surgeon from the Universidad Metropolitana in Mexico City with graduate MS and PhD degrees from the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University in Boston Massachusetts. He has been a consultant for WHO, PAHO, IFPRI and the IAAE in the fields of nutrition, obesity and chronic diseases. He is co-author of diverse books and scientific papers such as the Third Report on the World Nutrition Situation of United Nations, the Mexican Nutrition Survey (1999), the Mexican Health Survey (2000) and the Mexican Health and Nutrition Survey (2006) reports. In 2003 he was a member of the team that received the Fred L. Soper award to the excellence in health literature for an article characterizing the obesity and nutrition transition situation in Mexico. Currently Dr. Barquera is President of the nutrition board of professors at the Mexican School of Public Health and Director of the Nutritional Epidemiology Division at the Nutrition and Health Research Center. He is a member of the advisory board in chronic diseases and diet for the Ministry of health and has been recognized as National Investigator by the Mexican National Council of Science and Technology.

Wesley Day, PhD is a clinical research and drug development expert with more than 20 years’ experience in the pharmaceutical industry.  He currently serves as the Vice President, Clinical Development of VIVUS, Inc.  He is responsible for all clinical programs at VIVUS as well as leading regulatory strategy and oversight of all clinical submissions. He oversees preclinical and clinical research, as well as clinical development including operations, data management, biostatistics and reporting. During his tenure at VIVUS, he has led the company’s efforts resulting in 3 successful NDA approvals: Evamist (2007), Qsymia (2012) and Stendra (2012), and the EU MAA approval for Spedra (2013). Dr. Day has extensive experience with the leadership of Health Authority interactions, negotiations and strategy (FDA, EMA and EU member states).  He was Sponsor presenter and moderator for both Qsymia FDA Advisory panels, and also for the European CHMP Qsiva Oral Hearings.  Qsymia was the first approved and marketed weight loss drug in the US in over 12 years.   Prior to joining VIVUS, Dr. Day was at Pfizer for 13 years where he held a variety of positions of increasing responsibility in Discovery, Clinical Development and Regulatory Affairs. 

Dr. Day holds a PhD in pharmacology and toxicology and was an Emerson Fellow at the University of Maryland at Baltimore.  He attained a BS  with Highest Honors from the University of Texas at Pan American and is a former Diplomate of the American Board of Toxicology.  Dr. Day has been an Adjunct Associate Professor for the School of Pharmacy at the University of Maryland at Baltimore since 1995.  Dr. Day has over 90 publications and presentations. In addition, he has over 10 approved and pending patents, involving drugs for the treatment of cardiovascular and metabolic diseases.

George S. Barrett is chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Cardinal Health, a company ranked number 21 on the Fortune 500 and dedicated to improving the cost-effectiveness of healthcare.

Barrett has refocused Cardinal Health on its essential role in supporting hospitals, pharmacies and alternative sites of care in their efforts to improve the quality and safety of patient care, while reducing costs and improving efficiency. The tagline – Essential to care – embodies the company’s strategy and the culture of the organization, which views its position in the evolving healthcare system as both a privilege and a responsibility.

Barrett joined Cardinal Health in 2008 as Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the company’s Healthcare Supply Chain Services segment, where he was responsible for all of the company’s supply chain businesses, including pharmaceutical distribution, medical/surgical distribution, nuclear pharmacy services, Presource® surgical kitting services and the Medicine Shoppe International, Inc. retail pharmacy franchise operations.

From 2005 to end-2007, Barrett served as President and Chief Executive Officer of North America for Teva Pharmaceutical Industries. During 2007, he also served as Corporate Executive Vice President for Global Pharmaceutical Markets. He held the position of president of Teva USA from 1999 to end-2004. Prior to joining Teva, Barrett held various positions with Alpharma Inc., serving as President of U.S. Pharmaceuticals from 1994 to 1997, and President of NMC Laboratories, prior to its acquisition by Alpharma in 1990.

