Speaker's Bureau

Dr. Uli Broedl, MD, is Corporate Vice President and Head of Global Clinical Operations at Boehringer Ingelheim. He is passionate about innovative tools and approaches to improve patient access and care.

Prior to this assignment, Dr. Broedl served as Country Medical Director and Co-Chair of the Boehringer Ingelheim Incubator, an innovation lab that aims to create novel solutions to serve the needs of patients and the healthcare system, at Boehringer Ingelheim Canada, and as global Deputy Therapeutic Area Head Metabolism overseeing Phase II/III clinical development and the registration of various medications for the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus at Boehringer Ingelheim.

Dr. Broedl is adjunct Professor of Medicine at the University of Munich, Germany, and holds a Doctorate of Medicine degree from the University of Munich. He completed a Postdoctoral Fellowship in Dr. Daniel J. Rader´s lab, Institute for Translational Medicine and Therapeutics, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, and completed his training in Internal Medicine, Endocrinology and Metabolism at the Medical Center of the University of Munich.

Speaking Topic(s):

clinical trials - new normal after COVID19; decentralized clinical trials; patient-centered clinical research; blockchain technology in healthcare; blockchain technology in clinical trials; blockchain technology in clinical trials - advances and barriers to adoption

Dr. Wendy Charles has been involved in life sciences research from nearly every perspective for nearly 30 years. She implemented institution-wide research compliance, managed two Institutional Review Boards, served as Principal Investigator for digital health research, site Research Director for commercially sponsored research, worked for an SMO/CRO as a site start-up specialist, and audited research. She currently works as Chief Scientific Officer for a blockchain healthcare company where she leads the Life Sciences division.

Wendy augments her blockchain healthcare experience by serving on the Health Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) Blockchain Task Force, EU Commission Blockchain Advisory Panel, Government Blockchain Association healthcare group, and serves as Co-Chair of the IEEE Standardization Committee subgroup for Blockchain in Life Sciences Research. She also serves as Assistant Editor for Frontiers in Blockchain and as a peer reviewer for blockchain articles in several other journals.

Wendy obtained her PhD in Clinical Science with a specialty in Health Information Technology from the University of Colorado, Anschutz Medical Campus. Wendy is certified as an IRB Professional, Clinical Research Professional, and Blockchain Professional.

Speaking Topic(s):

* Blockchain design and implementation strategies for life sciences research

* Regulatory compliance considerations for blockchain

* Ethics of blockchain uses for privacy and dynamic consent

* Creating blockchain value propositions for healthcare organizations

Ms. Hoffman serves as the Global Offering Leader for IBM Watson Health. She is a sought-after Artificial Intelligence and Blockchain Subject Matter Expert and has spoken at the United Nations at Blockchain for Impact (2018) and the UN Data Forum (2020). In September 2018, she was appointed as Chair of the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission's (CFTC) Distributed Ledger Technology and Market Infrastructure Subcommittee for the 2018 - 2020 term. In October 2019, she testified in front of the CFTC on “Blockchain Privacy & Confidentiality.” In March 2019, she testified in front of the CFTC on “The Current State of Blockchain Adoption.” In June 2019, Congress submitted to the Congressional Record the paper she co-authored “Diversity in Blockchain’s Initial Review of Facebook’s Project Libra.” She has one published patent for Detecting Clusters and Relationships in Large Data Sets (20180096047) and one pending patent for Method and System for Pattern-based Home Network Configuration (END820160894). She also co-authored the book eDiscovery Plain & Simple (ISBN-13:97814394079), is the co-founder of Women in eDiscovery (Founded in 2007) and the Co-Founder of Diversity in Blockchain (Founded in 2017). In 2017, she was awarded the Certificate of Leader Development in National Security and Strategy by the U.S. Army War College.

