FORGING THE FUTURE
The Intersection of
Health, AI & Tech

Schedule

Public Schedule
Day 1 | Sunday, Oct. 19, 2025 - GFCC Annual Meeting

GFCC Members Only

12:30 p.m. Welcome Remarks

  • Deborah L. Wince-Smith, President, GFCC, USA, and President and CEO, Council on Competitiveness USA
  • Charles “Chad” O. Holliday Jr., Chairman, GFCC, USA, and Chair Emeritus, Council on Competitiveness USA
  • Joan Gabel, Chancellor, University of Pittsburgh, and Academic Vice-Chair, Council on Competitiveness USA

12:45 p.m. Participants Introduction — Round Table Intros

1:15 p.m. Annual Meeting Intro

1:20-4:30 p.m. GFCC Annual Meeting

1:30 p.m. Agenda Intro and Logistics

4:30 p.m. GFCC Group Photo

4:45-5:15 p.m. Transportation to Pitt Campus
 

Open to All Attendees

5:30 p.m. Cocktail Reception and Nationality Room Open House

6:15-8:30 p.m. Dinner and More

6:15-7:15 p.m. Dinner

7:15-7:30 p.m. Opening Remarks

  • Deborah L. Wince-Smith, President, GFCC, USA, and President and CEO, Council on Competitiveness USA
  • Farnam Jahanian, President, Carnegie Mellon University, and Executive Committee Member, Council on Competitiveness USA
  • Joan Gabel, Chancellor, University of Pittsburgh, and Academic Vice-Chair, Council on Competitiveness USA

7:30-7:35 p.m. Welcome Video From Senator John Fetterman, U.S. Senator for Pennsylvania, USA

7:55-8:15 p.m. Fireside Chat

  • Joan Gabel, Chancellor, University of Pittsburgh, and Academic Vice-Chair, Council on Competitiveness USA
  • Sandra Colner, GM Global Healthcare and Life Sciences, Dell Technologies, USA

Please Note: The reception and dinner are reserved for pre-registered attendees only. Unfortunately, we are unable to accommodate individuals who are not on the confirmed guest list. We appreciate your understanding and look forward to welcoming you to the rest of the Summit.

Day 2 | Monday, Oct. 20, 2025 - Forging the Future: The Intersection of Health, AI and Tech

7:45-8:15 a.m. Breakfast/Networking

8:20-8:30 a.m. Welcome Remarks and Introduction

  • Introduction video: University of Pittsburgh
  • Joan Gabel, Chancellor, University of Pittsburgh, and Academic Vice-Chair, Council on Competitiveness USA
  • Introduction video: Carnegie Mellon University
  • Farnam Jahanian, President, Carnegie Mellon University, and Executive Committee Member, Council on Competitiveness USA

​8:30-9:15 a.m. Panel 1: The Health, AI and Productivity Imperative: From University Research to Community Impact

  • Joan Gabel, Chancellor, University of Pittsburgh, and Academic Vice-Chair, Council on Competitiveness USA
  • Farnam Jahanian, President, Carnegie Mellon University, and Executive Committee Member, Council on Competitiveness USA
  • Ted Carter, President, The Ohio State University, and Executive Committee Member, Council on Competitiveness USA
  • Jeffrey P. Gold, President, University of Nebraska System, and Executive Committee Member, Council on Competitiveness USA
  • Harris Pastides, President Emeritus, University of South Carolina, USA
  • Charles “Chad” O. Holliday Jr., Chairman, GFCC, USA, and Chair Emeritus, Council on Competitiveness USA
  • Moderator: Deborah L. Wince-Smith, President, GFCC, USA, and President and CEO, Council on Competitiveness USA

9:15-10 a.m. Innovation Spotlight: BioForge

  • Video: Introduction of BioForge
  • Sam Reiman, Director, Richard King Mellon Foundation, USA
  • Ken Gabriel, CEO, BioForge, USA
  • Ger Brophy, Interim CEO, ElevateBio, USA
  • Rick Siger, Pennsylvania Secretary of Community and Economic Development, USA
  • David K. Roger, President and Trustee, Hillman Foundation, USA
  • Anantha Shekhar, Senior Vice Chancellor for the Health Sciences and John and Gertrude Petersen Dean of the School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, USA
  • Moderator: Jennifer Giovannitti, President, Benedum Foundation, USA