Barrett serves on the board of directors of Eaton Corporation and Nationwide Children’s Hospital. He is a member of the board of trustees of the Healthcare Leadership Council and The Conference Board. He is also a member of the President’s Leadership Council of Brown University, Business Roundtable, The Business Council, Ohio Business Roundtable and The Columbus Partnership.

Barrett received his BA from Brown University and MBA from New York University. He also holds an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from Long Island University’s Arnold & Marie Schwartz College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences.

Dr. Dietz is the former Director of the Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity in the Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion at the CDC. Prior to his appointment to the CDC, he was a Professor of Pediatrics at the Tuft's University School of Medicine, and Director of Clinical Nutrition at the Floating Hospital of New England Medical Center Hospitals. He received his BA from Wesleyan University in 1966 and his MD from the University of Pennsylvania in 1970. After the completion of his residency at Upstate Medical Center, he received a PhD in nutritional biochemistry from Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

He has been a councilor and past president of the American Society for Clinical Nutrition, and past president of the North American Association for the Study of Obesity. From 2001-2003 he served as a member of the Advisory Board to the Institute of Nutrition, Metabolism, and Diabetes of the Canadian Institutes for Health Research. In 1995, he received the John Stalker award from the American School Food Service Association for his efforts to improve the school lunch. Dr. Dietz served on the 1995 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee. In 1997, Dr. Dietz received the Brock Medal of Excellence in Pediatrics from the New York Academy of Medicine. In 1998, Dr. Dietz was elected to the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences.

In 2000, he received the William G. Anderson Award from the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance, and was recognized for excellence in his work and advocacy by the Association of State and Territorial Public Health Nutrition Directors. In 2002, he was made an honorary member of the American Dietetic Association, and received the Holroyd-Sherry award for his outstanding contributions to the field of children, adolescents and the media. In 2005, he received the George Bray Founders Award from the North American Association for the Study of Obesity. In 2006, he received the Nutrition Award from the American Academy of Pediatrics for outstanding research related to nutrition of infants and children. In 2008, he received the Oded Bar-Or award from the Obesity Society for excellence in pediatric obesity research.

In 2012, Dr. Dietz received a Special Recognition Award from the American Academy of Pediatrics Provisional Section on Obesity, and the Outstanding Achievement Award from the Georgia Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics. He is the author of over 200 publications in the scientific literature, and the editor of five books, including Clinical Obesity in Adults and Children, and Nutrition: What Every Parent Needs to Know.

Dr. Stacy Brethauer is a staff surgeon at the Cleveland Clinic with special interests in laparoscopic bariatric surgery, foregut and gastrointestinal surgery, hernia repair, and endoscopic procedures. He received his medical degree from the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences School of Medicine in 1993 while on active duty in the U.S. Navy. He completed his general surgery residency training at the Naval Medical Center San Diego in 2001. He received his fellowship training in Advanced Laparoscopic and Bariatric Surgery at the Cleveland Clinic and joined the staff in 2007.

He is board certified by the American Board of Surgery and is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons. He serves on the executive council of the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery and chairs the Clinical Issues Committee for the ASMBS. He is actively involved in many of the research projects being conducted at the Bariatric and Metabolic Institute, has published many abstracts, journal articles, and book chapters on bariatric surgery and is co-editor of a textbook on minimally invasive bariatric surgery.

Dr. William H. Herman is the Stefan S. Fajans/GlaxoSmithKline Professor of Diabetes, Professor of Internal Medicine and Epidemiology, and Director of the Michigan Center for Diabetes Translational Research. He is an internationally recognized clinician and researcher. His clinical interests focus on the prevention and treatment of diabetes, its complications, and comorbidities. His research focuses on the broad areas of clinical trials, epidemiology, health services research, and clinical economics. He also chairs the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) Workgroup on Diabetes Quality Measures.

