Sepha Soul was created by Jeanette and Frode Josepha‑Hveding - partners in life, in vision, and in the belief that the future of wellbeing begins with reconnecting to ourselves. Jeanette brings the intuitive, soulful dimension of the project, while Frode brings the technical imagination and engineering mindset. Together, they form the heart and structure of Sepha Soul.

Sepha Soul was created by Jeanette and Frode Josepha‑Hveding - partners in life, in vision, and in the belief that the future of wellbeing begins with reconnecting to ourselves. Jeanette brings the intuitive, soulful dimension of the project, while F... Show more

Mary McGrath is a generalist with a specialty in the field of Education. She has taught foundational courses in Communication, Leadership Development, and Emotional Intelligence, as well as directed Residential Learning Communities for undergraduates, all at the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign (UIUC). At UIUC she also earned an MEd in Curriculum and Instruction with a specialization in Aesthetics. Currently, Mary is working in academic medicine at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, creating programs for faculty that facilitate their professional, personal, and creative development.

Mary McGrath is a generalist with a specialty in the field of Education. She has taught foundational courses in Communication, Leadership Development, and Emotional Intelligence, as well as directed Residential Learning Communities for undergraduates... Show more

Bhargavi Kalicheti is a technology leader with over 15 years of experience designing and delivering enterprise-scale solutions across artificial intelligence, machine learning, healthcare technology, and large-scale IT systems. She specializes in developing AI-powered conversational platforms, Generative AI solutions, and agentic AI architectures that enhance healthcare service delivery and support large-scale digital transformation initiatives.
Currently serving as a Lead AI/ML Engineer at UnitedHealth Group (Optum), Bhargavi leads the modernization of legacy telephony and IVR ecosystems into AI-enabled, cloud-native conversational platforms that support interactions among members, providers, and pharmacies. Her work focuses on building scalable AI systems using technologies such as large language models (LLMs), prompt engineering, retrieval-augmented generation (RAG), and autonomous AI agents. These solutions enable natural, context-aware interactions and help organizations improve operational efficiency while maintaining regulatory compliance in healthcare environments.
Bhargavi has played a key role in designing multi-agent AI systems that plan, reason, and execute complex workflows across healthcare platforms. These systems integrate enterprise APIs, knowledge bases, and decision engines to support tasks such as prescription status checks, benefits validation, and secure data retrieval. She has also implemented guardrails, monitoring frameworks, and human-in-the-loop controls to ensure safe and responsible deployment of AI technologies in regulated environments.
Throughout her career, Bhargavi has delivered several high-impact initiatives that improved operational efficiency and reduced costs. Her AI-driven conversational platforms have increased call containment, reduced contact center volumes, and improved provider and member experiences across healthcare systems. These solutions support thousands of user interactions and generate measurable operational savings by improving automation and self-service capabilities.
Before joining UnitedHealth Group, Bhargavi worked as a Technology Analyst at Infosys Technologies, where she contributed to the development of enterprise applications, modernized legacy systems, and built scalable microservices architectures that later enabled AI and digital platform expansion.
Bhargavi holds a Postgraduate Program in Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning from the University of Texas at Austin and a Bachelor of Technology in Information Technology from SSN College of Engineering, Chennai. She also maintains professional certifications, including AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate, Google Cloud Digital Leader, Sun Certified Java Developer, and Certified SAFe DevOps Practitioner.

Bhargavi Kalicheti is a technology leader with over 15 years of experience designing and delivering enterprise-scale solutions across artificial intelligence, machine learning, healthcare technology, and large-scale IT systems. She specializes in dev... Show more

Naveen Anand Mishra is a Senior Architect specializing in enterprise AI, data platforms, and regulated healthcare technology. His work focuses on modernizing large-scale data and integration architectures, designing governed AI systems, and applying agentic AI patterns to complex enterprise workflows. He has experience across cloud architecture, event-driven platforms, data quality, API modernization, and AI governance. Naveen is also an IEEE member and an active contributor to industry–academic research on AI agents, healthcare interoperability, and enterprise architecture.

Naveen Anand Mishra is a Senior Architect specializing in enterprise AI, data platforms, and regulated healthcare technology. His work focuses on modernizing large-scale data and integration architectures, designing governed AI systems, and applying ... Show more

Dami Junaid is a Senior Business Analyst and Product professional with 9+ years of experience leading digital transformation initiatives across startups, mid-size organisations, and Fortune 500 companies. She has worked across Healthcare, Life Sciences, Retail (E-commerce), Automotive, Transportation, and Finance, supporting both B2C and B2B organisations through complex product and delivery challenges.

She specialises in product discovery, business analysis, and strategy under ambiguity. Her work focuses on helping teams clarify problems before solutions are built, surface delivery risks early, and translate user and business needs into actionable outcomes. Her approach is iterative, user-centred, and grounded in critical thinking.

Having lived and worked across three continents (North America, Africa, and Europe), Dami brings something many teams don’t often have in the room: a global perspective shaped by lived experience, not just frameworks. She is particularly passionate about helping organisations navigate complexity, bridge communication gaps and build practical solutions.

Outside of work, Dami enjoys solo travel, exploring new cultures, singing, and swimming — experiences that continue to shape her curiosity, adaptability, and people-centred approach to problem-solving.