10-10:45 a.m. Panel 2: Transforming Realities: Pittsburgh, Birmingham and Belfast Shape a Sustainable and Prosperous Future

  • Aleks Subic, Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive, Aston University, U.K.
  • Sir Ian Greer, President and Vice-Chancellor, Queen’s University Belfast, Northern Ireland
  • Chris DeCardy, President, The Heinz Endowments, USA
  • Theresa Mayer, Vice President for Research, Carnegie Mellon University, USA
  • Moderator: Charles “Chad” O. Holliday Jr., Chairman, GFCC, USA, and Chair Emeritus, Council on Competitiveness USA

10:45-11 a.m. Keynote: Mehmood Khan, CEO, Hevolution, Saudi Arabia; Former Executive Chairman, Life Biosciences, USA; Former Vice Chairman and CSO of Global Research and Development, PepsiCo; and Executive Committee Member, Council on Competitiveness USA

11 a.m.-noon Panel 3: AI Innovations Increasing the Health Span of Aging Populations

  • John Eu-Li Wong, Isabel Chan Professor in Medical Sciences and Executive Director, Centre for Population Health, National University of Singapore; and Senior Advisor, National University Health System, Singapore
  • Aman Mahajan, Partner, Healthier Capital; and Professor of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, Biomedical Informatics, and Pharmacology, University of Pittsburgh, USA
  • Seigo Izumo, Former Senior Vice President, Global Head of Regenerative Medicine Unit and Head of Scientific Affairs Japan, Takeda Pharmaceutical Company, Japan
  • Maria Zamora, CEO, Center for Elders’ Independence, USA
  • Moderator: Karen Wolk Feinstein, President and CEO, Jewish Healthcare Foundation, USA

Noon-12:10 p.m. Group Photo and Launch of the GFCC Call to Action

  • Deborah L. Wince-Smith, President, GFCC, USA, and President and CEO, Council on Competitiveness USA
  • Charles “Chad” O. Holliday Jr., Chairman, GFCC, USA, and Chair Emeritus, Council on Competitiveness USA
  • Charles Kiefel AM, Vice-Chair, GFCC, and Chairman and Co-Founder of the Australian Advisory Board on Competitiveness Australia

12:10-1:25 p.m. Lunch and Panel 4

12:10-12:40 p.m. Lunch

  • Video: José-Alain Sahel, Director, UPMC Vision Institute; Executive Vice President, UPMC Entreprises; and Chief, UPMC Health Technology Advancement Program, USA

12:40-1:25 p.m. Panel 4: AI-Powered Education for the Next Generation of Innovators and Leaders

  • Padma Raghavan, Chancellor’s Executive Director for Science and Technology Strategy and Distinguished Professor of Computer Science, Vanderbilt University, USA
  • Ken Sloan, Vice-Chancellor and CEO, Harper Adams University, U.K.
  • Irene Qualters, Associate Laboratory Director Emerita, Los Alamos National Laboratory, USA
  • Eoin McMullan, Senate Member, Queen’s University Belfast, Northern Ireland
  • Marsha Lovett, Vice Provost for Teaching and Learning Innovation, Carnegie Mellon University, USA
  • Moderator: Paul M. Wallach, Vice Chancellor for Health Sciences Education and Executive Vice Dean for Academic Affairs, School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, USA

1:30-2 p.m. Transportation to Site Visits

2-4:15 p.m. Site Visits and Demonstrations

OPTION 1: Supporting Patient-Centered Vision Rehabilitation and Improving Quality of Life of Individuals with Neurological Impairments (off campus)

Introduction

  • Brad Dicianno, Professor; Vice Chair for Research; Assistant Dean for Medical Student Research

Assessing vision loss and treatment on daily living activities using virtual reality

  • John Ash, Executive Vice Chair, Research; E. Ronald Salvitti, MD Endowed Chair; Professor of Ophthalmology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
  • Rakie Cham, Professor
  • Xing Chen, Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology
  • Clive D’Souza, Assistant Professor

Neural interfaces to support communication and manipulation

Improving arm and leg function after amputation or stroke using spinal cord and brain stimulation