Stephen Rao, PhD, is the Ralph and Luci Schey Chair and Director of the Schey Center for Cognitive Neuroimaging at the Cleveland Clinic and Professor, Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine. He obtained his PhD in clinical psychology from Wayne State University (Detroit) and completed a predoctoral internship at Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke’s Medical Center (Chicago). Prior to joining Cleveland Clinic in May of 2007, he was Director of the Functional Imaging Research Center and Professor of Neurology (Neuropsychology) at the Medical College of Wisconsin (Milwaukee). He has authored over 155 scientific papers/book chapters and edited four books. His current research areas involve the application of advanced neuroimaging techniques (task-activated and resting-state fMRI; diffusion tensor imaging) to understand the disruption of brain circuits mediating memory (working, episodic, and semantic), selective and sustained attention, motor control, temporal information processing, and conceptual reasoning in patients with multiple sclerosis, individuals in the preclinical stage of Alzheimer’s and Huntington’s diseases, and military personnel with blast-related traumatic brain injury. He has been a recipient of a National Institutes of Health Research Career Development Award and has received funding from National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institute on Aging, U.S. Department of Defense, CHDI Foundation, Charles A. Dana Foundation, and National Multiple Sclerosis Society. He is the outgoing Editor-in-Chief of Neuropsychology published by the American Psychological Association, the incoming Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society (JINS) published by Cambridge University Press, has served as the Associate Editor of JINS, and has been a member of the editorial boards of eight other journals. He is the Past President of the International Neuropsychological Society (INS) and has served on the Board of Trustees of the INS, Board of Directors of the American Board of Clinical Neuropsychology, and served as Chairman of the Scientific Program Committee for the INS annual meeting.

Prior to joining Cleveland Clinic, Mr. Glass spent fourteen years with MedStar Health, a large integrated healthcare system in the Mid-Atlantic region, serving in various roles during its growth through mergers and acquisitions during the mid-nineties. 

Mr. Glass received a BS in accounting from Towson University and is a Certified Public Accountant. He is a member of the American Institute of Certified Accountants, Ohio Society of Certified Public Accountants, Healthcare Financial Management Association, Health Management Academy, and a Board Member of Explorys.

Dr. Bill Winkenwerder is Chief Executive Officer and President of Highmark, a national diversified health and wellness company based in Pittsburgh, serving 34 million Americans.

Dr. Winkenwerder is one of the most influential and recognized leaders in American health care, and he is a prominent expert on the issues of national health policy and the economics of healthcare.

From 2001 to 2007, he was the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs with responsibility for a $40 billion annual budget, 132,000 personnel and 9.2 million beneficiaries worldwide. Before that he served in senior leadership positions at Blue Cross of Massachusetts, Prudential Healthcare and Emory University. He also practiced primary care internal medicine.

Before joining Highmark, Dr. Winkenwerder served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of The Winkenwerder Company, a nationally respected healthcare consulting firm based in Alexandria, Virgina.

As a thought leader, Dr. Winkenwerder has been an advocate for preventive healthcare, evidenced-based medicine and electronic health records and has worked closely with many of America’s major employers on their health cost issues. He also brought many innovations and improved business practices to government during his tenure at the Department of Defense. Dr. Winkenwerder strongly advocates for engaging individuals and consumers in their healthcare and for improving public health. He has been an adviser to two presidential candidates and he has been a regular contributor to various news and media outlets.

A graduate of Davidson College and the University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Dr. Winkenwerder is board certified in internal medicine and received his MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. Deeply committed to improving and reforming healthcare, he is a true visionary leader of one of the nation’s largest diversified health and wellness companies whose views are widely regarded.

A seasoned healthcare management executive, Steve Lieber brings to the HIMSS WorldWide over 30 years of experience in healthcare, primarily in healthcare association management.

Since 2000, Lieber has served as President and Chief Executive Officer of HIMSS WorldWide and related organizations. HIMSS WorldWide consists of HIMSS and HIMSS International, cause-based, global membership societies; HIMSS Analytics, the market research and data services group; and HIMSS Media, the diversified media and publishing division—all focused on the optimal use of information technology and management systems for the betterment of health. Lieber not only serves on the Board of Directors of HIMSS and its related corporations, but he also serves on numerous other corporate, non-profit and coalition boards and groups. He was one of the Founders of the Certification Commission for HIT and the Health Information Technology Standards Panel, two U.S. federally funded initiatives at the foundation of the U.S. interoperability effort.