Dami Junaid is a Senior Business Analyst and Product professional with 9+ years of experience leading digital transformation initiatives across startups, mid-size organisations, and Fortune 500 companies. She has worked across Healthcare, Life Scienc... Show more

Tiara Jamison is the Founder and CEO of AnnieGuard, a causal intelligence company focused on understanding the hidden systems that drive biological threats, disease, environmental risk, and complex human outcomes.

Her work centers on a simple but powerful idea: events do not happen randomly. Whether the outcome is a disease diagnosis, a public health crisis, an environmental disaster, or a system failure, there are underlying causes that can be reconstructed from the data that already exists.

Drawing on experience across Microsoft, Google, and Amazon, Tiara combines systems thinking, threat detection principles, artificial intelligence, and biological research to help organizations move beyond prediction and toward understanding why events happen.

After losing her mother, Annie, to sarcoma, Tiara founded AnnieGuard to challenge conventional approaches to disease detection and risk assessment. Today, her work explores how causal intelligence can be applied across healthcare, biological security, environmental systems, public safety, and critical infrastructure.

Tiara speaks on causal intelligence, biological and environmental threats, systems failure, healthcare innovation, artificial intelligence, entrepreneurship, resilience, and the future of decision-making in complex environments.

Tiara Jamison is the Founder and CEO of AnnieGuard, a causal intelligence company focused on understanding the hidden systems that drive biological threats, disease, environmental risk, and complex human outcomes. Her work centers on a simple but ... Show more

Everything with Data Analytics in Healthcare & CPG domain. With specialization in marketing & consumer behaviour analytics

Everything with Data Analytics in Healthcare & CPG domain. With specialization in marketing & consumer behaviour analytics Show more

Naveen Parameshwarappa is a technology professional with nearly 14 years of experience in web and cloud technologies, currently working as an Architect and Project Manager at Deloitte Consulting LLC in Dallas, Texas. His expertise focuses on Salesforce, Java, and J2EE technologies, with particular experience in government and healthcare projects.
At Deloitte, Naveen has worked on major government modernization initiatives including projects for the New York State Department of Health's Medicaid Eligibility Modernization system serving more than 8 million individuals, the Illinois Department of Public Health's Long-Term Licensing & Certification System, and the CDC's Vaccine Administration Management System supporting 13 million vaccine administrations across multiple jurisdictions. His work on the Illinois licensing system helped reduce application completion time by 35% through improved OmniScript flows and automation.
Prior to Deloitte, Naveen spent several years at Tata Consultancy Services working on banking and financial services projects for Bank of America. His contributions included developing mobile payment solutions for over 4 million digital wallet customers, enhancing security frameworks that achieved a 45% reduction in fraudulent activities, and building mobile remote check deposit capabilities serving 4 million active mobile users.
Naveen is currently pursuing a Master's degree in Engineering Management at Cornell University. He holds a Bachelor of Engineering in Information Science from Siddaganga Institute of Technology and completed executive education in Product Management at UC Berkeley's Haas School of Business. His professional certifications include Project Management Professional (PMP), multiple Salesforce certifications including Sales Cloud and App Builder, AWS Certified Developer Associate, and SAFe 4 Certified Practitioner. He has also published research on digital image watermarking using empirical mode decomposition.

Naveen Parameshwarappa is a technology professional with nearly 14 years of experience in web and cloud technologies, currently working as an Architect and Project Manager at Deloitte Consulting LLC in Dallas, Texas. His expertise focuses on Salesfor... Show more

Soujanya Vummannagari is an accomplished Senior Product/Delivery Manager with over 20 years of experience driving digital transformation across healthcare, retail, finance, and insurance industries. Currently serving as Senior Development Consultant at Evernorth/Express Scripts through Endava Solutions, she leads a comprehensive product portfolio encompassing 50+ Spring Boot services and 400+ DataPower/Mainframe services while managing a 30+ member global team.
Her expertise spans the full technology spectrum, from legacy mainframe systems (PLI, CICS, COBOL) to modern cloud-native architectures using Java, Spring Boot,Openshift and AWS. Soujanya has demonstrated exceptional leadership in large-scale system modernization, successfully migrating monolithic systems to microservices architectures, achieving 1300+ MIPS savings and delivering $2.5M in license cost reductions through strategic technology transitions.
Notable achievements include developing innovative certification frameworks that contributed to $1.75M in cost savings, building analytics platforms that drove incremental revenue growth, and leading FHIR API migrations that enhanced healthcare data interoperability across multiple organizations. Her technical proficiency extends to DevOps practices, utilizing tools like Jenkins, Git, and Pivotal Cloud Foundry, while maintaining robust monitoring and security standards through Grafana, Splunk, newrelic , and Dynatrace.
Prior to her current role, Soujanya held key positions at Clopay Doors, PNC Healthcare, State Farm Insurance, and Citigroup, where she consistently delivered scalable solutions and led cross-functional teams to achieve strategic business objectives. Her experience includes extensive work with HIPAA compliance, EDI transaction processing, and claims management systems.
Soujanya holds a Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering and maintains Project Management Professional (PMP) certification alongside OBIEE Foundation Suite 11G certification, reflecting her commitment to continuous professional development and excellence in technology leadership.