As her give back to her local community in Orlando, Florida, Ms. Hoffman co-founded and serves on the Board of Directors of the Community Hope Center of Osceola County which has helped over 45,000 homeless individuals since its inception. The Community Hope Center has received multiple awards and most recently, was presented with the Bob Allen Award from the Walt Disney Company and the Good Neighbor Award from Bank of America for the fight against homelessness. The Community Hope Center was an inspiration and featured in the Oscar Nominated Movie, The Florida Project.

Speaking Topic(s):

Blockchain, cryptocurrency, eDiscovery, Givernance, diversity & inclusion

Recognizing the considerable potential of blockchain technology to reposition the patient in the center of healthcare and advance evidence-based clinical research, Robert founded Embleema in 2017 after a distinguished career at IBM and IMS Health (now IQVIA). Embleema’s unique technology platform and expertise accelerate outcomes generation and regulatory reviews for health products. Embleema's leading platform for precision medicine big data management and analytics is used by the FDA for its regulatory reviews of molecular data sets, and many academic and research centers for translational medicine and bioinformatics. Embleema's blockchain protects the privacy of patients and empowers them to contribute directly to research.

Robert worked for IBM in Europe and the US for more than 15 years, serving in key technical and management positions such as Global Wireless Solutions Executive in the US and Director of Telecommunications, Media & Utilities Sector for IBM France. In June of 2007, Robert joined IMS Health France and served as the General Manager of the affiliate in 2011. He then moved to Shanghai in China in 2013 to run the Asia Pacific and China operations for IMS Health. Robert was subsequently promoted in 2015 to Senior Vice President, Global Technology Solutions, responsible for the management of a 1,400 employees and $800 million business, delivering SaaS solutions for the healthcare and life sciences industries globally.

Robert graduated with a Master's Degree in Engineering from the Ecole Polytechnique in Paris, France in 1988 and obtained a Master's in Computer Sciences shortly thereafter from Ecole Nationale Superieure des Telecommunications in 1990.

Speaking Topic(s)

Blockchain for healthcare

Precision medicine bioinformatics

Real-world data platforms

Jorge A. Ferrer MD, MBA, FAMIA, FHIMSS has practiced health informatics since 2000 within the U.S. federal government with expertise in health informatics policy, standards, perioperative care informatics, innovations, interoperability, and distributed ledger technology (blockchain). Dr. Ferrer is an Adjunct Assistant Professor at UTHealth School of Biomedical Informatics, Fellow of the American Medical Informatics Association, and Fellow of the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society. He is on the Editorial Board for Blockchain in Healthcare Today journal. He serves in the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society Innovation Committee, Vice Chair of the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society Blockchain in Healthcare Task Force, American Council for Technology - Industry Advisory Council (ACT-IAC) Blockchain Working Group, IEEE Standards Association Blockchain in Healthcare and Life Sciences Standards Development Working Group and, Government Blockchain Association Government Advisory Board.

Speaking Topic(s)

Blockchain in Healthcare

Joyce Hunter is a strategic-doer and a philanthropreneur. She was appointed by President Barack Obama to the position of Deputy Chief Information Officer for Policy and Planning at the Department of Agriculture (2013-2017) and was the Acting Chief Information Officer from March 2016 to July 2016. In addition to policy and technology planning, Ms. Hunter oversaw the Departments 4.1 billion dollar IT investment portfolio, is the creator of the Open Data STEAM (Science Technology Engineering Agriculture and Math) summer camp for underserved youth. With over 30 years’ experience in the information technology industry, Ms. Hunter demonstrates a strong ability to build and sustain relationships with public/private stakeholders, develop and lead innovative projects and inter-agency initiatives. Ms. Hunter was the CEO of Vulcan Enterprises prior to her federal appointment and has returned to that role. Vulcan is a strategic management consulting organization, where she also provides executive coaching and Information Technology advisory services to corporate, federal and non-profit CXO’s. 