As a nationally recognized commentator on health policy, in general, and specifically on healthcare IT trends and issues, Lieber is a regular speaker and contributor to corporate strategic planning efforts, government-sponsored policy efforts, private sector initiatives and other non-profit organizations. Lieber was recognized between 2004 through 2012 as one of the Top 100 most influential people in U.S. healthcare.

In his strategic leadership role at HIMSS, Lieber has established the organization as a global leader on issues such as, electronic health records, interoperability, technology standards, IT adoption, and certification. He has also brought significant growth to HIMSS, more than quadrupling the organization’s size and expanding its scope to encompass ambulatory IT issues and healthcare business information systems, in addition to HIMSS leadership in the acute care clinical information systems arena. HIMSS annually hosts the world’s largest health IT educational conference and trade show, attracting over 35,000 healthcare professionals to its U.S.-based event, as well as hosting similar conferences and exhibitions in Europe, Asia and the Mideast to promote HIT knowledge sharing and professional development worldwide.

Lieber previously served as Chief Executive Officer of the Emergency Nurses Association (ENA) for nearly nine years before accepting a position with the American Hospital Association as Vice President, Division of Personal Membership Groups. Prior experience includes Vice President of Operations for the Illinois Hospital Association; Senior Budget Analyst for the Illinois Bureau of the Budget; and Assistant Administrator, Research and Statistics for Arkansas Social Services.

Lieber holds an MA from the School of Social Service Administration at the University of Chicago, a BA in psychology from the University of Arkansas, and has completed additional course work at the graduate schools of business at both universities and at the Keller Graduate School of Management. Steve has been a Certified Association Executive (CAE) since 1994, is a member of the American Society of Association Executives and Association Forum of Chicagoland and has been awarded honorary life memberships at the American Hospital Association and the American Society of Healthcare Risk Management.

Stephen McHale is Co-Founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Explorys. Formed in partnership with Cleveland Clinic, Explorys addresses the national imperative to leverage electronic health records (EHR) for the improvement of medicine. Our network accelerates discovery of critical correlations, trends, and outcomes across millions of patients, clinical records, and diverse topologies providing unique insight to enable providers and life sciences organization to deliver safer, more efficient, and more effective healthcare.

Stephen has had a 25-year career in founding, investing in and building technology companies. He is recognized for his focus in data mining and business intelligence related ventures. Most recently he served as the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Everstream, the company he founded in 1999. Everstream is the largest census level media measurement, data warehousing, and analytics platform in the world, measuring usage across 25 million households. Sold to Concurrent [NASDAQ: CCUR] in 2005, it continues to be the industry leader of enterprise software for broadband network usage measurement.

In 1985, Stephen founded McHale and Associates, Incorporated, a USConnect regional office where he served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. Stephen was a founding investor and served on the Board of Directors and as Chief Executive Officer of USConnect, an international systems integrator. USConnect generated aggregate revenues of $150 million until its sale to IKON Office Systems [NYSE: IKN] in 1997. Stephen is also Managing Director of 23Bell LLC Investments and an active Advisory Board Member to Genesis Inventions. Stephen serves on the Board of Directors for the Center for Families and Children; a non-profit organization that makes success possible for people in Northeast Ohio’s most challenged communities. Stephen serves on the investment screening committee for the North Coast Angel Fund. He is also an active member of the Entrepreneurs Organization and Kent State University’s Health Informatics Advisory Council.

Dr. Steven Gordon is the Chairman of the Department of Infectious Diseases at Cleveland Clinic. He is an Associate Professor of Medicine at Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine. He has an interest in prevention of nosocomial infections and has served on HICPAC (2003-2007). His clinical interests include infective endocarditis including cardiac electronic implantable device infections as well as opportunistic infections in immunocompromised patients. He is a Fellow in the American College of Internal Medicine and a Member of the Infectious Disease Society of America. He attended Hamilton College and Cornell University Medical College with a subsequent internship and residency in internal medicine at the University of Chicago Hospital and Clinics. He was an Epidemic Intelligence Officer in the Hospital Infections Program at the Centers for Disease Control and did a fellowship in infectious diseases at Emory University School of Medicine. He enjoys tennis and jogging with his dog (Lola) and spending time with his wife, Anne, and three beautiful daughters.

