2023 Speakers
Leaders, executives and trailblazers speaking at this year’s Medical Innovation Forum.
2023 Emcee | Dr. Nazli Azimi
We are thrilled to announce that Dr. Nazli Azimi will be the emcee for Octane’s Medical Innovation Forum. Dr. Azimi is a biotechnology entrepreneur with a proven track record of success in launching and exiting two biopharmaceutical companies, transforming innovative scientific concepts into platform technologies for the discovery of novel medicines and products.
With her talent for identifying high-value innovations and translating them into commercial opportunities from conception to late-stage development, Dr. Azimi is a true leader in the field of medical technology. She has a spirited entrepreneurial approach and an inspirational leadership style that brings people with different backgrounds together and delivers results at the executive or board level.
As emcee for the Forum, Dr. Azimi will bring her expertise and insights to the stage, helping to guide discussions and facilitate connections among industry leaders, innovators, and investors.
Meet the Speakers
Marc Alcser
Shareholder, Stradling
Angela Aristidou
DEL Digital Fellow, Stanford University,
Ass. Prof. in Strategy & Entrepreneurship, University College London
Haleh Armian, MSc
Director of Biomedical Innovation Ventures, Hoag
Joyce Averna
Vice President, JP Morgan Private Bank
Bobak Azamian, MD, PhD
CEO, Tarsus Pharmaceuticals
Nazli Azimi
Derek Banyard, MD, MS, MBA
Founder, President & CEO, Sayenza Biosciences
Christopher P J Barty
CTO & Executive Director, Lumitron Technologies
Joshua Benton
Principal, Human-Centered Design, RSM US LLP
Brian Berkowitz
Vice President, Strategy & Corporate Development, Lyric
Wendy Beuthin
Director of Engineering R&D,Microvention
Yvonne Bokelman
CEO, Alyve Medical
Len Brandt
CEO, Brandt Ventures
Michael Brant-Zawadzki, MD, FACR
Senior Physician Executive, Hoag Memorial Hospital
The Ron and Sandi Simon Endowed Chair
Executive Medical Director, Pickup Family
Neurosciences Institute
David R. Braxton MD
Chief of Molecular Pathology Services, Hoag Family Cancer Institute
Subspecialist Pathologist in Digestive Diseases, Cancer Genomics & Precision Medicine
Ralf Brockhaus
CEO, Smilefish
Jeremy Bronen
CEO & Founder, SedMed Inc.
Samuel R. Browd, MD, PhD
Professor of Neurological Surgery, University of Washington Department of Neurological Surgery,
Co-Founder, Chief Medical Officer, Board Member, Proprio
Clint Carnell
Founder, Greyspace
Executive Chairman, Geneo
Founder & Board Member, OrangeTwist
CEO, InBrace
Bill Carpou
CEO, Octane
Tara Capalbo
General Manager Glaucoma, Allergan
Shelly Carolan
Managing Partner, Commercial Healthcare, WittKiefer
Harvey Castro, MD, MBA, FACEP
Physician & Healthcare Consultant,
Author of ChatGPT & Healthcare
Kimberly Cates
Global Head of HR – Mentor LLC
Anthony Chang, MD, MBA, MPH, MS
Chief Intelligence and Innovations Officer, CHOC
Janet Clardy
Senior Vice President, Human Resources, Experian
Jackie Collins
General Counsel, Microvention
Nicole Cowan, MSc.
Senior Director, Clinical Strategy & Operationalisation, ICON Medical Device & Diagnostics Research
John Cupp, MD
Surgical and Hematopathologist, Director of Digital Pathology, IT Physician Champion, Department of Pathology, Hoag Hospital
Joanna Develter
Senior Vice President, Regulatory Affairs, Critical Care, Edwards Lifesciences
Carol Distanislao
Managing Director, Capital and Growth
Tonya Dowd, MPH
Executive Vice President, Reimbursement, Value Generation and Market Access (RVMA), PRIA Healthcare
Jason Dreibelbis
Partner, K&L Gates
Doug Fauth
Senior Director, Global Talent Acquisition, MicroVention, Inc
Douglas Farquhar
Vice President of Strategy, Reliant Health
Chris Freudiger, PhD
CTO & Co-Founder, Invenio Imaging
Kenji Funahashi
Partner, Wilson Sonsini
Tad Funahashi, MD
Chief Innovation Officer, Orthopedic Surgery and Sports Medicine, Kaiser Permanente
John Fundingsland
Head of Healthcare Platform Operations, LTIMindtree
Vicki Gashwiler
Senior Director, Clinical Strategy & Operationalisation, ICON Medical Device & Diagnostics Research
Sanna Gespard, PhD
Founder & CEO, Rubitection Inc.