Soujanya Vummannagari is an accomplished Senior Product/Delivery Manager with over 20 years of experience driving digital transformation across healthcare, retail, finance, and insurance industries. Currently serving as Senior Development Consultant ... Show more

Ing. en sistemas, Co-fundador de CSN y Proticket.io, Co-Lider del Java User Group y Lider del AWS User Group Guatemala, especializado en crear soluciones seguras y escalables sobre la nube de AWS. He liderado proyectos en sectores de salud, educación, BPO's, eventos masivos y plataformas digitales, combinando inteligencia artificial, servicios serverless y visión de negocio. Actualmente impulso iniciativas tecnológicas que optimizan procesos y mejoran la experiencia.

Ing. en sistemas, Co-fundador de CSN y Proticket.io, Co-Lider del Java User Group y Lider del AWS User Group Guatemala, especializado en crear soluciones seguras y escalables sobre la nube de AWS. He liderado proyectos en sectores de salud, educación... Show more

Pankaj Bakshi is an Enterprise AI Strategist, AI Commercialization Leader, and Agentic AI Leader with 25+ years of experience driving large‑scale digital and AI transformation across global, regulated enterprises. He specializes in AI commercialization, GTM strategy, enterprise AI adoption, and value realization frameworks that convert AI prototypes into scalable, revenue‑impacting products.

Pankaj has launched enterprise‑grade AI platforms, including a GenAI‑powered mobile app adopted by global users, a regulatory‑compliant ML Model Foundry, and AI‑native integration frameworks across SAP, Oracle, Workday, and Azure ecosystems. His work spans clinical research, healthcare, BFSI, ERP modernization, and intelligent automation.

He has held leadership roles at IBM, Deloitte, Capgemini, and most recently Fortrea, where he led enterprise AI strategy, commercialization, and global AI adoption. Pankaj is known for designing federated AI operating models, establishing AI Centers of Excellence, and building enterprise AI literacy programs for executives and frontline teams.
Agentic AI, Clinical AI, Enterprise AI, AI Governance, AI Ethics, AI Commercialization, Digital Transformation, Healthcare AI, Responsible AI, AI Leadership, AI Strategy, GenAI, LLMOps, RAG, AI in Clinical Trials, AI for CROs, Dharma & AI, Ethical Tech, Future of Work

Pankaj Bakshi is an Enterprise AI Strategist, AI Commercialization Leader, and Agentic AI Leader with 25+ years of experience driving large‑scale digital and AI transformation across global, regulated enterprises. He specializes in AI commercializati... Show more

Beth McDonough is an author, keynote speaker, recovery advocate and reconstruction of life strategist.

She guides people through their lowest moments to rebuild what stands next after public collapse, when visibility is high, consequences are real, and the path forward is unclear.

Beth is a living case study in recovery, resilience and reconstruction. She occupies the space between catastrophe and comeback.

An investigative journalist for 30 years, Beth covered disasters until she became one. Two highly publicized DUIs. Fired twice. First by the newsroom, then by society. Her work speaks to people whose mistakes live online permanently.

Beth understands what it takes to recreate a life while the world watches, because she did the work on herself first. She is the case study. Alcohol took her down once, an invisible illness tried to again. The breakdown became her blueprint for showing others how to re-emerge structurally stronger than before, from the inside out, when willpower isn’t enough.

Beth shares an original message for audiences hungry for something stronger than motivation and more compassionate than discipline.

Beth developed the STILL STANDING™ method, a five-step framework that treats recovery & resilience like reconstruction projects for life AFTER impact. The approach is evidence-based, trauma-aware, shame-informed and pressure tested.

Before her collapse, Beth documented some of the most defining breaking news events of our time:
• 9/11 terrorist attacks
• Oklahoma City bombing
• I-35W Minneapolis bridge collapse
• Prince’s sudden death
• Escape of kidnapped teen Jayme Closs
• Civil unrest following George Floyd’s death in police custody: Beth was wounded by gunfire while reporting

Her work has appeared on CNN, ABC, CBS, NBC and FOX News along with countless podcasts, newspapers, magazines and talk shows.

She’s earned multiple Emmy Awards, a national Edward R. Murrow Award, the prestigious duPont- Columbia Journalism Award for coverage of George Floyd’s death and the racial reckoning that followed.

Beth authored two memoirs, STANDBY and STILL STANDING, one book opens the wound. The second shows the rebuild. She's also been featured in a Lifetime documentary with survivor advocate Elizabeth Smart called, “Smart Justice: The Jayme Closs Case.”

Beyond the newsroom, Beth channeled her love for animals into owning a dog daycare before returning to journalism with renewed perspective.

Today, she lives in southern Utah desert surrounded by red rock mountains. Sharing life with her rescue weiner dog, she continues to tell stories about resilience, redemption, reinvention and reconstructing a life after a career spent in the fast lane.