Ms. Hunter earned a BA from Villanova University and an MBA in Marketing from the University of Pennsylvania, Wharton School of Business. She was inducted into the Overbrook High School Hall of Fame in 2018, selected by the Tech Council of Pennsylvania to be a TEDx Talk presenter (October 2017) and by California Lutheran University to be a TEDx Talk presenter (October 2018). Ms. Hunter is the co Ambassador of the the Blockchain in Healthcare Today, DMV chapter and was recently named by Security Magazine one of the most Influential People in Security for 2020. She was chosen by the editors of FedScoop to be included in the 2017 and 2016 annual list of "D.C.’s Top 50 Women in Technology”, the 2016 Top 50 Federal Leaders, a 2017 recipient of the Roy L. Clay Sr. Technology Pinnacle Award as one of the 50 Most Important African-Americans in Technology and a recipient of the Wharton DC Club Joseph A. Wharton award. Ms. Hunter is on the Dean’s Advisory Council for Villanova University, many industry advisory boards, an Executive Director with the Institute for Critical Infrastructure Technology (ICIT), a cybersecurity Think Tank and published in The Handbook of Federal Government Leadership and Administration: Transforming, Performing and Innovating in a Complex World (Routledge 2017).

Speaking Topic(s):

Blockchain, Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity

Radhika Iyengar is a TEDx speaker, a Silicon Valley Woman of Influence, and a serial entrepreneur. She is Founding Partner at StarChain Ventures, a Silicon Valley-based venture studio focused on the convergence of advanced technologies including AI, Blockchain and IoT in key sectors such as healthcare, fintech and sustainability. She is also Managing Partner at DoubleNova Group, a boutique strategic business & advanced technology advisory that advises the Global 2000 and top high-tech startups.

Ms. Iyengar is the author of Enterprise Blockchain Has Arrived, a critically acclaimed book on enterprise blockchain (2nd edition due to be released in 2021). She is a member of the Government Blockchain Association and the California Gov Ops Blockchain Working Group, a task force advising Gov. Gavin Newsom and California state legislature. She has been a guest speaker at leading conferences, tech companies and universities, including Mobile World Congress, WBAF World Congress, HLTH, Health 2.0, Google, Intel, Harvard, MIT, Stanford, UC Berkeley and UCLA. As a notable blockchain and digital health expert, she has been interviewed by Business/Tech Insider, CNN International, Forbes, SF Bay Area radio shows and tech podcasts.

Ms. Iyengar’s career encompasses strategic, business and tech advisory to global high-tech startups and established tech companies, as well as her own journey as a serial entrepreneur. Multilingual in 9+ languages, she has advised governments, government programs and international accelerators. She was selected by the US Dept. of State to advise the finalists in President Obama’s Global Entrepreneurship Summit (2016). As a Silicon Valley fundraising expert, she has advised companies that have raised over $150M+ from Silicon Valley and global investors, both directly and through exclusive programs. She is an Advisory Board member of top global startups in blockchain in healthcare, digital health, enterprise defi + fintech, and agtech/sustainability from the US, Europe, Asia and Latin America.

Ms. Iyengar leads numerous global organizations that focus on her areas of passion: global entrepreneurship, diversity & inclusion, and advanced technologies in healthcare. She a member of the Board of Directors of UPWARD, a premier global network of executive women focused on advancing executive diversity, equity and inclusion, as well as on the BOD of TiE Silicon Valley, the flagship chapter of TiE, the largest non-profit focused on global entrepreneurship. She is on the Advisory Board of the World Business Angel Investment Forum (WBAF) - USA Country Office and leads key initiatives. Radhika is also an Advisory Board member for Partners in Digital Health Institute and Advisor + Global Ambassador for Blockchain in Healthcare Today. She holds an MBA from Chapman University, an AB from Bryn Mawr College, and is a Certified Network Engineer.