  • Lee Fisher, Associate Professor; Education Director
OPTION 2: Delivering Data-Informed Health and Social Care (on campus)

Introduction

Robert Cunningham, Vice Chancellor for Research Infrastructure

AI-Designed Metamaterial Orthopedic Implants

Amir Alavi, Associate Professor

Medical AI Education and Clinical Applications

Hooman Rashidi, Associate Dean of AI in Medicine, Professor & Endowed Chair of Lombardi-Shinozuka Experimental Pathology Research at University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine; Executive Vice Chair of Computational Pathology & Informatics Division at UPMC; Executive Director of CPACE (Computational Pathology & AI Center of Excellence)

Scalable, Sustainable, Generalizable and Responsible AI for Public Sector

Ryan Shi, Assistant Professor

Using Virtual Reality and Cultural Immersion to Redefine the Delivery of Care

Dmitriy Babichenko, Clinical Professor

OPTION 3: Championing Precision Medicine, Public Health Modeling and Individual Well-Being (on campus)

Introduction

Rob Rutenbar, Senior Vice Chancellor for Research

Causal AI to Transform Precision Medicine in Pediatric Sepsis

HJ Park, Assistant Professor; Faculty in Human Genetics and Biostatistics

Turning Retinal Scans into Early Warnings and Personalized Care

Jay Chhablani, Vice Chair, Clinical Trials; Director, Clinical Research at the UPMC Vision Institute; Professor of Ophthalmology

Precision Public Health: Predictive Modeling for Targeted Interventions

Suresh Kuchipudi, Professor and Chair; Faculty in Infectious Diseases and Microbiology

Praveen Kumar, Assistant Professor

Using Neural Tech for Empowerment – Turning Thoughts into Art

Michael Boninger, Distinguished Professor, Rehab Neural Engineering Labs, Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation

Nathan Copeland, Brain Computer Interface Research Participant

4:15-4:45 p.m. Transportation From Site Visits

5:45-6:15 p.m. Transportation to Dinner

6:15-7 p.m. Reception and Innovation Exhibits

Innovation Exhibit Presenters

Shandong Wu, Professor in Radiology, Biomedical Informatics, Bioengineering, Intelligent Systems, Clinical and Translational Science, Director, Intelligent Computing for Clinical Imaging (ICCI) Lab, Technical Director for AI Innovations in Radiology, University of Pittsburgh 

Richard Boyce, Associate Professor, Department of Biomedical Informatics, University of Pittsburgh 

Longfei Shangguan, Assistant Professor, Computer Science, University of Pittsburgh 

Reivian Berrios Barillas, Associate Professor, Physical Therapy, University of Pittsburgh 

Jill Demirci, Associate Professor, Vice Chair for Administration, Health Promotion & Development, School of Nursing, University of Pittsburgh 

Jian Ma, Ray and Stephanie Lane Professor of Computational Biology; Director, Center for AI-Driven Biomedical Research (AI4BIO), School of Computer Science, Carnegie Mellon University 

Adam W. Feinberg, Professor, Regenerative Biomaterials and Therapeutics, Dept. of Biomedical Engineering, Dept. of Materials Science and Engineering, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering (Courtesy), Carnegie Mellon University  

Tzahi Cohen-Karni, Professor, Hybrid-Nanomaterials and Nano-Bioelectronics Group, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University 

Burak Ozdoganlar, Ver Planck Professor, Mechanical Engineering; Associate Director, Engineering Research Accelerator; Co-director, Pennsylvania Infrastructure Technology Alliance (PITA), Carnegie Mellon University 

Rebecca Taylor, Professor, Mechanical Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University

7-9 p.m. Dinner

7-7:45 p.m. Dinner

7:45-8:05 p.m. GFCC Awards

8:10-8:30 p.m. Partner Spotlight with Joan Gabel, Chancellor, University of Pittsburgh, and Academic Vice-Chair, Council on Competitiveness USA, and Dan Sheeran, Vice President and General Manager, Health Care and Life Sciences, Amazon Web Services

8:30-9 p.m. Panel 5: Forging the Future: Local and Regional Alliances to Build and Advance Health Innovation Hubs

  • Leslie C. Davis, President and CEO, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC), USA
  • Stefani Pashman, CEO, Allegheny Conference on Community Development, USA
  • John J. Verbanac, President and CEO, Summa Development, and Chairperson, Board of Trustees, University of Pittsburgh, USA
  • Moderator: Deborah L. Wince-Smith, President, GFCC, USA, and President and CEO, Council on Competitiveness USA

Please Note: The reception and dinner are reserved for pre-registered attendees only. Unfortunately, we are unable to accommodate individuals who are not on the confirmed guest list. We appreciate your understanding and look forward to welcoming you to the rest of the Summit.