Beth McDonough is an author, keynote speaker, recovery advocate and reconstruction of life strategist. She guides people through their lowest moments to rebuild what stands next after public collapse, when visibility is high, consequences are real... Show more

Nagaraju Vedicherla is a highly accomplished IT professional with over 20 years of experience in analyzing, estimating, designing, and implementing stable enterprise applications using Java/J2EE technologies. He currently serves as Manager, Healthcare IT Solutions at Acentra Health, where he is a subject matter expert in healthcare claims processing, including State MMIS and Federal Workers’ Compensation systems.
Nagaraju has led global development teams to deliver mission-critical applications on time, with a proven track record in solution design, implementation, system modernization, and performance optimization. His technical expertise spans Java/J2EE, Spring framework, Microservices, Oracle Service Bus, JPA, Hibernate, XML, various databases (including Oracle, DB2, and MySQL), and multiple enterprise integration and automation tools. He has also contributed to projects in domains such as hospitality, travel and transport, telecom billing, media entertainment, and banking.
Nagaraju has managed end-to-end solution delivery, from requirements analysis to production support, and has introduced innovations that improved productivity and reduced manual intervention in claims processing. His leadership has been recognized with numerous awards, including the Acentra Health Top Performer and Excellence Awards, Mindtree SpotOn Award, SITA Certificate of Appreciation, and multiple IBM Bravo Awards.
Nagaraju holds a Master of Computer Applications from J.N.T. University College of Engineering (85.8%), Anantapur(Autonomous) and a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from Sri Krishna Chaitanya Degree College (86%) affiliated to Sri Venkateswara University, Tirupati.

Nagaraju Vedicherla is a highly accomplished IT professional with over 20 years of experience in analyzing, estimating, designing, and implementing stable enterprise applications using Java/J2EE technologies. He currently serves as Manager, Healthcar... Show more

Andrew Ecker is an author, certified peer support specialist, White Bison recovery coach, and nationally recognized speaker specializing in mental health, recovery, community wellness, and the transformative power of rhythm and sound. As the co-founder of Drumming Sounds, Andrew has helped facilitate more than 5,000 wellness-based events for healthcare organizations, tribal communities, treatment centers, schools, corporations, and conferences across the United States.

Drawing from over two decades of recovery and lived experience overcoming generational substance use disorder, incarceration, trauma, and mental health challenges, Andrew brings a unique blend of evidence-based practices, Indigenous-informed perspectives, and practical wisdom to his presentations. His work explores the intersections of neuroscience, recovery, identity, community connection, and experiential wellness.

Andrew is the creator of the Drumming Sounds Protocol, an evidence-based group drumming intervention designed to support mental health, stress reduction, team cohesion, and social connection. He has presented for healthcare systems, behavioral health organizations, universities, tribal nations, government agencies, and national conferences, and has been featured on ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX, and nationally syndicated television.

Born from the Apache and born to the Irish, Andrew's work is deeply influenced by his exploration of Indigenous identity, ceremonial introduction, and community-centered healing. He is the author of The Sacred Seven, a contemporary framework for self-identity, belonging, and personal transformation.

Whether speaking to clinicians, educators, leaders, recovery professionals, or community members, Andrew combines compelling storytelling, research-informed insights, humor, and experiential learning to create presentations that inspire meaningful personal and organizational change.

Andrew Ecker is an author, certified peer support specialist, White Bison recovery coach, and nationally recognized speaker specializing in mental health, recovery, community wellness, and the transformative power of rhythm and sound. As the co-found... Show more

Raj Devarajan grew up in India with a steady sense of purpose and an early commitment to medicine. At fifteen, he entered Madras Medical College, beginning medical school while many students were still deciding what to study. That early step reflected the focus that would guide his long professional path.

After completing medical school, Raj moved to the US for advanced training. He completed residencies in adult psychiatry at Yale University, child psychiatry at Harvard University, and internal medicine and gastroenterology at Tufts University. By the time his fellowship ended in 1994, he had developed a broad clinical background that enabled him to understand patients' needs across both physical and behavioral health.

In 1994, Raj founded Middlesex Gastroenterology, PC. Over the next 29 years, he helped grow one of the busiest gastroenterology practices in Massachusetts. Before retiring from clinical medicine in 2023, he performed more than sixty thousand endoscopic procedures. He also founded the ERCP program at Emerson Hospital and Nashoba Valley Medical Center, supporting treatment for problems involving the bile ducts and pancreas.

Raj Devarajan, MD, worked closely with Emerson Hospital, Newton-Wellesley Hospital, Boston Children's Hospital, and Yale New Haven Medical Center. In 2005, he established ASC Middlesex Endoscopy Center, LLC, to help provide patient care more efficiently outside the hospital setting. He served as the facility's President until 2023.

Raj's leadership included serving as President of the Medical Staff at Emerson Hospital from 2015 to 2017 and as a Board member from 2015 to 2019. He also served as Past President of the Massachusetts Gastroenterology Association and the American Association of Gastroenterologists of Indian Origin. Beyond healthcare, he founded several companies in other sectors.

Raj served as a speaker for Salix Pharmaceuticals, Ironwood Pharmaceuticals, Forest Pharmaceuticals, and AstraZeneca. He also worked as a consultant for Boston Scientific and Pentax Corporation and served on the Medical Advisory Board of Cristcot Corporation and Allurion Corporation. He appeared in television interviews to explain common gastrointestinal diseases in clear language. He also holds a share of a patent for an HCA drug formulation tested worldwide and currently awaiting FDA approval.

Outside work, he enjoys golf, tennis, chess, bridge, and skiing. He is a father of two adult children and values charitable service, including supporting a school in India and volunteering at the Acton Food Pantry.

Today, Raj Devarajan serves as Global Medical Monitor at Cristcot, leveraging his clinical and regulatory experience to support drug development programs and advance medicine more broadly.