Steven Krein is the Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of StartUp Health, a global network and long-term academy for digital health and wellness entrepreneurs. StartUp Health is on a mission to help 1,000 Healthcare Transformers build growth businesses over the next decade through StartUp Health Academy, The StartUp Health Network and The StartUp Health Innovation Fund.

Steven is on a mission to accelerate technology innovations in health and wellness that help lower the costs and improve the quality of healthcare in our country. The firm was founded on the belief that successful health and wellness companies are the result of passionate entrepreneurs, an early focus on customer validation and great coaching and guidance. The organization’s investors include leading health, technology and business minds: Jerry Levin, Mark Cuban, Esther Dyson, Roger Ehrenberg, Brad Feld, Jason Finger, Richard Forman, Linda Holliday, Howard Krein, MD, PhD, Jon Miller, Jeff Stewart and SeventySix Capital. Steven is also Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of OrganizedWisdom, a Digital Doctor’s Office and Patient Portal that helps doctors save time, grow their practice, and improve their online presence.

Steven was previously Co-Founder, Chairman, and Chief Executive Officer of Webstakes and Promotions.com, a global online advertising, direct marketing, and technology company. He took the company public on the Nasdaq prior to being acquired by iVillage. In less than four years, the company built a membership base exceeding 20 million consumers, raised nearly $100 million, and achieved a $500 million market capitalization. Steven began his online career with Law Journal Extra!, now known as Law.com, the first online legal news and information website, which was acquired by American Lawyer Media.

Steven received his JD from Widener University School of Law, and BA from the University of Maryland-College Park. Steven is a member of YPO (Young Presidents’ Organization) Metro New York Chapter and lives in New York City with his wife and three daughters.

Steven Nissen, MD is Chairman of the Department of Cardiovascular Medicine at Cleveland Clinic. Dr. Nissen came to Cleveland Clinic in 1992. National leadership positions include a term as President of the American College of Cardiology (ACC), the professional society representing American cardiologists (March 2006 to March 2007).

Dr. Nissen served as a member of the CardioRenal Advisory Panel of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for 5 yrs, and served as Chairman the final year of his membership. He continues to serve as Advisor to several FDA committees as ‘Special Government Employee’. In July 2008, while serving as guest member of the Endocrine and Metabolism Advisory Panel, Dr. Nissen recommended a new approach for approval of diabetes drugs, which was ultimately adopted by the Agency in November 2008.

Steven Nissen is also known for his role in public policy discussions, particularly in the area of drug safety. He has testified in both the Senate (Health Education and Labor Committee) and House of Representatives (Energy and Commerce Committee) on the need to reform the FDA. He was actively involved in discussions with Congress on the FDA Amendments Act of 2007 that added additional regulatory authority for the Agency.

Steve is a Managing Director in Novartis Venture Fund’s Cambridge, Massachusetts office. 

Steve focuses on both medical device and bio/pharma investments for the fund. He brings significant operating and venture capital experience to Novartis' investing efforts. Steve joined the Fund in 2006 as a Managing Director. He has led the investments and serves/d on the board of the following companies: Ablation Frontiers (acquired by Medtronic), Autonomic Technologies Inc., Intersection Medical, Sonitus Medical, and Visiogen (acquired by Abbott)

Prior to Novartis, Steve was at Prism Venture Partners, where he focused on medical devices and served on the boards of iScience Interventional, and Sensitech (acquired by Carrier/UTX). Prior to Prism, Steve was a Kauffman Fellow with Mid-Atlantic Venture Funds. He started his career as an entrepreneur and turnaround-Chief Executive Officer, raising angel funds to buy the assets of a defunct distribution business out of bankruptcy, and then rebuilding it over the next five years.

Steve holds an MBA with distinction from the University of Michigan Business School and a BS in mechanical engineering from Columbia University's School of Engineering and Applied Science.