2025 Science of Patient Engagement Symposium
Elevating Innovation, In Medicine, MedTech, and AI

May 7 – 8, 2025
8:30 a.m. – 6:30 p.m. | 8:00 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. ET

Location:
National Press Club
529 14^th St. NW, 13^th Floor
Washington, DC 20045

*Agenda is subject to change due to speakers’ availability. 

Wednesday, May 7 – 9:00 A.M. – 12:00 P.M.
   Innovation Workshop
   (For Chief Medical and Science Officers, Research Heads, Directors, and Leads, & patients)

   Empathy-First Innovation: How to Embed Patient Advocacy in the Design Process 
   Transform your approach to patient engagement with this interactive, hands-on workshop. This 3-hour session introduces actionable
   frameworks for empathy-first innovation and demonstrates how to make patient advocates an integral part of your innovation journey.
   Through the lens of several real-world case studies— including a groundbreaking medical device transforming postpartum care—you will
   learn practical techniques for problem scoping, writing empathy statements, and crafting user needs. 

   Presenter:
    • Ty Hagler, MBA, Design Thinker, Industrial Designer and Innovation Leader Principal, Trig ®  

Wednesday, May 7 – 12:30 – 5:00 P.M.

12:30 p.m.                              Registration Opens

12:30 – 1:00 p.m.                   Networking and Box Lunch

1:00 – 1:15 p.m.                      Welcome & Introductions

                                                Remarks by:
                                             • Randall Rutta, MA, Chief Executive Officer, National Health Council
                                             • Omar A. Escontrías, DrPH, MPH, Senior Vice President, Equity, Research & Programs, National Health Council

1:15 – 2:15 p.m.                      Keynote Speaker

                                            The Science of Patient Engagement in an Era of Chaotic Change
                                             • Nicholas Webb, Number One Best Selling Author & Chief Executive Officer, LeaderLogic, LLC.

2:20 – 3:05 p.m.                   Session 1: Teamwork Makes the Dream Work: Bridging the Gap Between MedTech and Patient Needs
                                                The MedTech sector and developers have achieved great strides in advancing the science of devices and
                                                wearables.
                                                Patients and family caregivers are imperative to advance this process. This session will explore the co-creation of
                                                these technologies with patients and caregivers as equal partners.

                                                 Moderator: 
                                              • Karl Cooper, Esq., Executive Director, American Association on Health and Disability 

                                                Panelists:
                                             • Juan Carlos Espinoza Salomon, MD, Chief Research Informatics Officer, Stanley Manne Children’s Research
                                                   Institute, Lurie Children’s Hospital
                                             • Scott Whitaker, President and Chief Executive Officer, AdvaMed® 
                                             • Christine Waggoner, CEO & Co-Founder, Cure GM1 Foundation 

3:05 – 3:15 p.m.                    Break

3:15 – 4:00 p.m.                   Session 2: Integrating Precision Medicine and Health Systems into AI Innovation
                                               In this session, attendees will learn how AI is streamlining operations and supporting precision medicine initiatives,
                                               and ethical principles to create smarter, more responsive health care systems that benefit patients and their family
                                               caregivers. 

                                               Moderator:
                                             • Richard Sperry, Chief Strategy Officer, GBS | CIDP Foundation International

                                               Speaker:
                                             • Raj Ratwani, Ph.D., Vice President of Scientific Affairs, MedStar Health Research Institute, Director, MedStar
                                                   Health National Center for Human Factors in Healthcare, Professor, Georgetown University School of Medicine

4:00 – 4:10 p.m.                  Break

4:10 – 4:55 p.m.                   Session 3: From Data to Diagnosis and Prediction: AI’s Greatest Hits 
                                               AI has revolutionized the world of medicine and diagnostics. This session will explore how AI has been leveraged
                                               and utilized to detect and treat chronic diseases, such as neurodegenerative
                                               diseases, cancer, cardiovascular, and diabetes through real-world case studies.          