Speaking Topic(s)

Keynotes in:

Convergence of Advanced Technologies in Healthcare, Enterprise Blockchain, Blockchain in Healthcare, AI in Healthcare, Personalized Medicine, Personalized Healthcare, Next Gen Biotech/Pharma, Next Gen in Fintech/Enterprise Defi, Investment Opportunities in Blockchain, Investment Opportunities in Healthcare/Digital Health/Biotech/Pharma, Investment Opportunities in Fintech

Dr. Ali Loveys is a leader in healthcare emerging information technology such as electronic health records (HIMSS Davies Award winner) health information exchange (founding Vice-chair Rochester Regional Information Organization), digital health applications (kiosks, payment model – Health-e-Pay) and blockchain (Led US Healthcare blockchain while at EY) privacy and security (American Academy of Pediatrics). Dr. Loveys continues to be on the leading edge of emerging technology and brings 30 years of experience in working with entities so that technology truly supports their mission statement in a way that is user-centric, inclusive, and equitable. Her IT innovation work is end-to-end through systems design and optimization, business modeling, end-users’ experience, and secure, privacy preserving implementations in both the private and public sector (Finger Lakes COVID Hub). She is also committed to mentoring and education. She is dually medical board certified in primary care and was in the in the inaugural class of the newly recognized medical specialty of clinical informatics (American Board of Preventive Medicine).

"Chrissa McFarlane is the CEO of Patientory, a global currency and population health management service that regulates and secures patient data, Named as one of the top women “leaving their mark on the medtech field” by Becker’s Hospital Review, Chrissa launched Patientory in December 2015 after seeing the need in the market for a more personalized and secure population health management solution. She resides in Atlanta and Tweets at @ChrissaTanelia.

Chrissa exudes creativity and is a high-performing strategic thinker and excellent team-builder. She’s an entrepreneur with a passion for creating cutting-edge healthcare products that transform the face of healthcare delivery in the US and abroad. She brings over 10 years in the healthcare industry conducting research and managing teams. She holds notable international published research in healthcare and has helped create breakthrough digital health companies that have provided services to companies such as Tumblr, Blue Apron, Casper and Meetup.

Her passion for health care began as early as high school, where she conducted microbiology research at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine and won top honors at the Otto Burgdorf Research Competition. Later at Cornell University, Chrissa worked with organizations such as the United States Department of Agriculture-Robert Holey Center for Agriculture and Health and Cayuga Medical Center. After teaching Math and Science for a year in an underserved community inside the Atlanta Public School system, Chrissa decided to pursue business school. She holds a Bachelor of Arts, cum laude from Cornell, and a Masters in Management from the Wake Forest University School of Business. "

Speaking Topic(s):

Incentivizing Change within SDOH using Blockchain Technology

Jim Nasr is the CEO of Acoer—at technology firm focused on building usable, open, blockchain-enabled software for healthcare—and the acting CTO at Safe Health Systems, a digital health platform provider. Prior to his current roles, Jim was Chief Software Architect at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)—leading the modernization of the agency’s scientific applications, culminating in the development of OpenCDC.

Jim has more than twenty years of experience in the technology industry, with over a decade as a founder profitably growing the technology firm Armedia LLC from inception to over 100 employees, and a 5-time Inc. 5000 awardee. Jim has co-authored several technology books, guest lectured for a number of universities, co-developed a semester long course on Token Economics for the University of Georgia, and spoken globally at numerous industry events, including many on modern software development practices and blockchain technologies.

Jim is a Workgroup Lead for the IEEE Decentralized Clinical Trials standards body, Architecture Lead for PhUSE Blockchain Working Group, a Technical Fellow at pioneering digital identity organization EP3 Foundation and on advisory for a number of technology startups. He has an MBA from the University of Connecticut, a BS in Computer Science and Statistics from Coventry University and resides in Atlanta, GA.

Speaking Topic(s):

Blockchain technologies

Blockchain technologies in healthcare and clinical research

Open technologies

Data management technologies

Data discovery (machine learning)

Software development in healthcare

COVID connected diagnostics and treatment

Modern technologies in healthcare