Dan Gil
COO, Techlmmune
Marinela Gombosev,
COO, SPARK Neuro
Melissa Goodwin
Senior Vice President, Strategic Engagement & Growth, The Innovation Lab
Garret Grajek
CEO, YouAttest
Natalie Harney, CBPA
Certified Business Performance Advisor, Insperity
Fauad Hasan
Entrepreneur, Executive, Investor, Board Member
Mehdi Hatamian, PhD
CEO & Founder, 2Pi-Sigma Corp.
Kurt Henry
Operating Partner, Healthcare, Excellent Capital
Derek Herrera
Founder & CEO, Bright Uro
Kenan Jiang
Partner, Excellent Capital
Scott Joslyn
Chief Innovation Officer, UCI Health
Ryan Kelly, PhD, MBA
Chief Innovation Officer, The Innovation Institute
Edward S Kim, MD, MBA
Senior Vice President and Physician-in-Chief, City of Hope Orange County
Gregg Klang
CEO & Founder, Cern Corporation
Matthew Kuhn
Founder, President, & CEO, Taurus Vascular
Zach Labrecque
Director of Business Development, Market Intelligence, LSI
Emile Maamary
Co-founder & CMO, Steadiwear Inc
Shannon Lam
Partner, Knobbe Martens
Goran Matijasevic, PhD, MBA
Executive Director, UCI Chief Executive Roundtable, UC Irvine
Yosuke Matsubara, PhD, PMP
Senior Manager of Business Development & License Department, Teijin Pharma Ltd.
Deanne McCarthy
CEO, Swiftsure
Rosanne Melikian, PhD, MSRS, RAC
Head of Regulatory Affairs, Johnson & Johnson Vision
Brian Meshkin
Managing Partner, Profound Ventures
Eric Morgan
Vice President, Community Affairs, Fivepoint
Muhammad Mujeeb-U-Rahman
CEO, Integrated Medical Sensors
Thomas Nichols
President, Pretika MedTech
Matthew Nuñez
President & Chief Business Officer, SmartHealth Dx
Nick Olson
Senior Director, Corporate Development, Edwards Lifesciences
John Osborn
Venture Partner, BioVentures Investors
James Pack
Partner, Fragomen
Deepti Pandita, MD, FACP, FAMIA
Chief Medical Information officer at University of California Irvine Health,
Associate Professor in the Department of Medicine at UCI.
Scott Pantel
CEO & Founder, LSI
Michael Phillips
CEO, Vena Medical
Hillary Pierce
CEO, Total Flow Medical
Jane Rady
Senior VP Corporate Strategy & Business, Glaukos
Carlos Ramirez
Partner, Cooley
Sydney Robinson
CEO, Vessl Prosthetics Inc.
Harris Rose, MD
Managing Director, Chief Medical Officer, CerraCap Ventures
Terri Ross
President, APX Platform Powered by Engage;
CEO/Founder Terri Ross Consulting
Stan Rowe
CEO, NXT Biomedical
Javad Sadeghi, PhD
CEO, Bodiometer
Neil Sahota
CEO, ACSILabs
Melanie Santos, MD, FPMRS
CMO, Cern Corporation
Lauren Spiegel
Sr. Director of Strategy & Business Development, Edwards Lifesciences
Reg Chhen Stewart, PhD
Vice President, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, Chapman University
Kenneth Tang, MS
CEO and Co-Founder, Precidx
Summer Taylor
Managing Director, Deloitte
Jennifer Tseng, M.D.
Medical Director of Breast Surgery, City of Hope Orange County
Ramin Valian
VP Eye Care, Abbvie
Jeffry Weinhuff
Managing Partner, Visionary Ventures
John Wong, MD, MSc, MBA
CEO & Co-Founder, Fluid Biomed
Clay Wilemon
CEO & Chairman, 4L Data Intelligence
Cheryl Wood
Senior Signature Event Manager, Octane
Nima Ziraknejad, PhD, PEng
Founder and CEO, NZ Technologies
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