                                               Moderator:
                                            • Charity Watkins, Ph.D., MSW, Assistant Professor, Department of Social Work, North Carolina Central University,
                                                     BIRCWH Scholar, Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Duke University School of Medicine

                                               Panel:
                                                • Christian Rubio, MBA, MA, Executive Director, EverythingALS
                                                • Federico Asch, MD, FACC, FASE, Director of the Echocardiography Core Lab, MedStar Health Research
                                                      Institute, Associate Professor of Medicine (Cardiology), Georgetown University 

4:55 – 5:00 p.m.                  Closing Remarks

                                               Remarks by:
                                            • Devin Jopp, EdD, Chief Executive Officer, Association of Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology

5:00 – 6:30 p.m.                  Reception and Poster Exhibition

Thursday, May 8 – 8:00 A.M. – 2:00 P.M.

8:00 a.m.                              Registration Opens

8:15 – 9:00 a.m.                   Networking Breakfast

9:00 – 9:15 a.m.                   Welcome & Introductions

                                               Remarks by:
                                            • Irene O. Aninye, Ph.D., Chief Science Officer, Society for Women’s Health Research

9:15 – 10:00 a.m.                 Keynote Speaker  
                                           Putting Patients First in Drug Discovery, a Few AI-driven Case Studies 

                                              Moderator:
                                           • Irene O. Aninye, Ph.D., Chief Science Officer, Society for Women’s Health Research.

                                              Keynote speaker:
                                           • Petrina Kamya, Ph.D., Head of AI Platforms and President, of Insilico Medicine Canada, Insilico Medicine

10:00 – 10:45 a.m.               Session 4: Are we speaking the same language? When Smart Records and Stronger Voices Amplify Patient
                                            Power
                                               Machine learning and large language models have potential to enable and empower patients to take action and
                                               control of their health data. This session will examine how harnessing patient data from electronic health records,
                                               and integrating their lived experiences, can improve overall health outcomes. 

                                               Moderator:
                                            • Jennifer Berson, S. Ed., Migraine and Headache Disorders Patient Advocate

                                               Panelists:
                                            • Erkan Hassan, PharmD, FCCM, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Transformational Views Consulting Group,
                                                  Inc.
                                            • Glenna Crooks, Ph.D., Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Strategic Health Policy International, Inc.
                                            • Katie McCurdy, Founder, Pictal Health 

10:45 – 11:00 a.m.                Break

11:00 – 11:45 a.m.                 Session 5: Data at the Speed of Care: Engineering Universal Access
                                               This session will highlight the importance of co-creating representative, patient-driven data that informs AI and ML
                                               technologies to optimize health care outcomes and ensure equitable access to care. 

                                               Moderator:
                                            • Steph McCoy, Founder & Patient Advocate, Bold Blind Beauty

                                               Panelists:
                                            • Gina Assaf, Co-Founder & Co-Lead, Patient-Led Research Collaborative
                                            • Megan Freed, MPH, Chief of Strategic Initiatives, Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy 

12:00 – 1:00 p.m.                Lunch Break

1:00 – 1:45 p.m.                   Session 6: Chat is this real patient engagement?
                                              This session will delve into the transformative potential of AI in health care to prioritize patient-engaged and centric
                                              solutions. Attendees will explore how patient engagement and cutting-edge AI technologies are reshaping
                                              diagnosis, treatment, and care delivery to enhance patient outcomes.

                                              Moderator:
                                           • Aicha Diallo, MPH, CHES, Vice President of Programs, Patient Empowerment Network

                                               Panelists:
                                           • Nicol Turner Lee, PhD, Director & Senior Fellow of Governance Studies, Center for Technology Innovation, Brookings
                                                 Institution
                                           • Heather Flannery, Chief Executive Officer, AI MINDSystems
                                              • Susannah Rose, PhD, Executive Director, AI Discovery & Vigilance to Accelerate Innovation & Clinical Excellence; Vice-
                                                Chair, Artificial Intelligence Technology (AIT) Committee, Associate Professor, Department of Biomedical Informatics,
                                                Vanderbilt University Medical Center 

1:45 – 2:25 p.m.                   Session 7: Final Keynote Speaker
                                           Human Flourishing in an Age of Health AI 

                                              Remarks By:
                                           • Brian Anderson, M.D., Chief Executive Officer– Coalition for Health AI (CHAI)

2:25 – 2:30 p.m.                  Closing Remarks and Symposium Concludes

                                              Remarks by:
                                           • Omar A. Escontrías, DrPH, MPH, Senior Vice President, Equity, Research & Programs, National Health Council