Raj Devarajan grew up in India with a steady sense of purpose and an early commitment to medicine. At fifteen, he entered Madras Medical College, beginning medical school while many students were still deciding what to study. That early step reflecte... Show more

Khrystyna Kurganska is an entrepreneur, founder, and mental health advocate working at the intersection of business, social impact, psychology, sensory experience, and human recovery.
For more than 15 years, she has built businesses in perfumery, aroma marketing, and multisensory brand experience. Her professional background explores how scent, memory, environment, and emotion shape the way people feel, behave, connect, and recover.
Since 2022, she has led DOLADU, an NGO supporting psychological rehabilitation, psychosocial recovery, and reintegration for military personnel, veterans, their families, and people affected by war in Ukraine.

Khrystyna Kurganska is an entrepreneur, founder, and mental health advocate working at the intersection of business, social impact, psychology, sensory experience, and human recovery. For more than 15 years, she has built businesses in perfumery, ar... Show more

Strategically supporting CIOs and CTOs launch AI and tech with minimum risk and maximum clarity.

Sylvia Bargellini is the Founder and Principle Strategist at Lini Tech Strategy Consulting, where she helps organizations navigate the intersection of operational excellence and digital transformation. With a background in Lean, Agile, and Kaizen-like frameworks, Sylvia specializes in aligning complex ecosystems—people, processes, and technology—to launch AI and tech with low risk and maximum clarity.

Unlike traditional tech consultants, Sylvia focuses on the human element of transformation. She has guided teams in Healthcare, Government, and Big Tech (Google, Meta, Amazon) to achieve success for teams and organizations, such as 48% efficiency gains, by ensuring that technology serves a clear, shared purpose.

At Lini, she facilitates high-impact meetings and workshops that break down silos and empower teams to co-create their future-state. Sylvia is passionate about helping leaders align and optimize their processes before they automate, ensuring that innovation builds on existing tech and human potential.

Strategically supporting CIOs and CTOs launch AI and tech with minimum risk and maximum clarity. Sylvia Bargellini is the Founder and Principle Strategist at Lini Tech Strategy Consulting, where she helps organizations navigate the intersection of... Show more

Jasper is a curious, creative and versatile data & visualization expert who loves to tackle data challenges.
He strongly believes in the power and the value of data and will only be satisfied when stories can be told based on the gained insights.
Initially started as a SAS developer but evolved to a seasoned all-round BI profile with proven experience (15y+) on different Business Intelligence platforms. He worked for various financial institutions in Belgium but loves exploring other sectors as well: telecom, public services, retail and healthcare...

Jasper is a curious, creative and versatile data & visualization expert who loves to tackle data challenges. He strongly believes in the power and the value of data and will only be satisfied when stories can be told based on the gained insights. ... Show more

Hemant Pawar is a seasoned technology executive with over 20 years of experience driving digital transformation and customer success across healthcare and supply chain management domains. Recently, as a Program Director at Zeal-Tech for Kaiser Permanente, Hemant led critical initiatives that transformed telehealth services during COVID-19, scaling from 1,000 to 50,000+ daily visits while maintaining 99.5% uptime.
Throughout his career, Hemant has excelled at the intersection of technology implementation and business value delivery. At Cognizant, he spearheaded pharmacy system enhancements that integrated critical NCPDP standards, improving patient safety and reducing re-ordering cycle time and prescription fulfillment costs. His leadership increased customer satisfaction scores from 45 to 75 and drove 12% year-over-year revenue growth.
Hemant's expertise spans healthcare technology, supply chain management, and SaaS product development. At the start of his career his work with e2Open Solutions involved building logistics and freight management systems for international clients like FedEx, CMA CGM and implementing the first US Customs-certified Automated Manifest System for his organization. During his leadership tenure at IBM Labs, Hemant managed global product development for IBM Watson's AI based Marketing Cloud suite, focusing on campaign optimization and customer engagement analytics. He created comprehensive training programs that increased client self-sufficiency by 27% while reducing support tickets by 40%. At BMC Software, he facilitated DevOps implementations for banking giants including BNP Paribas, RBC, and Citi.
Beyond his corporate achievements, Hemant is the founder of a private equity real estate firm (Jewelequity.com) that manages $200M in assets across nine states, creating over 20 jobs. He is also recognized for his humanitarian work supporting human trafficking victims and has performed as a volunteer at the World Culture Festival 2023 in Washington DC.
Hemant holds an Executive Master's Certificate from the Indian Institute of Management, a Master's in International Marketing from Symbiosis University, and a Bachelor's in Electronics and Telecommunication Engineering. He combines technical depth with business acumen to drive meaningful digital transformation that enhances both operational efficiency and human experience.

Hemant Pawar is a seasoned technology executive with over 20 years of experience driving digital transformation and customer success across healthcare and supply chain management domains. Recently, as a Program Director at Zeal-Tech for Kaiser Perman... Show more

TRANSFORMING ADVERSITY INTO PURPOSE FOR LEADERS AND TEAMS
Leadership. Resilience. Reinvention. Purpose-driven growth.

Dr. Ken Kaufman is a leadership and resilience speaker, author, and sports medicine clinician with more than 30 years of experience helping people recover, rebuild, and perform through adversity.

As the founder of Sarasota Sports Medicine and a former spring training chiropractor for Major League Baseball organizations, Dr. Kaufman spent decades working in high-performance environments where pressure, setbacks, discipline, recovery, and perseverance were part of everyday life. His work with athletes, business professionals, active adults, and patients gave him a front-row seat to the human side of adversity — the moments when people are forced to decide whether they will quit, survive, or grow.