Day 3 | Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2025 - Forging the Future: The Intersection of Health, AI and Tech

8-8:30 a.m. Breakfast/Networking

8:45-9 a.m. Welcome Remarks, Day 1 Recap and a Look Ahead

  • Roberto Alvarez, Executive Director, GFCC, USA
  • Chad Evans, Executive Vice President and COO, and Secretary and Treasurer to the Board, Council on Competitiveness USA

9-9:45 a.m. Panel 6: At the Leading Edge of Health, AI and Technology

  • Hooman Rashidi, Associate Dean of AI in Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, USA
  • Pradeep Ravikumar, Professor of Machine Learning, Carnegie Mellon University, USA
  • Tony Farah, Executive Vice President, Chief Medical and Clinical Transformation Officer, Highmark Health, USA
  • Carl Kingsford, Herbert A. Simon Professor of Computer Science and Co-Director of the Joint Carnegie Mellon University-University of Pittsburgh Ph.D. Program in Computational Biology, Carnegie Mellon University, USA
  • Andrew B. Schwartz, Distinguished Professor of Neurobiology and Endowed Chair in Systems Neuroscience, University of Pittsburgh, USA
  • Robert M. Friedlander, Chair Department of Neurological Surgery; Walter Dandy Distinguished Professor of Neurosurgery, University of Pittsburgh, USA
  • Moderator: Evan Rosenberg, Market President and Publisher, Pittsburgh Business Times, USA

9:45-10:30 a.m. Panel 7: From Diagnostics to Treatments: Leveraging Tech Opportunities to Advance Health Care

  • Liron Pantanowitz, Chair, Department of Pathology, and Maud L. Menten Professor of Pathology, University of Pittsburgh, USA
  • David Okonkwo, Director, Neurotrauma Clinical Trials Center, and Executive Vice President, UPMC Enterprises, USA
  • Andrew Li, Frank A. and Helen E. Rish Assistant Professor of Operations Research, Carnegie Mellon University, USA
  • Jana Kainerstorfer, Professor of Biomedical Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University, USA
  • Peter J. Gianaros, Professor of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, USA
  • Moderator: Rob A. Rutenbar, Senior Vice Chancellor for Research, University of Pittsburgh, USA

10:30-10:45 a.m. Break

10:45-11:30 a.m. Panel 8: Health, AI and Tech: Investing in a Future

  • Video: Peter Lee, President, Microsoft Research, USA
  • Kevin Laws, Former CEO, AngelList, USA
  • Jeff Martin, Managing Partner, Stalwart Ventures, USA
  • Lizzie Hudson, Founder, Proteus, USA
  • Meredith Meyer Grelli, Managing Director & Interim Exec Director, Swartz Center for Entrepreneurship, Carnegie Mellon University, USA
  • Bryan S. Salesky, CEO, Stack AV, and Trustee, University of Pittsburgh, USA
  • Michael Wolf, Former Lieutenant Commander, Senior Regional Flight Surgeon, U.S. Navy, USA
  • Moderator: Evan Facher, Vice Chancellor for Innovation and Entrepreneurship and Associate Dean for Commercial Translation, School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, USA

11:30-11:35 a.m. Introduction to Keynote Speaker Farnam Jahanian, President, Carnegie Mellon University, and Executive Committee Member, Council on Competitiveness USA

11:35-11:50 a.m. Keynote Speaker: Governor Josh Shapiro, 48th Governor of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, USA

Noon-1:15 p.m. Lunch and Panel 9

Noon-12:30 p.m. Lunch

12:30-1:15 p.m. Panel 9: Unlocking the Promises of Health Technologies for Economic Growth