But Dr. Kaufman’s message is not built only on professional experience. It is also deeply personal.

After building a successful practice and identity around achievement, leadership, and performance, Dr. Kaufman walked through a significant season of personal and professional adversity. He experienced the loss of his business, financial security, and the sense of identity he had built around success. What followed was a difficult but transformational process of rebuilding — not just financially or professionally, but personally, spiritually, and emotionally.

Through that season, he discovered that adversity often reveals what success can hide. It exposes identity, tests endurance, clarifies priorities, and forces leaders to confront who they are beneath the titles, accomplishments, and external markers of success.

Today, Dr. Kaufman uses his story, clinical experience, leadership background, and faith-informed perspective to help leaders, teams, organizations, churches, colleges, and professional audiences understand adversity differently. His message is not simply about bouncing back. It is about being rebuilt with greater clarity, humility, courage, resilience, and purpose.

He is the author of Spiritual Endurance: Faith Forged in the Fire, a book that explores how hardship can become a catalyst for deeper strength, renewed identity, and lasting transformation.

Dr. Kaufman’s life and work are rooted in a simple but powerful belief: adversity does not have to be wasted. When understood and approached correctly, it can become the very place where stronger people, stronger leaders, and stronger teams are FORGED.

TRANSFORMING ADVERSITY INTO PURPOSE FOR LEADERS AND TEAMS Leadership. Resilience. Reinvention. Purpose-driven growth. Dr. Ken Kaufman is a leadership and resilience speaker, author, and sports medicine clinician with more than 30 years of experie... Show more

Siri Yellu is a Research Assistant and Computer Science professional specializing in Data Science and Machine Learning. Her work focuses on building reliable and interpretable machine learning systems, with experience spanning feature engineering, evaluation-driven modeling, and applied AI system design.

She is the first author of peer-reviewed publications in IEEE and Springer conferences, where her research explores handcrafted image features, Bayesian optimization, ensemble learning, and generative models for medical image analysis, computational pathology, and multimodal AI applications. Her work emphasizes bridging rigorous evaluation with practical system design to ensure models are not only accurate, but trustworthy and maintainable.

Siri enjoys working at the intersection of theory and practice, translating research insights into real-world AI systems. She is particularly interested in applied machine learning architectures, system reliability, and building AI solutions that can be confidently deployed and maintained by engineering teams.

Siri Yellu is a Research Assistant and Computer Science professional specializing in Data Science and Machine Learning. Her work focuses on building reliable and interpretable machine learning systems, with experience spanning feature engineering, e... Show more

Laura Merritt, LCSW, is a trauma therapist, speaker, and educator specializing in PTSD, anxiety, and psychedelic informed care. With over 20 years of experience, she bridges evidence based trauma treatment with somatic, cultural, and holistic approaches, helping clinicians navigate complex conversations around trauma healing, ethics, and emerging therapeutic practices.

Laura Merritt, LCSW, is a trauma therapist, speaker, and educator specializing in PTSD, anxiety, and psychedelic informed care. With over 20 years of experience, she bridges evidence based trauma treatment with somatic, cultural, and holistic approac... Show more

Dimitrios Kiousis is an engineering leader with a career spanning aerospace to clinical technology. For more than 10 years he has worked at the intersection of healthcare and software, building teams that care about clean code and, more importantly, about software that works when lives are at stake. He is a strong advocate of agile methodologies in regulated environments and holds a PhD in computational biomechanics. Dimitrios believes the hardest problems in software development are rarely technical.

Dimitrios Kiousis is an engineering leader with a career spanning aerospace to clinical technology. For more than 10 years he has worked at the intersection of healthcare and software, building teams that care about clean code and, more importantly, ... Show more

Dr. Michael Piepkorn is an esteemed clinical dermatologist, dermatopathologist, and researcher with over five decades of dedicated service to the medical field. He has held numerous academic positions and conducted groundbreaking research, particularly in melanoma skin cancer and psoriasis. His extensive expertise in dermatopathology, which is the study of skin pathology, has solidified his reputation as one of the foremost leaders in his field.

He currently practices at Dermatopathology Northwest in Seattle, Washington, where he diagnoses diseases by analyzing skin biopsies. His work at this clinic is complemented by his role at the University of Washington, where he is part of the pigmented lesion and melanoma clinic at the Roosevelt outpatient facility. His ability to combine clinical practice with research ensures he remains at the forefront of the fight against skin cancer.

With board certifications in pathology, dermatology, and dermatopathology, Piepkorn's qualifications and experience are extensive. He has held prominent academic roles at the University of Utah and the University of Washington, contributing to advancing medical knowledge and dermatology practices. In 2000, he co-founded a skin pathology lab in Bellevue, Washington, which has become a vital center for diagnosing and treating skin diseases. His work in both clinical and academic settings has been instrumental in pushing the boundaries of dermatopathology.

One of Michael Piepkorn, PHD's most notable contributions to medical science was identifying the p16 or CDKN2A gene linked to familial melanoma. This discovery marked a pivotal moment in melanoma research, providing invaluable insight into the genetic components of skin cancer. Recognizing his research and clinical expertise, the American Society of Dermatopathology awarded Dr. Michael an honor in 2004, further cementing his standing in the field.

He has published more than 170 original journal articles related to medicine. A sample of Dr. Piepkorn’s prolific work includes the following:
“Pathologists' Diagnosis of Invasive Melanoma and Melanocytic Proliferations: Observer Accuracy and Reproducibility Study”
“Assessment of Second-Opinion Strategies for Diagnoses of Cutaneous Melanocytic Lesions”
“Concordance and Reproducibility of Melanoma Staging According to the 7th vs 8th Edition of the AJCC Cancer Staging Manual”
“Malpractice Concerns, Defensive Medicine, and the Histopathology Diagnosis of Melanocytic Skin Lesions”
“Characteristics and Diagnostic Performance of Pathologists Who Enjoy Interpreting Melanocytic Lesions”
“Population-Based Analysis of Histologically Confirmed Melanocytic Proliferations Using Natural Language Processing”
“Pathologist Characteristics Associated with Accuracy and Reproducibility of Melanocytic Skin Lesion Interpretation”
“Skin Cancer Screening: Recommendations for Data-driven Screening Guidelines and a Review of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force Controversy”
“Pathologists' Use of Second Opinions in Interpretation of Melanocytic Cutaneous”
“Pathologist Characteristics Associated With Rendering Higher-Grade Diagnoses for Melanocytic Lesions”
“Accuracy of Digital Pathologic Analysis vs Traditional Microscopy in the Interpretation of Melanocytic Lesions.”
“Revision of the Melanocytic Pathology Assessment Tool and Hierarchy for Diagnosis Classification Schema for Melanocytic Lesions: A Consensus Statement”
“MPATH-Dx Version 2.0 Schema for Melanocytic Lesions: A Robust Tool for Standardized Diagnostic Reporting”
“Shifts in Cutaneous Melanocytic Tumor Diagnostic Terminology: Melanocytoma, MPATH-Dx V2.0 and the WHO Skin5”

In addition to his clinical and research contributions, Dr. Piepkorn has played an integral role in educating the next generation of dermatologists and dermatopathologists. He has mentored many young physicians, helping to shape their careers and instilling in them a commitment to scientific research and patient care. His mentorship has helped ensure that the next generation of medical professionals continues pushing the boundaries of knowledge in dermatopathology and melanoma research.

He has been a vital educator at the University of Washington, training numerous clinical and dermatopathologists. His dedication to educating future physicians has had a lasting impact on the field, with his students going on to contribute to medical research and practice.

His impressive educational background laid the foundation for his successful career. He received his medical degree from the University of Minnesota in 1973 and earned a PhD from the University of Washington in 1980. His residency in pathology and dermatology was completed at the University of Washington, where he also held a joint faculty appointment in the Department of Dermatology and Pathology during the 1990s. These academic experiences were crucial in shaping his understanding of dermatology's clinical and research aspects.

Piepkorn's undergraduate studies at Gustavus Adolphus College in Minnesota provided the initial academic foundation that allowed him to pursue his medical career with distinction. His educational journey reflects his lifelong commitment to learning and his passion for advancing the medical field.

He has been recognized for his outstanding contributions to dermatology and medical education. He has received multiple teaching awards, including the Clinical Faculty Distinguished Teaching Award from the University of Washington’s Residency Program in 2009 and 2018. These awards highlight his exceptional abilities as both a clinician and a mentor.

The Michael Piepkorn Endowed Chair in Dermatology Research was established at the University of Washington in 2011 to honor his significant contributions to the field.

Piepkorn, MD, enjoys outdoor activities outside of his professional accomplishments. He has a passion for landscaping and gardening, and he frequently spends time in nature, participating in backpacking, mountaineering, and photography. His love for climbing has led him to scale hundreds of mountains in the United States and abroad, reinforcing his deep connection to the natural world.

Dr. Michael Piepkorn is an esteemed clinical dermatologist, dermatopathologist, and researcher with over five decades of dedicated service to the medical field. He has held numerous academic positions and conducted groundbreaking research, particular... Show more

Brian is the Director of Architecture, leading a passionate team advancing the future of DevSecOps with Chef's Ruby-based tools and the cloud-native Chef360 platform. As a seasoned technology leader, he has held roles as CTO and VP of Engineering and played a key part in launching .NET and Azure during a distinguished 16-year career at Microsoft. Through Princeton Digital Advisors, Brian offers strategic technical and agile consulting to executives, helping them design next-generation platforms and digital products.

With a proven track record of delivering over a dozen digital cloud solutions for organizations ranging from Fortune 50 enterprises to startups across industries like manufacturing, healthcare, education, and high-tech, Brian brings unparalleled expertise and vision to every initiative. He holds degrees from Princeton University and California State University, actively advises professional software architecture groups, and is a proud former U.S. Air Force officer.

Brian is the Director of Architecture, leading a passionate team advancing the future of DevSecOps with Chef's Ruby-based tools and the cloud-native Chef360 platform. As a seasoned technology leader, he has held roles as CTO and VP of Engineering and... Show more

🎯 Salesforce Ecosystem Expert & Aspiring CTA
Since 2016, I have been deeply involved in the Salesforce ecosystem and officially joined Salesforce in April 2021. My professional journey includes collaborating with a wide variety of end customers across industries such as Education, Healthcare, Automotive, and the Public Sector, providing tailored, impactful solutions. My expertise spans Sales Cloud, Service Cloud, and Experience Cloud, where I architect scalable, high-value solutions that solve complex business challenges and enable digital transformation.