  • Audrey Russo, President and CEO, Pittsburgh Technology Council, USA
  • Vaughan Turekian, Executive Director, Office of International Networks, Collaboration, and Security; National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, USA
  • Joanna Doven, Executive Director, AI Strike Team, USA
  • Takashi Inutsuka, Specially Appointed Professor, Headquarters for International Industry-University Collaboration, University of Tsukuba & Executive Director, Tsukuba Global Innovation Promotion Agency (TGI)
    Japan
  • Fahad R S Al Jahwari, Director, National Competitiveness Office, Oman
  • Moderator: Maureen Lichtveld, Dean and Professor, School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh, USA

1:15-1:30 p.m. Break

1:30-2:15 p.m. Panel 10: Advanced Manufacturing in a Dynamic Economy

  • Rory Cooper, Associate Vice Chancellor for Research for STEM-Health Sciences Collaborations, University of Pittsburgh, and Founding Director and VA Senior Research Career Scientist, Human Engineering Research Laboratories, USA
  • Gary Fedder, Faculty Director, Manufacturing Futures Institute (MFI); Hamerschlag University Professor, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University, USA
  • Debbi Gillotti, President and COO, nVoq Inc., and Trustee, University of Pittsburgh, USA
  • Paul Madden, Director, Centre for Competitiveness, Northern Ireland
  • Kalin Marinov, Head of International Affairs and Strategic Development, Glavbolgarstroy Holding, Bulgaria
  • Moderator: Roberto Alvarez, Executive Director, GFCC, USA

2:15-2:45 p.m. Innovation Spotlight: Pittsburgh Partnerships Driving Global Innovation — Vizzhy Inc./GAINMED

  • Video: Vizzhy/GAINMED
  • Vishnuvardhan (Vishnu) P. Srinivasulu, Founder and CEO, Vizzhy, USA
  • Yasutaka Ikeda, Director, Advanced Research Institute for Core Science, Nutraceuticals Business, Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd., Japan
  • Afshin Beheshti, Professor of Surgery and Computational and Systems Biology; and Director, Center for Space Biomedicine, McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine, University of Pittsburgh
  • Kapil Chawla, Director and Head of Startups, VC and Strategic Partnerships, AI & Saas Ecosystem Leader
  • Moderator: Anantha Shekhar, Senior Vice Chancellor for the Health Sciences and John and Gertrude Petersen Dean of the School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, USA

2:45-3:15 p.m. Innovation Spotlight: Aging, Longevity and Vitality Reimagined

  • Pamela Toto, Director, Healthy Home Laboratory, University of Pittsburgh, USA
  • Lee Hood, CEO, Phenome Health, and Chief Innovation Officer, Buck Institute for Research on Aging, USA
  • Moderator: Toren Finkel, Director, Aging Institute, University of Pittsburgh, USA

3:15-4 p.m. Panel 11: From Ideas to Impact: Innovation Ecosystems Driving Transformative Place-Making

  • Damon Salesa, Vice-Chancellor, Auckland University of Technology, New Zealand
  • Steven Ashby, Senior Vice President for Strategic Partnerships, Battelle, USA
  • Miguel Marques, Vice Rector, Catholic University of Portugal, Portugal
  • Willie E. May, Vice President for Research and Economic Development, Morgan State University, USA
  • Mark I. Rosenblatt, G. Stephen Irwin Executive Dean, College of Medicine; Chief Executive Officer, University of Illinois Hospital & Clinics; Distinguished Professor of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, University of Illinois Chicago, USA
  • Josh M. Parker, Chairman and CEO, Ancora, USA
  • Moderator: Chad Evans, Executive Vice President and COO, and Secretary and Treasurer to the Board, Council on Competitiveness USA

4-4:15 p.m. Closing and 2026 Launch

  • Charles “Chad” O. Holliday Jr., Chairman, GFCC, USA, and Chair Emeritus, Council on Competitiveness USA
  • Joan Gabel, Chancellor, University of Pittsburgh, and Academic Vice-Chair, Council on Competitiveness USA
  • Handoff for 2026 Meeting

* Attendees are welcome to attend both the GFCC and the CoC meetings; 
the GFCC annual meeting is exclusively for members only.
** Order of panels and topics are subject to speaker availability.