🏆 Certifications & Professional Development
Currently, I'm pursuing my aspiration to become a Certified Technical Architect (CTA). I hold 17 Salesforce certifications and am an All-Star Trailhead Ranger with over 1,000 badges.

🌍 Beyond the Keyboard
Outside of work, I enjoy music, travelling and exploring literature.

🎯 Salesforce Ecosystem Expert & Aspiring CTA Since 2016, I have been deeply involved in the Salesforce ecosystem and officially joined Salesforce in April 2021. My professional journey includes collaborating with a wide variety of end customers acr... Show more

Veronica started her forensic career in 2008. Veronica is also the Interim Programme Lead for Digital Forensics and Incident Response at Noroff University in Norway, where she replaced a warm climate with a more adventurous one. Veronica holds a Master in Science at Rhodes University in Information Security with a specialisation in the forensic analysis of malware. She is currently doing her PhD in cybersecurity at the University of Plymouth in the UK. Her PhD is about designing robust logs for medical devices. She prides herself on keeping patients safe, as this is something close to her heart (quite literally). She is also a cyborg, sporting an embedded medical device herself. She is also a DEF CON goon, and she is the founder of DC2751, and the OWASP Kristiansand project. She has a love for all things ransomware and understands the low level details forensically.

Her particular research interests include research into security vulnerabilities in medical devices forming part of the Internet of Things, and how these could be exploited by malicious attackers, as well as what types of forensic artefacts could be identified from any attacks. She believes that incident response should be something that is continuously done and improved on. She is extremely passionate about protecting people whose lives depend on these medical devices, and her passion led her to become a researcher within an MDM. She is also developing a digital forensics and incident response approach dealing specifically with implanted medical devices and medical devices installed within a healthcare setting. At her core, Veronica is a forensicator and hacker, in love with every bit, byte, and nibble of knowledge she has obtained. She has a strong belief that the o in logs stand for observability. Knowing what is a problem is half the battle won she believes.

Veronica started her forensic career in 2008. Veronica is also the Interim Programme Lead for Digital Forensics and Incident Response at Noroff University in Norway, where she replaced a warm climate with a more adventurous one. Veronica holds a Mast... Show more

Dr. Heather is a leadership strategist, physician, and founder of Solutionists International Consulting. With more than 20 years of leadership and leadership development experience, she helps high-achieving and emerging professionals build sustainable leadership journeys rooted in clarity, well-being, and impact.

Throughout her career, Dr. Heather has worked with brilliant, mission-driven leaders who care deeply about their teams and organizations—but who often face the hidden strain that leadership can bring. Her work focuses on helping leaders move beyond burnout, misalignment, and uncertainty to rediscover purpose, strengthen team cohesion, and lead with renewed energy.

As a speaker, coach, trainer, and consultant, she partners with organizations to address complex leadership challenges with practical strategies that produce lasting results. Her engaging and thoughtful approach encourages deep reflection while equipping audiences with tools they can immediately apply.

Dr. Heather’s academic background includes a Bachelor’s degree in Mathematics from Paine College (HBCU), a Master’s degree in International Health from Trident University, and a medical degree from the Latin American School of Medicine—one of the most diverse medical schools in the world. She is also a Maxwell Leadership Certified Team Member and a DISC Behavioral Analysis Consultant.

She draws on a diverse background in mathematics, global health, medicine, and leadership development to bring a multidisciplinary, human-centered perspective to every engagement. Dr. Heather helps leaders reconnect with their strengths, align with their values, and lead in ways that sustain both performance and well-being.

Her sessions leave audiences with greater clarity, stronger communication, healthier leadership habits, and a renewed vision for the future.

Dr. Heather is a leadership strategist, physician, and founder of Solutionists International Consulting. With more than 20 years of leadership and leadership development experience, she helps high-achieving and emerging professionals build sustainabl... Show more

Dr. Arshiya Seth is the Chief Medical Officer at the Community Health Center of Cape Cod, MA. A highly experienced physician leader with +10 years of extensive patient safety, risk, quality, and performance improvement experience. She completed her internal medicine residency at Cambridge Health Alliance (CHA) through Harvard University, where she went on to spend 16 years as a primary care provider. She was a Primary Care Innovations Fellow, Harvard University, and Linde Leadership Fellow at BIDMC. Dr. Seth also served as Performance Improvement Coach to multiple teams, leading several projects designed to improve overall quality and provider satisfaction within the CHA system of care. Dr. Seth is a Certified Professional in Health Care Quality and a Six Sigma-Lean Professional. Dr. Seth is recognized as a national speaker on provider Burnout, AI, patient safety and quality and has dedicated her career to improving patient and staff experience of care through innovation and quality improvement. 
 

Dr. Arshiya Seth is the Chief Medical Officer at the Community Health Center of Cape Cod, MA. A highly experienced physician leader with +10 years of extensive patient safety, risk, quality, and performance improvement experience. She completed her i... Show more

Johnny Graber uses his skills at the Swiss Medical Association to reduce the administrative burdens for doctors in Switzerland. As a member of a small team he wears many hats that range from full stack developer to project manager. His work gives him many chances to understand that the biggest challenges in software development aren’t the technical ones.

Johnny Graber uses his skills at the Swiss Medical Association to reduce the administrative burdens for doctors in Switzerland. As a member of a small team he wears many hats that range from full stack developer to project manager. His work gives him... Show more